Don Schreier founded HOLD the Children 18 years ago as a means of providing school supplies and paying teachers in a small country school in the community of Lavaud, Haiti. From that humble beginning, HOLD grew to six schools with over 750 children. In 2008, I was given the challenge to grow the HOLD program to include more kids that needed to be in school. Because of God’s faithfulness and the compassion and generosity of sponsors, we were able to grow the HOLD program to include twelve schools in three countries with more than 2500 students. In 2010, we completed building and opened the HOLD the Children Home, an orphanage for abandoned and neglected children. Today, 45 children are loved and cared for. The Home is entirely supported by gifts from generous and compassionate donors and friends of HOLD. Supporters have been responsible for many community improvements, including purified water systems, helping to build churches and schools, constructing a transitional home for older residents of the HOLD Home and numerous other projects for the poor.
None of the growth or accomplishments of HOLD could have been realized without each of you. I am so grateful to have shared the past eleven years with you as the HOLD program grew to new levels. It is now time to pass the mantle of leading the HOLD Program to the next generation of leadership. Courtney Rivera has been preparing for her new role for more than a year. She has demonstrated an intense passion and the ability to take HOLD the Children to a higher level. Courtney will become the new director of HOLD effective June 1, 2018. I will remain involved as an advisor and information resource as she steps into this new role. I am excited to see where she will lead HOLD in the future. She will need the continued support of HOLD sponsors and supporters. We count on your faithful support for Courtney as you have provided in the past for Don and me. Please pray for HOLD the Children and Courtney Rivera as we make this transition of leadership.
~Richard Rohde, HOLD the Children Director
