Terri visited Brazil for the first time

Hello Dear Friends of "Brio Dream Foundation" What a month March has been for the official launching of "Brio Dream Foundation". 

I  came to Brazil in March and Ricardo  and I  laid out our plans for foundation.  We met with the lovely couple, Cicero and Eliete, who run Familia Santa Clara.  This is the family home that is our first project with Brio Dream Foundation.  We saw 50 children that are in great need of education and hope for the future.  Cicero and Eliete are amazing to become the mother and father of these children, but they can only do so much, because they do not have enough funds to even take care of their essential needs for the month. Ricardo and I looked at each other, while visiting them and immediately knew that this home will not only be our first project but possibly our  "Brio Dream Foundation Home for Children" Ricardo has made a plan for continuing education for the children, which is genius. I will let him tell you about his plan, so nothing is missed.

Ricardo, who is also Papai Noel, has a new Santa suit now, you can see it on the website.  Our Santa program as we call it is moving forward. Papai Noel Ricardo, has been doing this for 18 years.  Our goal for the year is to have more volunteer Santa's in other parts of Brazil to deliver presents over Christmas to the children in orphanages.   We already have some volunteers and are looking for at least 8 more Santas, so each can reach out to 2-3 orphanages this year. What does this mean?  10 more Santa suits.

I am back home now and this is what is going on in the USA and in Brazil.  Thousands of miles apart, but we work hand-in-hand on our project. I have an amazing group of volunteers that are giving their time, their hearts and their souls for "Brio Dream Foundation" You will read their profiles as Volunteers, but I want to thank each and everyone for what they have done so far for Brio Dream Foundation.

Cindy Watson is a friend of mine that has created a beautiful newsletter that explains our program.  She has solicited the help of another amazing lady, Melissa, who is printing 1000 copies of our first newsletter to be distributed in the USA. It will also be online and updated each month. Melissa and Cindy are a member of a business group in Colorado, and I went to their meeting and found out they had done a fundraising poker night, and Melissa's husband won and donated his winnings to Brio Dream Foundation, and the group voted to do more fundraisers this year and designated us the charity that they will donate to, all year. Cindy is also organizing a fundraiser for us, when she does her open house for her new place of business this spring, and in September, when Ricardo comes to the USA, she will do another for us, so everyone can meet the founder of Brio Dream Foundation I want to thank my dear, dear friends. 

Natalie, Jean and Michelle that have made this dream and purpose theirs, too.  They will be instrumental in helping me organize fundraising events over this next year. I will update you as we have dates firmed up.

I want to thank my dear friend, Claudio from Brazil. He went to Familia Santa Clara with Ricardo and myself, and said "I have to be a part of this".  He lived in Palm Beach, Florida and he and I are coordinating an huge dinner charity event there (date to be determined).  Our goal is to raise enough funds to pay for expenses for Familia Santa Clara for a year, so they can start adding new children and also to be sure the home can stay open. There is a huge deficit each month. 

I want to thank my volunteer Santa's and their families in Brazil. Antonio and Racibe Marques and Newton & Marlene Campos and their daughter Karina Drumond.  The next time you hear from us, we will have dates attached to our events, but I want everyone to know, we have made great progress in just a month with Brio Dream Foundation.

So you may ask what can you do to help?  Volunteer and organize and fundraiser or be a part of someone elses.  Donate money. Donate toys and gifts for our Papai Noel program.  Donate other essentials for "Familia Santa Clara".  I will have a list of what they need.  Most of all talk about us and spread the word.  This is not just Ricardo's and my dream. Brio Dream Foundation belongs to the world. 

God Bless You,

Terri Katz