It seems there is little shortage of people willing to lend a helping hand here in the Albemarle region. Whether it is here at home or abroad, local youth and adults alike are always willing to step up to the plate, as witnessed by at least one group who recently returned from South America.

A group of kids from Christ Episcopal Church in Elizabeth City have made it their business over the past few years to head down to Ecuador and make themselves available to help out a church mission group. This year, those kids accompanied by Edla Stevens and Julie Robinson took fellow youth from the First Baptist Church, Corinth Baptist Church, City Road Methodist Church and First United Methodist Church and even St. Andrews in Nags Head, to help build a badly needed orphanage.

Photo courtesy Julie Robinson (ENLARGE)

Members of the youth team sit in front of the water tower they helped construct.

"Last year there were 25 orphans and now there are 50," says Julie Robinson of Patti Sue Arnold's orphanage, La Casa De Fe. "Many of the children are multi-handicapped. It is often a belief of the indigenous people that children born with disabilities are possessed by evil spirits and should be left to die. Several children have been brought to the orphanage by the mothers to save their lives."

Stevens says the group went down this year to simply help La Casa de Fe get a building of its own constructed and get the children inside a permanent home. Until recently, they have existed in a rented space.

"She (Patti Sue Arnold) has an orphanage and bought property and that's why (we) went, to help build the facility," says Stevens.

The people from Elizabeth City that went down south are: Edla, Anna and Bradham Stevens; Betty Jennings; Sophia Wojnowski; Wood Foreman; Julie Robinson; Danny Peck; Jerry Drew; Megan Luke; Douglas Lane; Ryan Harris.

Robinson says while the group was there three children were brought to the orphanage because their families didn't have the means to care for them.

"Little Geovani was brought by his grandfather who cared for him, but needed to go to work," says Robinson. "He was leaving the 1-year old home alone. Tatiana was born with moderate cerebral palsy. She was left to live under the house with dogs. There are so many stories, but we have witnessed how much the children are loved and nurtured by Patti Sue and the tias, the Ecuadorian women who help her."

Robinson says she and Stevens "are committed to raise money for this project." The two women, says Robinson, have a goal of $100,000. They've already raised $10,000.

Both women and the youth who went to work at the orphanage are passionate about the work. They say it's something that will live with them for a long time.

"You don't realize what kind of effect you have and what a meaningful thing for both parities to have this kind of relationship," says Stevens.

For more information about the orphanage, visit their Web site at www.lacasadefe.org.