8-7-18 September gazette – Central America – Those Who Have Much
“Men often hate each other because they fear each other.
They fear each other because they don’t know each other.
They don’t know each other because they cannot communicate.”
– Martin Luther King, Jr.
What is H.O.T? Helping Others Today (H.O.T.) is our family’s charitable organization that helps people all over the world. H.O.T. was created as a not-for-profit initiative established by me and my children, Marc and Kristina. As a grassroots effort, H.O.T. seeks to foster meaningful relationships using medical and educational tools.
Mission To El Salvador
Central America is on the top of the list of those we help. Why Central America?
1. Outside of active wars (Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria), this region is one of the most violent areas in the world. Desperation is caused by violence, loss of jobs, lack of education and many are homeless.
2. El Salvador is now the murder capital of the world. Because of this distinction hundreds are crossing U.S. borders illegally to escape homelessness, poverty and violence.
3. What can we do? H.O.T. is helping “Food for The Poor,” a South Florida organization building homes for the homeless. In February 2019, our organization plans to travel to El Salvador to help in the construction of habitable homes. Thirteen or more homes make a village. When we complete 13 or more homes, we build a well and a community center.
Our goal is to provide a roof over their head, provide drinking water and teach a skill to bring the hopeless out of poverty. We use colored picture books to teach children who then teach the parents. A major component of our efforts is to teach children, to teach the parents preventative medicine.
You can get involved. For several years, private citizens have been contributing to this effort. You can join us this coming February. We will teach you on our way to El Salvador, so you can be a teacher to poor youngsters. Call Chris Wallace at Food for the Poor (954) 427-2222 ext. 6300 for more information.
It has been said that “The Role of a Leader Is to Keep Hope Alive.” We can be those leaders.
Burn Loeffke, a retired military officer, has been wounded, survived two parachute malfunctions and two helicopter crashes in combat. As a captain in his 20s, he was
an Army swimming champion. As a colonel in his 40s, he participated in a military decathlon in Russia. As a general in his 50s, he ran three marathons in China. He has been an advisor to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness. As a senior, he starts each day at Hollywood Beach, FL with 200 stomach crunches, 10 minutes of stretching, and with Dr. Carmen Queral, they sprint one-minute dashes with 30 seconds of rest in between. They finish with 10 – 20 second dashes with 10 squats in between.