Hands of Hope reach 'round the world

In their small way, five teen girls are set to change the world — and themselves in the process

By Jim Hart

The Sandy Post, Nov 3, 2009

contributed photo / Sandy Post

Those who will travel next month from Sandy to Uganda for Hands of Hope include, from left, photographer Jan LaFontaine, Sandy High School students Sevy Cushing and Sara Ranel, Hands of Hope founder Mikki Proffitt, and SHS students Megan Russell, Riki Trask and Austyn Eng.

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There’s a lot of excitement among the young women who comprise the Hands of Hope team.

The group of seven, including five teenage girls and two adults will travel during the holiday break to Uganda in central Africa to serve the needs of people living in a culture totally foreign to almost everyone from Sandy.

About 70 percent of the needed $22,000 has been raised, according to Hands of Hope founder Mikki Proffitt, and the airplane tickets have been purchased for the trip.

The girls still have six fundraisers left to conduct to earn the rest of the funds needed to complete the trip and serve the Ugandans they will live with for three weeks.

But this trip is more than just another mission to a developing country, said Proffitt, who is a drug and alcohol counselor.

This entire effort, which will encompass nearly a year’s time, is a rite of passage for these teenagers from childhood to responsible young adults.

Through her dedication to this cause, Proffitt has acquired a unique and diverse group of girls essentially as members of her family. She is now “mother” to girls who are transforming their lives into responsible young women.

Proffitt will accept nothing less.

Almost six months ago, the girls were floundering in and out of dangerous activities. Today, these young women, ages 16 and 17, are planning to do what would frighten many adults.

They want to reach out to a Third-World country and make a difference in the lives of its children – especially HIV-positive orphans, children of prostitute parents and street kids.

Most of these girls had been living lives with few boundaries, and they had been faced with challenges that many teenagers haven’t encountered. Without the guidance they needed at critical times, they often made choices with frustrating consequences.

But once they had committed to Hands of Hope, they had to make a choice: follow Proffitt’s lead, continue to trust her, stay within her boundaries and respect her values – or go on probation and face expulsion from the group.

Last year, Proffitt said, most of the girls were living difficult and risky lifestyles.

“A year ago,” she said, “two of them were failing school and all but one of them were using drugs and/or alcohol on a daily basis.”

But through Proffitt’s efforts and with help from some volunteers and especially the focused work the teen girls did, they are transforming their lives.

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