Preschool of the Arts Heads to Honduras on Playscape Mission

The Preschool of the Arts recently teamed up with the Westford Congregational Church of Ashford for a mission trip to El Progreso, Honduras, to install a playscape.
 
The equipment was donated by Preschool of the Arts, which has locations in Tolland and Ellington. 

The playscape was installed at the Hope Children’s Home (Esperanza de Honduras). The Home is named the Jeff Braun Cottage in memory of Jeff Braun, a Stafford resident who died in 2003 while serving the U.S. in Iraq.

Among the people on the trip were Jeff’s dad, Bill, his childhood friend, Travis Gagnon.

The mission trip included play time with children, reading, soccer and playscape time. 

Some of the children played on swings for the first time, organizers said. 

Also on the trip were John and Sue Leavitt; Steve and Susan Anderson; Kim,Tim, Jordan and Amber Nurse; Heather Horning; Alyssa Arel; Roy and Abby Kamphausen; and Steve Simpson. 

Each person brought a backpack filled with school supplies, an outfit anda pair of sneakers for a child. The backpacks were donated by members of the Westford Congregational Church.

The Jeff Braun Cottage is full with 13 children, ranging in age from 14-month-old twins to a 14-year-old girl whose dream is to go to college. 

They are cared for by Mark and Amy Coats from North Carolina, who moved to Honduras with their four children. Many of the children who are cared for in the home never had a bed, owned any special toys, or knew wheretheir next meal was coming from, organizers of the mission trip said. 

The are getting an education at the Braun home, organizers of the trip said. 
The Stafford area has been supporting an annual soccer game in Jeff Braun’s memory for 10 years. This a game took place at Stafford High School (and raised about $1,200), but in El Progreso as well. 

All money raised at the Honduran soccer game was donated to the Children’s Home.

For more information about the home, visit: 

www.journeytohonduras.blogspot.com/