OUR OUTSTANDING OFFSPRING!
So many of our members’ children are making a tremendously positive impact on the world. Some are serving our country, others are dedicating their time and talent to worthy causes throughout the world. Temple Sinai devotes this special column featuring an outstanding young person, in order to express our pride and to provide a forum by which to share his/her experiences. On the web-site we post articles, stories, and photographs of a Temple Sinai member’s child (ages 13-30). Please send in nominations for OUR OUTSTANDING OFFSPRING to Amy Becker, Assistant Executive Director, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Introducing Ana Dodson
I was born in Cusco, Peru and my parents adopted me when I was a baby. During the summer of 2003 when I was 11 years old my mother and I went down to Peru. I collected children’s books in Spanish and teddy bears to bring down to the orphanages that we were going to visit. The Hogar Mercedes de Jesus Molina is a small orphanage in Anta, Peru located in the hills outside of Cusco. I really wanted to visit the Hogar since it is near where I was born. When we went to the Hogar I gave the children the books and teddy bears. We discovered that the orphanage had never had visitors before. When I was leaving, one girl named Gloria, who I had gotten to know, came up to me and hugged me and started to cry. She said to me “Ana, I know you will not forget about us and that you will help us in the future.”
When I was a baby I could have been put in an orphanage and I could have been in the same situation that the children in the Hogar were in. My visit to the Hogar that day and Gloria’s unforgettable words to me, really moved me and inspired me to do something more to help.
I have so many things in my life that I take for granted. I have wonderful loving parents that support me in any way that they can and I have a wonderful education. My visit to the orphanage made me realize that I wanted the girls at the orphanage to have what I have. I also realized that they needed more than books and bears. I believed that if I tried I might be able to really help them.
When I formed Peruvian Hearts I really wanted to be able to give the girls a better education and to improve the quality of their lives. Since I started Peruvian Hearts, I have been able to collect quite a lot for the orphanage in money and donations, so now unlike some kids that are living in orphanages, the girls have vitamins, school supplies, shoes and warm clothing; they have nutritious food three times a day, warm water for baths and clean water to drink.
Peruvian Hearts has taught me that even when one sees a situation 
that appears to be hopeless there is still hope. I know that I can’t change the world in a day and I know that I cannot do this by myself, but I believe that people working together really can make a difference. One of my goals is to inspire other kids to reach out and help others less fortunate than themselves. I believe that each person can change the world a little bit at a time. The motto of Peruvian Hearts is “changing theworld one heart at a time.” I hope that Peruvian Hearts will make an impact on the lives of other kids and help them believe that they can make a difference in the world.
Every time a child helps another child, they do a small act of peace. Those small acts of peace can help the world change into a more peaceful world.
