Connection #11

Adrianne and Anthony

11. Adrianne and Anthony

Canada, Copper Bank (Belize), Adrianne (37) and Anthony (37) (religion: mennonite)
Gift received: March 27, 2006

Adrianne, Anthony and their three sons - Matthew (17), Mark (15) and Tyler (13) are a very happy, tolerant and friendly family. Anthony used to go to the high-school in the United States of America where he met his future wife Adrianne. After the school they both moved to Canada. At the beginning they hardly survived day-by-day. They were grateful when sometimes friends anonymously left food in front of their door.

Now Anthony owns a construction company. He gets very big support from the family. In 2006 all of them travelled to Belize, where they were working on improving "The Last Resort", a holiday resort recently purchased by their colleague Joe.

Adrianne is actively involved in NGO projects in Canada and in third world countries. Both, Adrianne and Antony, are very concerned about people in need. Whenever they can, and wherever they are they try to improve living circumstances for poor people. They worked many times in Mexico, building wells for those in need of a steady water supply. In Belize, too, they supported the poorest family in Copper Bank with providing them at least basic things like beds, sheets, towels, bowls and many other for most of us obvious daily objects.

Gift: Candle, and salt and pepper shakers

Candle, and salt and pepper shakers

Gift given: March 26, 2006

The family uses candles for bringing calmness and quietness to their house for family gatherings in the evenings. Very often during dinners they would have a candle on the table along with salt and pepper shakers. The two shakers have been with the family for a long time. Two of them put together make a wavy flag of the United States. This symbolizes Adrianne's and the boys' US citizenship.

How we met Adrianne and Anthony

The family was very happy to be one of the connections in our project. Anthony and Adrianne noticed that the gift-box was hand-made. They immediately remembered the gift-boxes made by Anthony's father. Anthony had never met his father until 1 year ago, just a few days before his father passed away. It was touching to listen to the whole story about the day when he lost the father, and for the first time got to know four of his older brothers.

A day before Antony's family went back home to Canada, they transfered their gift to a member of one of the poorest, if not the poorest, family in Copper Bank, North of Belize. The small daughter of Fernando and Carmita (religion: adventist) received thus the gift box, ring and bracelet which Dunya from Corozal, North of Belize, gave us. Adrianne was sure that with giving these gifts to the girl the wish of Dunya (see connection 10) will be fullfilled.