The following is the 10th and final entry in a series of journals written by members of the SRU Athletes for Forgotten Angels service group chronicling their trip to the Hekima Place orphanage in Kenya. All entries in the journal can be viewed at the Forgotten Angels page.

Day 10 - Last day of our blog (Written by Noreen Herlihy)  |  Photo Gallery

Our time here at Hekima Place has come to an end. It has been a fantastic experience for all of us involved and we will be forever connected to our Hekima friends. I, personally, want to thank all our families and friends for your constant support of our group; the Division of Student Affairs that supported us, Bob McComas who solicited the local Lions Clubs to donate some monies for this trip, and those specific Lions Clubs who willingly donated; Pam Frigot and the International Initiative Office for your support; Kris Chiprean from the health center, who met with us to assist with our vaccinations, Erienne Roberts for getting us to and from the airport and Jon Holtz for his constant willingness to post our blogs and photos online.

Also thanks to Sarah Markwardt, who first gave me the idea about this service project, and Lorraine Bridy at the Hekima Place office in Pittsburgh. Thanks Tom for joining us on this trip, Kristina, Janet, Mark and Molly, whose company we thoroughly enjoyed. Mark and Molly, I enjoyed our candid conversations and you both have bright futures ahead. Most importantly, I want to thank Kate Fletcher, whose selflessness and dedication to these young girls is a true inspiration. Kate and all the Mums and Uncles, thanks for welcoming us into your home, we felt so much a part of your family.

To the beautiful girls of Hekima Place, thanks for the joy you gave us during our time here, the trust you placed in us, and the unspoken reminder of the power of a simple smile and a warm embrace. You are beautiful young girls, sincere, kind, funny, strong, proud and smart. Keep up the good work in school, continue to dream big and believe in yourself. We love you and are so very proud of you!

A special thanks to our Slippery Rock University student-athletes; Shannon Mahoney, Nicole Krueger (Freddy), Izabel Scott (Bella), Brooke Edwards, Kalli Wakefield, Emily Lobdell and Dana O'Neill, who gave up some of their Holiday break to make the difference in the life of a child. I have watched you bring so much laughter to these kids and receive it right back. Truly embrace your experience here and what we have learned and let's not keep it to ourselves. Photographs most often consist of smiles and those pictures will never fade, but it's the lessons we have learned are what's most important to remember.

We have experienced firsthand the power of love shown to young children desperately in need of that sense of belonging and self-worth, and it starts there. Love, compassion and education will pave the way for them to grow up and know that the cycle does not have to continue. Central to it all, is their faith and that gives them comfort and hope as they live day to day. This is the mission of Hekima Place.

Most of all, what we have come to learn during our time here is that the education of young girls is vital. It is said that women make up seventy percent of those living in poverty across the globe. Education is the stairway that can lead them out of poverty, empowering young girls to be better than how society often views them. One thing we heard that struck us is that we are not better than the people here in Kenya, and we are not smarter; it's just that we are luckier. And it is so true! Talent is universal, opportunity is not.

We have seen daily the plight of young children and adults on the streets here and the devastating conditions they are constantly faced with in an underdeveloped country such as this and driving by the slums of Kibera opened our eyes for sure. The challenge will be, as we go back into the comforts of our lives and far away from seeing it, that we don't forget that somewhere in the world, our fellow human beings are suffering in horrific poverty. We can all make a small difference, and it can be as close to home as in our own neighborhoods and local communities, or in another part of the world. We are all part of the human race and we can certainly make a difference in the lives of others, and especially in the life of a child. We all have something to contribute; we simply just have to choose it!

Thanks for following along and we hope you enjoyed our journey through the blogs. Thanks again for all your support and never forget that kindness matters!

Shoutout to all our Hekima friends…. You have truly enriched our lives!

Cheerio for now,
Noreen