A LITTLE BIT OF MAGIC ––
Over twenty-one years ago, Andy Stein found purpose in his work travel to Latin America. “I was sick of getting on planes,” shares Stein. “I went to every country manager in the bank and said, ‘Look. If you want me to pitch business, I need an orphanage, three hours on the schedule, and time to play with the kids.’ That’s what I love doing!” Stein explains. And that he did. While visiting Santiago, Chile, Andy encountered an orphanage with some of the most battered and abused girls in Chile. He consistently visited, made balloon animals, and performed magic tricks – over time, he was known as “Tio Andy” (Uncle Andy) and “Tio Mago” (Uncle Magician) by the thirty-two sweet girls residing there. One of the nuns overseeing the orphanage confided in Andy that the girls are required to leave the home when they turn eighteen, and 100% of them will become prostitutes or live on the streets within a year. “That was my ah-ha moment. I immediately went back and formed a 501(c)(3). Together with the nuns, we decided education and job training for these girls was the way out,” details Stein. Just like that, Andy created Orphaned Starfish Foundation to provide technology training, education, and, perhaps most importantly, hope to the children who need it most. After building a state-of-the-art computer center at the orphanage, the girls had access to technology and direction for the future. Just six short months later, Andy returned to find the youngest kids were ranking at the top of their class, and the older girls learned to type, use the internet, and work in Microsoft Word. “They gained a skill! In the twenty-one years I’ve been involved with that orphanage, only one girl has gone to the streets. Every other girl has gone to university or gotten a job,” Stein relays with a smile.
John Pelant and his family connect with the children at the Costa Rica location.
John Pelant and his family visit the White Earth, Minnesota, technology center.
After setting up the first computer center in Chile, Andy expanded his reach to Brazil, Mexico, and Panama. “Over time, it kind of took over my life. Eleven years ago, I gave up banking and started focusing on Orphaned Starfish Foundation as my full-time calling,” describes Stein. Since that time, the foundation launched seventy- five computer centers in thirty countries, with over 17,000 kids going through the program at any given time.
Philanthropy Rules! Orphaned Starfish | 39
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