Health

Oaxaca Streetchildren Grassroots (Oaxaca, Mexico)

Oaxaca Streetchildren Grassroots (OSG) seeks to help children living in the second poorest state in Mexico who sleep on dirt floors, lack clean water and are plagued with frequent illness. OSG desires to give the children in Oaxaca an education to help pull them out of the cycle of poverty. However, realizing the children's inability to focus because they are often sick from unclean water or hungry from lack of food, OSG provides meals and clean water to kids attending their school. Little Heroes awarded a grant to OSG for the funding of their meals program, which feeds 627 students six days a week. 

Dental Clinic Chair (Santarem, Brazil)

The Little Heroes Foundation has funded the constructing of a fully equipped dental chair at the Bill Chase Dental Clinic in Santarem, Brazil. This chair will be used to treat low-income children in the Amazon who would otherwise be unable to receive dental care. The chair will be put to use by volunteer dentists who will donate their time and services to treaty needy patients. With the equipment donated by the Little Heroes Foundation, each child who sits in this chair will receive free care. It is estimated that the chair will provide services to 880 children annually.

Warm Clothing Drive (Afghanistan)

Little Heroes collected hundreds of warm clothing items donated by generous individuals to be sent to children in Afghanistan. Winters can be harsh to the local people and the warm clothing will help children to stay warm and healthy during the winter season as well as bring them comfort during hard times.

Starfish Foster Home (Xian, China)

The Starfish Foster Home receives newborns and infants from two orphanages in the Xian Province of China, nurses them back to health and helps them receive needed surgeries. To date, the foster home has taken care of 146 children and arranged more than 170 surgeries. They have also placed 63 children all over the world through international adoptions. The Little Heroes Foundation has awarded a grant to the Starfish Foster Home to support the ongoing, daily needs of the orphans. The grant will buy diapers, milk, food and hygiene supplies thereby helping to improve the living conditions of the orphans and ensure that they are taken care of and well fed. 

IVUmed - Pediatric Surgical Workshop (Lusaka, Zambia)

IVUmed seeks to make urological care available to people worldwide. The Little Heroes Foundation has helped fund a pediatric surgical workshop in Lusaka, Zambia which provided 30 local children with surgical care for urological birth defects and injuries. During the process of treatment, IVUmed educated 25 medical professionals in surgical techniques in order to bring a lasting solution to the ongoing needs for urological care in Zambia.



HopeKids (USA)

Little Heroes has supported HopeKids of Utah. In December 2010, Little Heroes sponsored a Christmas party for HopeKids and their families. HopeKids' mission is to provide children and families suffering from life-threatening illnesses with events and activities. With the support of the Little Heroes Foundation each child from HopeKids received a Christmas present of their choice and each family went home with a basket of Christmas treats. Little Heroes Foundation believes every child deserves the opportunity to have fun and make friends, despite physical limitations.

Haiti Project

Following the natural disaster in Haiti, Nature's Sunshine and Little Heroes worked together to donate vitamins to the Hatian people. A few of Nature's Sunshine distributors volunteered to deliver the product to clinics throughout the disaster area to help ensure the people were getting the proper nutrients during the time of crisis. Little Heroes Foundation believes in helping individuals gain access to the necessities during a time of crisis.

Silver Shield (West Africa)

Little Heroes Foundation and Nature's Sunshine worked together to help the people in West Africa suffering from inadequate immune systems. Disease like malaria is particularly common in Sub-Saharan Africa and often kills those with weakened immunity. As a result, Nature's Sunshine and Little Heroes Foundation distributed Silver Shield, a product used to promote and support immune system function. Little Heroes supports efforts to save the lives of men, women and children worldwide suffering from disease.

Children with Cancer Christmas Foundation (USA)

During the holiday season, Little Heroes Foundation contributed to the Children with Cancer ChristmasFoundation party. Their mission is to bring encouragement, happiness, and hope into the lives of young cancer patients and their families. Little Heroes helped them accomplish this mission by supporting a two-day event for over 90 families that have one or more children with cancer. We contributed to a gift drive and party, providing these Little Heroes and their families with a little bit of Christmas cheer during the difficult times they face. Little Heroes Foundation believes that every family deserves a wonderful holiday season.

Education


Focused Learning For Youth (USA)

Focused Learning for Youth is an after school program created to assist middle school-aged refugee students achieve the same success as their peers. The program also provides support for each child's social, emotional and behavioral needs. The state of New York has the fourth largest number of refugees in the nation. These refugees face barriers in many aspects of their lives such as language, culture, education and poverty. The Little Heroes grant will lend support to improve the academic experience of refugee students in New York and help to improve graduation rates among them.

Youth of the Year (USA)

Little Heroes Foundation awarded a grant to pay for the Youth of the Year Program at Boys and Girls Clubs of Utah County this year. This program promotes and recognizes service to Club and community, academic performance and contributions to family and spiritual life. The Youth of the Year candidate participates in competitions at the state and national level to receive awards and scholarships. This year Amanda VanWagenen (pictured to the left with Governor Herbert) received the Youth of the Year award in Utah County. Little Heroes Foundation believes this program inspires youth to reach their full potential despite the challenges that confront them.

