Casa Verde --- Home of Hope -- Home

Casa Verde Home of Hope (Hogar de la Esperanza) was formed in Medellin, Colombia by Jose Arias and his family. Jose was born and raised in Colombia and is now a U.S. citizen. While studying for the priesthood, Jose did missionary work and was indelibly struck by the plight of homeless street children in Medellin. These children eat from garbage cans, sleep on the street, get no education, and have a short life expectancy.

After Jose was established in the U.S., he used much of the money he earned to support a house in Medellin where volunteers, including his sisters and his father, could take in and care for some of these children. As Casa Verde grew and the children prospered, more support was needed. Casa Verde Home of Hope, Inc., a New York corporation, was therefore founded as a charity whose only purpose is to support the children of Casa Verde in Medellin. The Internal Revenue Service granted Casa Verde 501(c)(3) tax exempt status effective October 17, 2003.


	The key to Casa Verde is that it is a home for its children not just a place to live. Casa Verde provides its children with a true family existence that supports them emotionally as well as giving them the essentials of living. Education, healthcare, religion, music, and, most importantly, love are integral parts of life at Casa Verde. As a result, the Case Verde children have an opportunity to reach their true potential.



	The family atmosphere of Casa Verde means that the house is necessarily small. Fifteen children and two adult caregivers is the ideal for the type of "family" we think is necessary. Right now, Casa Verde is full of happy, mischievous, wonderful, loving children who are on their way to a productive adulthood. Our immediate goal is to support them fully until they complete their education. Our long-term dream is to open additional Casa Verde houses each with its own family of children and adult leaders. We want to make Casa Verde a true model for humanity.

Casa Verde is run without administrative expense. All of the fundraising and management time is donated. The caregivers are paid, as are some of the medical expenses (much is donated) and, of course, food, clothing, education, and religious costs. For the 15 children, this amounts to about $3,500 per month.

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