June 2024

A big thank you to all of you who came to Havana Night.

It was a great party and a great success. Beautiful weather and a good time to reconnect with fellow travelers and friends. The success of this party was not just from those of you who attended but our sponsors, Holland Roofing, Outback Fence, Yesterdog, Brian and Susan Phillips, Dick and Samantha Gauthier, Westminster Presbyterian Church, and Petoskey Presbyterian past travelers.  In addition, many of you who could not attend the party sent in donations in your absence, and the combination of these groups made this one of the highest profiting events in our history.

           Four of us leave for Cuba in a few days and these funds will go a very long way in providing the medicine and food desperately needed, Thank you again.

April 2024

Friends,

I have just returned from 14 days in Cuba with two groups, each for one week. Together they carried 1050 pounds of supplies consisting of medicine, food, clothing, hygiene products, and numerous specific items requested by the Cubans.

Obtaining anything in Cuba is a difficult problem with inflation and rising prices at an all-time high.

My question to various Cubans is always the same. How are you surviving? Their answer is “We live only day by day”. My opinion mirrors that of many Cubans that this cannot continue much longer.

An incredible experience for us this time was to personally meet the conductor of the Cuban National

Symphony. We presented him with donations of strings from the Grand Rapids Symphony members. His expression was priceless as he lit up with each item he opened. Thank you, Dianne, for coordinating this donation that gave us the pleasure of meeting this conductor. You would never even think that a symphony on such a high level could not get the strings that they need to perform their craft. A call to all of you musicians out there who may have extra supplies. Their need is great.

Havana Night is fast approaching when we will be celebrating Twenty-five years of us supporting the Cuban people.

Twenty-five years of volunteers helping us. We hope to see you there and if you cannot attend, please consider a donation to continue this difficult but important work. Work that is driven by our love of rescuing people who feel like they have been abandoned.

Marc

Cuba continues..against all odds!

Friends,
As Cuba continues trying to move forward against all odds, we are happy to inform you that we
had a great trip in January with the eleven of us. Carrying many pounds of medicine and supplies to
multiple locations. We also supplied funds to continue to feed the 16 senior shut-ins, as well as 40
preschool children.

Again we will travel in April continuing the work we have been dedicated to for 25 years.
Please remember to mark your calendars for the two largest events of this year.

HAVANA NIGHT JUNE 14TH
CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF SUPPORTING THE CUBAN PEOPLE A GREAT NIGHT OF CUBAN FOOD, MUSIC, AND AUCTION PACKAGES
GOLF OUTING SEPT 21ST
HELD AT PIGEON CREEK GOLF COURSE
Both of these events are a large percentage of our yearly budget. Please place them on your calendar

Thank you all, until next time.

Marc Bohland

Cuba the Next Level

Friends

As 2020 approaches and we begin a new year we are continually mindful of our goals and our promise to the people of Cuba. At the same time we are mindful that year end giving does not hold the significance that it once did for end of year taxes. We are as equally mindful that there are many organizations that ask for your help at this time of the year.

This organization has made a very large commitment to our goals of providing medicine and food to the people of Cuba. Larger than we ever have in the past.  Cuba continues to struggle and spiral down little by little for many factors and with few organizations willing to step in and help.

Many of you have traveled with us over the years and know the situation. If I could take you back to your final day in Cuba when you knew you had made an impact on the lives of someone and how great that felt, I would. I cannot. If you have not traveled to Cuba you receive this letter because of your support over the years and interest in Cuba. Either way we know that most of you understand the needs of the Cuban people.

There really are no words that I can use to convince you to give.  I will only say that starting the new year out knowing that there great opportunities in life to give back, in turn for what we have been given so abundantly.
I hope you will consider us one of those opportunities.

Happy New Year to you and your families.

Marc

Marc's Christmas Message.

PRACTICING GRACE

Grace is not a word that you would necessarily associate with this time of year. Perhaps peace. Or hope. Or joy. But grace-- that does not usually come to mind at Christmastime. 

There are many meanings for the word grace.  My favorite is the ability to accept gifts in the true meaning in which they are given, and to give gifts, without expectation, but with the pure joy of giving.

This time of year, when I ask many people in my life to consider giving to First Hand Aid, it is difficult for me. I am torn between my relationships with friends and associates and my job as Executive Director. I have learned, however, to accept gifts with grace in order to pass them on to the Cuban people, who also must practice grace in receiving our assistance. 

Truly, grace is paramount to the art of giving and receiving!!

Therefore, it is with grace, humility and thanks that I accept and use your generous gifts this time of year to help a people not as fortunate as ourselves.

I sincerely wish all of you the happiest of holidays with family and friends. However you choose to celebrate this time together, please keep grace in mind.  

May this season bring you peace, hope and joy-- and the grace to receive and give gifts in the spirit of love.

Happy Holidays!  

With warm regards,

Marc 

Executive Director

First Hand Aid

My first time in Cuba

Landing in Havana, I’m unsure what to expect. Concerned about my spouse’s safety as well as my own, I fear what lays before us as we encounter the customs officer. As I engage, I’m shocked and oddly relieved. I look over the counter at a young man roughly my age, 27, with a pale brown uniform yet stylish glasses. Next, I’m greeted by a young woman standing next to a (possibly broken?) x-ray machine in a bizarre uniform more akin to a catholic school girl than an intimidating border patrol officer. Es Cuba.
Es Cuba, a saying I hear repeatedly, is as much an excuse for Cuba’s inconsistent and limited benevolence as it is a joke Cubans use to keep their own sanity. Es Cuba, is seen in a Cuban’s ability to provide their family with groceries for a week using their entire monthly government stipend. Es Cuba, is best understood when walking through Havana and passing a make-shift garage where a 1950’s Chevrolet engine lays on the ground in 1,000 pieces, next to a make-shift grocery store with dirty vegetables being sold, next to a pile of rubble where a building once stood, next to a family’s home where they’ve lived since the revolution with no hope of moving out or remodeling. Es Cuba.
Life is not normal for individuals living in Cuba as we know it in America. And yet, American normalcy is challenged while you’re there. The question becomes, what’s truly important in life, and how different are we? The answers I found in Cuba to these questions are relationships, and not very different. And yet the struggles that Cubans face are daunting because above them is a government system that doesn’t allow for personal prosperity, and below them is nothing, no safety net or support system.
That’s what makes First-Hand Aid’s work so important. In Cuba I learned that behind the guise of beautiful architecture and equality are failing infrastructure and families all equally struggling to feed and support their loved ones. And yet, everyone I met was filled with joy and hope. These same feelings are shared in our own homes around this holiday season. So, I invite you to reflect on what you are joyful about and hopeful for as 2019 ends and 2020 brings us into a new decade. And we, at First-Hand Aid, invite you to join us in sharing in the joy and hope we see in our brothers and sisters in Cuba as we continue to partner with them.
 
Happy holidays,
Jay Glover