HALO Foundation (Kenya & India)

Little Heroes has given two grants to the HALO (Helping Art Liberate Orphans) Foundation, which provides orphans around the world with basic necessities such as food, water, shelter and clothing. The grants provided by Little Heroes will go directly to support homes in Kenya and India by providing educational support for the orphans living there. Nearly all of the children in Kenya lost their parents to AIDS and most of the children in India were orphaned after the 2004 tsunami. The Little Heroes Foundation is striving to give these children the basic necessities they need and provide hope for their future through education.


West Ridge Academy (USA)

The Little Heroes Foundation awarded a grant to the West Ridge Academy, a home for struggling youth dealing with academic, social, emotional and substance abuse problems. The grant will specifically help fund the academy's Character Development and Addiction Treatment Program. This 10-month program focuses on helping youth acknowledge their addiction, accept responsibility, become aware of the long term effects of abuse, recognize triggers and avoid relapse. Since its founding in 1964, West Ridge Academy has served more than 25,000 students and continues to bring hope and healing to families.

Leaf Bowl Project (Nepal)


Little Heroes supported the creation of the Leaf Bowl Project, which is designed to create sustainability for rural communities in Nepal. Aimed at providing educational opportunities for rural children, this project empowers low-income, non-skilled mothers by providing them with a job which brings in a small income that can be used to send their children to school. In this one community alone, the Leaf Bowl Project will bring educational opportunities to over 450 children who have previously been unable to receive schooling.

youth development

Now I Can (USA)

The Little Heroes Foundation provided funding for a therapy gym at the Now I Can physical therapy facilities where children are helped to reach physical abilities they never dreamed possible. The gym provides a place for children with neuromuscular problems (such as cerebral palsy) to receive traditional physical therapy, intensive suit therapy, and feeding therapy, assisting them in living a more fulfilling and normal lifestyle despite their circumstances. 

Kids on the Move (USA)

Little Heroes Foundation provided funding to make available needed therapy and other services to children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Services include preschools, social groups, adaptive sports, diagnostic evaluation, and sensory development classes. With the support of the Little Heroes Foundation, these services have been made available to children and families who would not otherwise be able to afford them.

To Children with Love (Bryansk, Russia)

To Children with Love focuses on implementing programs at six different orphanages in Russia, to help children prepare for full integration into society upon adulthood. The programs seek to help each child increase their self-esteem, interact with people different from themselves, motivate them for a better standard of living, and become eager to be a full participant in society. The grant provided by the Little Heroes Foundation will fund program materials for 50 children living at the Seltsovsky Orphanage in hopes of helping them to prepare for a brighter future. 

Christmas Project (USA)

During the 2011 & 2012 holiday seasons, the Little Heroes Foundation worked with Nature's Sunshine Products employees and other individuals to provide Christmas gifts for local families in need. Gifts included needed items such as clothing (boots, coats, gloves, pants, shirts, socks, pajamas, etc.), household items (shampoo, soap, towels, cooking appliances and utensils, bed sheets and blankets) and food packages (including flour, sugar, oil, canned fruits and vegetables, rice, noodles, etc.). Little Heroes staff, board members and volunteers then gathered a few days before Christmas to wrap and deliver Christmas gifts to the families in need. A total of 33 and 61 families were helped in 2011 and 2012 respectively.

Refugee Youth Camp (Colombia)

The Little Heroes Foundation has awarded a grant to Eagle Condor Humanitarian to help build a Refugee Youth Camp in Nueva Colombia, a slum with an estimated 4.9 million displaced people. The Refugee Youth Camp will serve as a center for the "Seeds of Love" program which provides nutritional and educational activities as well as physical and mental health visits for over 100 children in the area. The program also teaches women in the area how to generate income and become self sustaining. Using the center, the "Seeds of Love" program will be able to have a permanent location to better serve the needy children in the community.

Friday's Kids Respite (USA)

The Little Heroes Foundation supports Friday's Kids Respite, an organization that provides care for children with special needs in order to help strengthen each child's family. On Friday or Saturday nights parents and families can drop off their child to be taken care of for the evening. Volunteers spend the evening one-on-one with a child and qualified nurses are in attendance to give children any needed medical attention.  Friday’s Kids Respite sees children with Autism, Down Syndrome, brain damage, Epilepsy, Cerebral Palsy, and blindness. They also see children with very rare conditions like Opitz Syndrome, Cornelia de Lange Syndrome and Cri du chat Syndrome. Because of their qualified staff of medical personnel, Friday’s Kids Respite is able to provide a safe environment and special care for these children.

Kids in Crisis (USA)

The Little Heroes Foundation has contributed to the shelter at Kids in Crisis in Connecticut. Kids in Crisis provides free round-the-clock help for children, teens and parents of all socio-economic levels dealing with any type of crisis. Children suffering from any type of child abuse--sexual and physical abuse, neglect, psychological maltreatment and medical neglect-- all can receive help by phoning or arriving at the doorstep of Kids in Crisis. LHF supports a safe-haven for mistreated children to grow and learn.

Adoption Exchange (USA)

Little Heroes supported Adoption Exchange's Family Recruitment Program, which includes recruitment efforts to place children in foster care with a good family. The Adoption Exchange provides the connection between children who wait and families who adopt. With the support of the Little Heroes Foundation, the Adoption Exchange’s program provided services for 822 children waiting in foster care and connected 192 children with permanent homes in the first quarter of the fiscal year.

©2013 Little Heroes Foundation