Luis

If the little boys dorm at Douglas was a fraternity house, Luis would without a doubt be the social chair. He is almost always the ring leader of something fun, crazy, messy, and rowdy. If things start to get boring, Luis likes to 'spice' it up. He'll be the one climbing trees, daring smaller children to do something dangerous that he thinks is silly, organizing a game of cards, or rollerblading through the bathroom. Prime example - Luis is the child on the cover of the most recent Back2Back magazine and what is he doing? Having fun and starting a water fight. What I love about Luis though, is through all his playing, no matter what he has organized, he isn't trying to be mischievous or break any rules. He just loves to play. I have to say as well that after all my time working in an orphanage, it's not everyday that you find a kid who has learned how to entertain himself or that still bothers to try to come up with fun things to do but Luis does this with excellence which I think is worth celebrating.

just another afternoon catching frogs

He is obviously a handsome little guy. If the little boys dorm had their own end of the year superlatives, Luis would win, "best dressed" because he always insists on wearing Sunday dress pants and button down collared shirts, dress shoes, a belt - the hole nine yards - like literally everyday. Just last night for example, after his shower, he wanted me to affirm for him that the dress shirt he had chosen not only fit him appropriately but that it was the best looking one for him to wear to school the next day.

The mohawk I gave Luis a few weeks ago right before his

teacher from school made me "fix" it

He has a gift for making me laugh and loves to joke around. In the past 12 months, I think the biggest change that I've seen in Luis is his love for math. Verbally, this child struggles and has not always been cooperative at school. But numbers are a language he speaks and he speaks it well. It's as if I'm rewarding the child if I give him a page full of addition and subtraction problems to do. He loves math.

Luis does not currently have a Shelter Child Sponsorship family. If you'd be interested in finding out more about this program, the impact it's making at Casa Hogar Douglas, or about how to go about sponsoring a particular child, please contact our home office 513.754.0300