Mission ZLO

Behind the Stage

2010-06-14T17:48:00.002-05:00

Reagan, our granddaughter is seen here learning some of the Mexican dance steps, with one of the children from the Casa Hogar, Laura.

Several years ago when Reagan visited the Casa Hogar she and Laura spent time together playing, Reagan was 5 and Laura was 7. It is remarkable that their friendship remains and I am sure will grow.

A Day in the Mountains

2010-06-14T17:37:00.003-05:00

We spent the day with our granddaughter, Reagan in the mountains near Estes Park. While the dance troupe had rehersal, we enjoy other things Colorado had to offer!

Rodrigo from the Casa Hogar Los Angelitos

2010-06-14T17:32:00.002-05:00

One of the young men from the Casa Hogar, Rodrigo, signing a program for one of the attendee.

What a great performance

Casa Hogar Dance Troupe

2010-06-14T17:27:00.002-05:00

Some of the children from the Casa Hogar along with other from the community, recently performed in the Denver/Loveland Colorado area. The performance's were excellent!! We will be posting more information for next year locations.

It was the most professional performance we have ever seen.

Casa 2 Second Story

2010-04-08T17:38:00.002-05:00

Wow...Miracles do happen! This is the second story on Casa 2 where the older boys will be staying. Now all the children are on property that is owned by the Casa Hogar Los Angelitos. This is a true blessing! Thank you to all the person's that made this a reality. We are awaiting on a Rotary International Grant to help furnish this inside.

Life Continues...

2010-03-22T09:03:00.002-05:00

While we all like to think that life continues as usual...Diana knows different. She was able to spend a great weekend with her one of her twin son's, David Lewis and his wife, Jennifer. He was preparing for his 5 tour in Afghanistan. David flies Apache helicopters.

David took his mom to Paula Dean's restaurant in Savannah. What more could a mother want?!

2010-03-18T17:54:00.002-05:00

If you see this car on the road you will know that we are out and about for The Children's Foundation. You would be surprised the positive comments we get from perfect strangers!

Of course we also are advertising for the US government....Our son's are in the Army and Marines. Do you think Obama will be sending us a thank you soon?

Still Sharing The Vision

2010-03-15T16:36:00.003-05:00

Steve is still on the road talking with Rotary Clubs!

Although time is running short here in Texas, Steve is still sharing the Vision of the Casa Hogar Los Angelitos with clubs and friends he has met while visiting this area.

Steve and Diana will be heading back to Iowa in April to regroup for the summer activities.

Medal of Honor Recipient/Mardi Gras

2010-02-19T14:17:00.002-06:00

We were privilegedto be able to attend the festivities of Mardi Gras in Metairie, LA. with Steve's brother Lloyd and Medal of Honor recipient, Jon Cavaiani. Jon and Lloyd take a break from grilling for this picture.

A highlight of the parade was the float for Special Forces. Lloyd and Jon's arms got sore from throwing all of those beads!

Construction Is Underway

2010-01-30T18:46:00.002-06:00

Construction is going great on the second story of Casa 2. Thanks to some generous people the funds were secured to get the project moving! A matching grant through Rotary International and West Liberty, Iowa Rotary will furnish the inside. Extra funds are needed for the finish work of eletric and plumbing. If you would like information on how you can help with this project contact us! In the picture are two Rotary members from Canada that have helped with other projects.

A Night To Remember

2010-01-30T18:40:00.002-06:00

What a beautiful young women! The old folks don't look to bad either. Claudia, who has been at the Casa Hogar Los Angelitos, for several years celebrated her 15th birthday or her "quinceanera". She showed the grace of a mature women as she danced the waltz with her brother Luis. Betty Gifford, Diana's mother has sponsored Claudia for several years and regardless of her health issues, wasn't going to miss this important night.

2009-12-29T08:22:00.003-06:00

Steve and Diana spent both Thanksgiving and Christmas with Steve's brother Lloyd and his family. Needless to say, they never went hungry!

Pictured here is Steve, Lloyd, and his two nephews, Jimmy and Fredy.

