Give it a thought!

Happy moments, praise God; difficult moments, seek God; quiet moments, worship God; painful moments, trust God, every moment, thank God.

Thursday, December 20, 2007

What we did….

Whispering Hope has pleasure in providing you with a brief on what was achieved in the past few years. Our ‘little ways’ were instrumental in reaching out and offering comfort and solace to those who were in need at that moment.

For the increase in Faith
Pilgrimages to various shrines in Tamilnadu were conducted on a regular basis. Special attention was given to senior citizens and family groups to ensure that they were comfortable and their lives enriched by visits to these holy places.

For the Children
Since 2002, we have been instrumental in helping children with school fees, books, stationery, uniforms, shoes, etc.
A special treat was given to 45 street children and Thomas, a physically challenged young man, who took it upon himself to give free tuition to these children. He used to teach these youngsters under a street light. We organized a high tea and then distributed a school bag filled with goodies for each child. A little cash gift for Thomas for his marvelous contribution to society and the dedication displayed.
Periodic visits were undertaken to the Love Care Centre - an orphanage, and Arunima – a home for prisoners’ children, where we spent time with the children, giving them a good meal and little treats to brighten up their day.
Picnics and movies, ice cream and balloons, fire crackers and fun games were given in large doses to the many children that we came across from time to time.

For the Women
Saris were presented to the village women at St. Jude’s Shrine, Kattur. (While this program was being conducted, the devastating and disastrous Tsunami hit the shores of Chennai and elsewhere in December 2004).
50 pairs of footwear were provided to women and their children.
Pension is being distributed to three ladies – we hope to increase the number of women and the amount in the coming months.

For the Tsunami relief work
Conveyance was provided for the tsunami relief work undertaken by St. Joseph’s Church, Vepery, Chennai.
Financial aid received from Ranji, UK, was given to the Nagle Health Centre at Colachel, Kanyakumari.

Medical Aid
Financial assistance was given to the distraught when their loved ones were in hospital or in need of medicines.

Friday, December 14, 2007

What they said....

Whispering Hope has pleasure in sharing some of the ‘thank you’ messages received from the Heads of institutions and beneficiaries. These are quotes taken from their letters which are on file. Appreciation notes from some of the sponsors are also given.

Mr. Antony Cruz, Headmaster, Don Bosco High School, Chennai 600 007
“This note comes to express our gratitude for the troubles you have taken to mobilize funds to provide fees and uniform for the very poor children… I am sure your friends who have helped you in this project would be happy to see how the funds have been utilized….”

Mrs. Sophia Chelladurai, Managing Trustee, Love Care Centre, Chennai 600098
“…Ms Flora and her friends come all the way from Kellys with cool drinks, puffs, hand towels, and gifts for the children. The children enjoy this all season Santa Claus who distributes balloons and sweets in the evenings.”

“Kindly accept our grateful thanks for your spontaneous gift of rice provided. When one of the regular channels unexpectedly dried up, we were really upset and disturbed for there was no other source to feed the children. However, God has been merciful to our needs and your contribution came as a blessing indeed…..”

Rev. Sr. Balred, Executive Director, Jeevodaya Hospice for Cancer Patients, Chennai 600 068
“…We are very much happy to see your concern towards us…..Appreciating your noble care and concern towards our service to advanced cancer patients…..”

Rev. Fr. P A Jacob, Parish Priest, St. Jude’s Shrine, Kattur, Chennai 601 203
“At the outset, let me thank you very much for the hundred saris and for the refreshment you gave to the poor people at Thiruvallavayal shrine. The poor people, who received them, are very happy and praying for your intentions. May God bless all your works and also all the people associated with your work…..”

Biju Damodaran, Muscat (sponsor)
“Its really nice to see the children dancing and enjoying the event. I know they would have wished that life continued for them throughout in this way. Without your initiative this could not have happened. Hats off to you, Flora…..”

Manoj Barai, Bangalore (sponsor)
“I am so glad the entire function went off as well as had been originally planned. People like us were only instrumental in sending the money and nothing more. The success of the program is entirely due to your commitment and organizational capacity. Once again all I can say is that you are doing a fantastic job for the deserving souls and also thanks for showing us how to put atleast some of our money to good use……”

Yeshwanth Giri, Chennai (volunteer)
“I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks for yet another opportunity given to me to spend some good time with the under privileged children…. The best part of the time we spent there was when we saw the bright smiles on their faces when Ms Flora gave away some t-shirts and caps to them. They were so excited and their happiness saw no bounds. They were all thrilled and immediately wore their caps on….”

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Christmas 2007

With Christmas around the corner, the stocking is getting filled with a lot of treats for the poor and down trodden. To kick start the show, Whispering Hope distributed saris to a selected group of women in Chennai. Exciting food hampers are also being organised for families from the lower middle class. Whispering Hope would like to thank Pamela Hendricks, her family and friends from Perth, V Kumar from Bangalore and P R Balasubramaniam from Mumbai, for their generous contributions towards these gifts.

Whats Christmas without something for the little ones?! Tripta and Manoj Barai from Bangalore step in with their generosity and a picnic on the beach with goody bags for the little ones is on the cards. Photos will be posted after the event.

My Story

In August 2002, ten less privileged people were taken by me on a pilgrimage to Mother Mary’s shrines at Velankanni and Poondi, located in Tamil Nadu, India. This prompted the ‘goodness of giving’ to blossom in my heart.

I was then working for the Royal Sundaram Alliance Insurance Company (a joint venture between Royal & Sun Alliance UK and Sundaram Finance, India) in Chennai, India. With the help of my friends and colleagues, I was able to organize many more visits to places of worship, orphanages, homes for the elderly, a cancer hospice, offering whatever we could, to bring a little smile and lots of happiness to the less privileged members of our society. Since most of the contributions came from my colleagues, I used to affectionately term these sprees as ‘Royal Goodness’.

'Royal Goodness' was also instrumental in educating a number of children in the years gone by. Entertaining children was given top priority and this involved trips to the seashore, picnics, movies, ice cream treats, presents, et al.

As the months passed by, these little acts of kindness have reached out to many individuals and families. Having moved on from Royal Sundaram to greener pastures, it was time to rename this small venture of mine so that it can get the recognition it richly deserves. And now you have it…….Whispering Hope…..at its best!

A very big THANK U to my family and friends who have helped and encouraged me all along the way in more ways than one.


Flora Anne Lazar
(Contact Nos. +91 98 404 32556 / +91 98 661 70313)