High Cloud Foundation - Because Dreams Come True

Besides the pretty obvious difference that brown rice is brown, and white rice is white, there are huge nutritional differences between the two.  White rice goes through a milling process where food manufacturers remove the outer layer of the rice known as the bran layer.  When the bran layer is removed, most of the nutritional value of rice goes with it. 

High Cloud intern Derek Escalante, a student at Notre Dame University, is spending the summer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil working with children in the impoverished Rocinha district.  In Derek's words: "Two weeks ago, we took a trip with the three and four-year-old class to the zoo. The kids had a blast, and I really got to bond with a lot of them by carrying them around and showing them all the various animals.  Also, we took a field trip last week with the English class kids (9-11 year olds) to the Jardim Botanico, the beautiful botanical garden here in Rio. We had an amazing time, and the kids were all really happy to have a day out and enjoy themselves.

I can't speak enough of how I love the people in Rocinha. They live simple lives, and they are genuine. They're not worried about petty things; they really cherish the most important things in life like family and friendship. This is my sixth week, and all anyone has asked of me is friendship and it's really an amazing feeling.  Also, I've really bonded with the people that work at the school. It's really a cool feeling to get down on my hands and knees and scrub floors after the kids leave with the school staff. I feel privileged to be able to contribute to the kids having clean classrooms to learn in the next day. I have clean classrooms in the States and these kids definitely deserve that too.... The High Cloud programs in my own opinion are reaching their max potential here. The kids are learning about nutrition and about hygiene, something that I think is crucial in a community that is for the most part pretty dirty. There are great English classes going on two days a week that I love to contribute to. Also, the kids are planting a garden and a small orchard outside one of the school buildings. The cool thing about that is that what they are planting are healing plants used for medicine as well as healthy veggies like tomatoes.  It's awesome to see that all the components that High Cloud emphasizes and upholds actually come to life here in Rocinha."

Nothing beats the nervous anticipation of a first internship and all that it entails. As I barreled through numerous forms, smiled widely in countless interviews, and occasionally begged teachers for just one more recommendation, I finally reached the goal of college kids everywhere - acceptance into an internship.

     

Coming from Notre Dame Undergraduate Business School, the one thing you realize is that there is always someone smarter than you -- someone who can whip up financial reports at the speed of light, someone who can map out an entire marketing campaign in their head. While competition against these superhuman business students may seem daunting to some, Notre Dame students relish the struggle.

 

When the school offered up internships, ears perked up in anticipation of the bloody battle ahead for open positions. The one that caught my eye, and that of many others, was a chance to work with the High Cloud Foundation in Washington, DC. While it may not have had the supposed prestige of working for a company such as J.P. Morgan or Deloitte, it had something even better - actual work. The pitfall of working for a large company, as many previous interns have gladly spoken out about, is the lack of work. While it might look nice on a resume to have worked alongside financial bigwigs, the day-in and day-out job of making coffee just doesn't cut it.

 

As I stepped off the plane at Dulles International Airport on my first night in DC, I practically shimmered with excitement. While I realized that I would get actual work experience, and was extremely grateful for the opportunity to have an internship at all, I still resigned myself to doing the brunt of the grunt work. I soon realized my judgment in the job description was completely off the mark.  I was immediately given meaningful tasks to complete, all without the veiled threat of failure hanging over my head. Not only was I happily overwhelmed with important work, I felt extremely welcome into what I now realize is a family.

 

Since that first maelstrom of assignments, I have been given a wide variety of tasks. I have had the opportunity to write financial reports, send in grant proposals, be the head coordinator in a large event, attend a board meeting, manage and update websites, take minutes at a meeting, and plan out the logistics of humanitarian missions -- all with the complete trust of the founders and members of High Cloud. Never in a million years did I ever expect to experience this level of responsibility.

 

Not only have I had the opportunity to do meaningful work, but I have also had the pleasure of meeting some truly amazing people. Every single member of High Cloud works diligently and tirelessly for the sake of making the world a better place. They all do this while juggling jobs, familial obligations, and sometimes even school. Even though the founders both have full-time careers, they still regularly fly halfway across the world to change the lives of poverty-stricken children. I have done humanitarian work in many different countries, and never have I met a more dedicated group of people.

 

Although my time in DC is coming to a close, my work will not stop here. I cannot think of anything I would rather be doing than helping High Cloud grow for the benefit and children and families around the world. This has truly been one of the best experiences of my life, and I am looking forward to what my future at High Cloud holds. 

High Clouders brought joy to children in the Middle East in July!  Twenty-three High Clouders from Austria, Sweden, Germany, Italy, Colombia, France, England and the United States came together to provide educational programs and humanitarian support to more than one 120 children.  The High Clouders mentored and provided much-needed assistance to the children of the SOS Orphanage of Bethlehem in the West Bank.

 

The High Clouders helped to construct a computer lab for the children and 80 women who help at the orphanage. Professional builders do the actual construction work, but the High Clouders helped to clean and tile the floor, which once was a trash pile in the community.  To close this successful Humanitarian Mission, the High Clouders spent half a day at the Dead Sea. 

This is what being a High Clouder truly means - actively being the change that you want to see in the world by being an ambassador to the children, mentoring them, and being their voice in the world.  Together we can truly make a difference in the lives of the less fortunate and Make Dreams Come True!    

We High Clouders will continue to provide educational Clouds and assess the most immediate needs with the hope that our modest efforts will make a difference and give some comfort and happiness to many children and orphans around the world. It is an amazing feeling when you go and interact with the children and community to see what happens at the grassroots level.  You see tangible results with the support we provide. Join us on our next humanitarian trip to India scheduled for November of 2009!