Steve and Diana will be heading to Manzanillo for a week over the fundraiser, open house and to see the children.

Best Wishes for the New Year.

Rotary in Houston

2009-12-10T18:33:00.002-06:00

Steve and Diana have spent November and December speaking at Rotary Clubs throughout the Houston area. Clubs varied in size from 15-70 members. Meeting interesting Rotarians who share the same vision as you can be very exciting. Steve shared not only his love of Rotary and what can be done with matching grants, but his love of the Casa Hogar Los Angelitos and how they can help on an individual level.

Grandchildren around the park on July, 2009

2009-11-08T17:01:00.002-06:00

Have been here in Hot Springs Arkansas for 3 weeks speaking at Rotary meetings and golfing with my friend Jerry Miller. Will be heading down to Houston, Texas November 11th to speak at many Rotary Clubs and Church's.

Steve and son Craig have different views on cold weather.

2009-10-11T18:34:00.001-05:00

Steve seen here needs to get to warm weather! His son, Craig is used to the Iowa weather.

Taking a break....

2009-10-03T15:56:00.002-05:00

Steve and Diana enjoy a break with Bobby and Liz Dillard of Carienge, OK. The Dillards hosted the Stout's at the First Baptist Church for two services and the local Rotary Group. They also enjoy a wonderful round of golf, where the dirt is red and the deer are always around the corner. It was a great reunion and a time to make plans for meeting up in Mexico this winter.

Award Received

2009-10-02T14:29:00.002-05:00

Steve and Diana were honored with a special award for their years ofservice to the Casa Hogar Los AngeiltosSeen here is Natasha, administration, Diana and Steve, Debbie, a BoardMember and volunteer, and Lupita, director of Children's Foundation.

Speaking in Missouri

2009-10-02T14:12:00.006-05:00

Steve recently spoke to three Rotary Clubs in Missouri. Seen here is a stop in Lexington to share their mission with the local Rotary group. During this week long trip he also spoke to Odessa and Richmond Rotaries. Lexington, Missouri, is a wonderful place to learn the history of the Cival War. There was a three day battle in Lexington and if you look closely you can see where one of the canon balls landed. The Union soldiers had taken over and the Confederate soldiers took their town back....as the locals say....we won!

Golf Tournament Fund Raiser

2009-09-18T18:41:00.003-05:00

Steve and Diana share a moment with Nancy Nystrom, Founder of The Children's Foundation, before teeing off at the 3rd Annual Fund Raiser Golf Tournament.

Family Picture Day

2009-09-18T18:34:00.003-05:00

The first Stout/Lewis/Ogier reunion in 10 years! It was great having everyone together!

2009-09-01T19:22:00.001-05:00

Seen here is Steve receiving a banner from the Burlington Iowa Rotary Club and exchanging one from the Club de Rotario de Manzanillo. He and Diana recently spent time with the group sharing what Rotary has done for the Manzanillo community and especially the Casa Hogar Los Angelitos.Steve also spoke with the Pella Iowa Rotary Club during the month of August. It was a beautiful Dutch city that was warm and inviting.

Everyone Can Help

2009-08-09T10:28:00.002-05:00

The children at the Casa Hogar Los Angelitos enjoy helping with fund raising. Here the kids have set up a booth to sell items that they have made. That same day, the cook from the orphanage made food and drinks for them to sell.

It was a great experience for the children.

Father's Day

2009-07-21T12:05:00.001-05:00

Steve enjoyed Father's Day with 2 of his 3 sons. Seen here is Jason and Craig. Matthew was working. We had Jason, Calista and family spend the night on Saturday with us. We camped at Lake MacBride, which is a family oriented lake & campground. A great day was had by all!

Welcome to Mission ZLO

2009-06-18T08:51:00.001-05:00

We would like to we welcome you to our BLOG and hope that you will bookmark this page so we can keep in touch. We will be sharing our new mission with you and will occasionally share stories of our children and grandchildren.

For the past 12 years, our lives have been a whirlwind. Starting a new life together was just the beginning! We both enjoyed doing service work and helping in our respective communities, so when we learned of yet another way to help, it was no surprise that we jumped on the bandwagon.

