Lake Zurich native fundraising for Guatemalan orphanage when she volunteers
A summer spent volunteering at an orphanage in Guatemala had a life-changing impact on Kelly Loch of Lake Zurich.
Not only has she undertaken a fundraising campaign for the children at the orphanage, but she also now is contemplating returning next year, as a teacher.
Loch graduated in 2011 from Lake Zurich High School and currently is in her senior year at the University of Iowa, where she is majoring in elementary education and hopes to become a special-education teacher.
She spent last summer at Fundacion Salvacion, an orphanage in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, that serves 120 children. "Living at the Fundacion, I had had the amazing opportunity to be fully immersed in the daily lives of the incredible children there," Loch said. "I got to see the joy on their faces when a new mission team arrived to help, the tears in their eyes when they missed their family - and everything in between.
"Now that I am back, I want to spread the word and raise awareness about the great need for help at the orphanage."
Loch helped out mostly in the nursery, but she also taught English classes, helped prepare and serve food in the kitchen, washed dishes and did laundry. However, it was her time spent in the "baby room" - and with one of its residents in particular - that stayed with her long after she left, As a special-education teacher in training, Loch was drawn to an 8-year-old girl named Glendy, who lives with the babies because she is unable to walk, talk or eat solid food. However, like many of the babies in the orphanage, Glendy had to wear diapers that did not fit.
"My heart sank when I saw the bleeding sores on Glendy's hips," Loch said, "due to the rubbing of the diaper meant for a baby."
She soon learned that the orphanage did not have enough money to purchase different sizes of diapers or enough wipes to care for the children. Before she left, Loch purchased large diapers, but she has since launched a fundraising campaign to purchase enough diapers and wipes for one year.
"There are two women who run the nursery and work so hard to care for Glendy and the babies," Loch adds. "One of the most amazing moments was when I told them I would be asking friends and family back home to help me buy them diapers. They were so grateful for the help."
Loch set out in August to raise $3,750. Currently she has raised just over $2,800 from family and friends, but she is hoping to widen her net and draw more supporters to her cause.
Guy Eisenhuth, a Lake Zurich resident and president and CEO of Village Bank & Trust in Arlington Heights, is one of Loch's supporters, who finds her interest in children in a Third World country to be inspirational.
"Here is a young woman who, very unselfishly, wants to make a difference in the lives of the people she seeks to help," Eisenhuth aid.
Eisenhuth points to Loch's heritage as part of her commitment to service. Her paternal grandparents, Archie and Carmel Loch, raised their family of 13 children in Arlington Heights - Kelly Loch's father is Terry, the third-oldest - and are well-known for their involvement and service to the community.
"I am so lucky to be a part of such a great family," Kelly Loch said. "Being a Loch, I meet people everywhere who know my family."
How to donate
Click on: <a href="http://morethancompassion.org/campaigns/kellyandchloesfundraisingcampaign/">morethancompassion.org/campaigns/kellyandchloesfundraisingcampaign/</a>.
What you are helping: The Baby Room at the Fundacion Salvacion orphanage in Huehuetenango, Guatemala.
The cause: Buy a year's worth of diapers and wipes.
The goal: $3,750. Currently raised: $2,800.