How We Work and Our Philosophy
How We Work
We seek out to potential supporters, donors, foundations, volunteers for help. In addition to friends and family, leads on potential donors come thru word of mouth, media, via our website and newsletters. Our donors (and visitors to the orphanges) are the most supportive advocates about our mission.
Philosophy
The priorities of our assitance, are food, medical and health related items, and education.
100% of the donations the Decker Foundation receives go to our recipient organizations (mainly orphanges) and the programs serving them. Charlie Decker personally pays all operating costs of the foundation.
Transparency
The foundation is committed to 100% transparency for our donors and requires complete transparency from those we support.
We do not run or formulate programs. We do offer advice but have no operational involvement with the orphanges.
Grass Roots
The DECKER FOUNDATION is a hands-on, grass roots effort. Charlie Decker personally cuts all checks we give to recipients and is in the field every month. The foundation has volunteers spread across the DR who work with him.
Each year the CHARLES DECKER FOUNDATION “touches” 700+ children.
Decker Foundations' Lead Volunteers
Our two lead volunteers in the Dominican Republic are Andrea Coronado and Sardis Rijo. (Andrea in Santo Domingo and Sardis in La Romana)
Both are Dominican (Andrea was born in Santo Domingo spent her teens and college years in the U.S. and returned to the DR early in 2012 to continue her work with the Decker Foundation-and her “day job” with the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo).
Sardis’s family home in her early years was less than one mile from Niños de Cristo, she understands the circumstances the children we are helping.
Dominican Spanish is the first language of Andrea and Sardis, and both speak strong English.
Sardis and Andrea are invaluable for the dedication, committement, compassion and tenacity on behalf of the children in need in the Dominican Republic. Visitors have commented many times on how inspiring it is to see Andrea and Sardis engaged with these children or “dressed up” “pitching” senior foundation, corporate, or governement officials on behalf of “their kids” as Sardis and Andrea describe them.
They back off no one when making their case. As Charlie Decker has said, “I just step back and watch them go to work” whether it be pitching a senior foundation executive or changing a diaper at Niños de Cristo, putting the girls in the pick up truck to go to church then for pizza or dancing with the 5 year old boy in summer school in La Matas de Farfan.
They are both strong dedicated young Dominican women. Both are quite charming, intimidated by no one in their mission. They are very compelling.
Since the vast majority of the children living in the orphanges are girls, Sardis and Andrea are positive examples for them to follow. They maintain close personal contact with many of the teenage girls.
They are a critical link between our donors and the orphanges and children we are helping (in addition to representing us to donors, agencies etc) and surrogate big sisters to the children.
They make our credo a reality:
All kids need is a little help, a little hope
and someone who believes in them.
We are committed to all three elements of this credo: offering help, hope and belief to these children.