Following a blended-family vacation to Manzanillo, Mexico, over 11 years ago, we decided that we loved the town of Manzanillo so much that we would return someday. For those of you that do not know where Manzanillo is…it is located about 5 hours South of Puerto Vallarta and 12 hours North of Acapulco...by car that is! It is a working town with the largest port on the Western North American coast. It is located in the State of Colima which is one of the smaller states in Mexico, and the corruption is minimal along with a very low crime rate. Many Americans and Canadians have found this location and have made it their winter home.

On our first visit to Manzanillo all we saw were the beautiful beaches, nice golf courses, and friendly people. However, when we were ready to leave, we learned that there was an orphanage in the area. We talked about it on the way home and headed for the nearest computer to check this place out. One thing led to another and three months later we were on our way back to Manzanillo, loaded with supplies. Needless to say, we were hooked! We met the volunteer coordinator and she introduced us to Nancy Nystrom, the Founder of the Casa Hogar Los Angelitos and the rest is history. For the next 10 years we volunteered and did about anything we were asked to do. Some days it was washing clothes by hand or painting. Other days it was fixing anything and everything or we’d work with the incoming mission groups. Finally we decided to help by promoting the Casa Hogar Los Angelitos by chairing the Mexican Fundraising Committee. For the past two years we lived full-time in Mexico and made friends with not only the gringos but with the Mexican community. During this time Steve became a Rotary member of Club Rotario de Manzanillo and was club President from 2007-2009. Steve worked with many Rotarian groups securing grants, not only for the Casa Hogar Los Angelitos but for the community as well.

However, with the economic crisis in the USA and the global effect everywhere, many of the non-profit organizations are suffering. A well thought out decision was made (with God’s help) to return to the USA and start raising funds for The Casa Hogar Los Angelitos (The Children’s Foundation of Loveland, Colorado). This small family foundation was started after the death of the Founder’s son. (See her story at http://www.childrensfoundationinc.com/founder.php ) Through this ordeal Nancy Nystrom had a vision to help the children of Manzanillo, where he and her husband had wintered for several years. It was through this vision that the Casa Hogar Los Angelitos became a reality.

The Casa Hogar has served hundreds of children over the years. To continue to care for these children we are in need of continued support. All of the children have suffered either physical or mental abuse. They all come to the Casa Hogar sick due to malnutrition or neglect. Because of the number of children and their lack of education in all areas of their life there is over 30 paid staff members all of the Mexican community. They include social workers, teachers, women and men who provide direct care and their helpers, administrative personnel and health care providers. Nancy not only provides the basic needs for the children but shows them that they can be productive citizen in their own communities. All the children are exposed to the arts. Many participate in the dance program, where they learn the artistic dance of their ancestors and perform regularly in the Folkloric Ballet. To learn more about the children, the Casa Hogar Los Angelitos and The Children’s Foundation check out their website at: www.childrensfoundationinc.com

We left Mexico in April 2009, leaving behind our friends and extended family, but also knowing that God was pointing us in another direction to help the children. We purchased a motor home and will begin speaking at service clubs, churches, and personal homes across the USA and Canada. Our goal is to make people aware of the great need that the Children’s Foundation has in underwriting the expenses of the Casa Hogar. We will also share how you can help with our mission. Plans are underway for this project, beginning in the fall of 2009.

We took our maiden voyage to Loveland, Colorado where we took further education to better serve The Children’s Foundation and the children of the Casa Hogar. While there, we spent time with the staff. Shown in the picture are Julie Deemer, Public Relations, Deb Colvert, President of the Board and office volunteer, Diana Stout, Steve Stout and Nancy Nystrom, Founder.

We hope that you will check this site frequently and find out how you can help with this mission. You may call us direct if you would like to have more information at 319-541-7602 or 319-541-7546. You can also call The Children’s Foundation at 970-744-4883. We can be emailed directly at the emails listed below:

stout@childrensfoundationinc.com

zlomission@yahoo.com

We look forward to hearing from you!
Steve and Diana Stout