Sister Debbie co-founded North Country Mission of Hope in 1998 in response to Hurricane Mitch, which killed more than 22,000 people in Central America. She had learned about the severe effects of the storm from a Nicaraguan student at Seton Catholic Central High School whom Sister helped rescue when the family escaped from Nicaragua's civil war in the 1980s. The mission fosters hope in Nicaragua through sustainable programs in education, healthcare, community development, and ecological development.

Under her leadership, more than 1000+ volunteers have made numerous mission trips to Nicaragua. The mission has provided healthcare for more than 45,000 people and sponsorships to educate more than 500 students. It has built more than 400 homes, as well as classrooms, a library, and a community development center. Thousands of malnourished children have been fed through a collaborative program, Children Feeding Children.

Sister Debbie continues to stay involved with her community by serving as a lector, Eucharistic minister, and scripture teacher at St. Peter's Parish in Plattsburgh. A former Finance Board member of the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena, her former congregation, she was a member of the Teacher Trainer and Religion Curriculum committees of the Diocese of Ogdensburg and is a founding member of the Dominican Sisters of of Hope. A former volunteer for the Clinton County Food Shelf, she also served as the coordinator of a Women's Scripture Study Group in Plattsburgh.

Sr. Debbie’s "Transforming" quote: "My college education prepared me spiritually, intellectually, and emotionally for ministry committed to transforming the world by changing one heart at a time. My commitment to justice is lived by standing in my truth as a Dominican Sister, and in reaching out to the global community, especially those most marginalized by poverty, hunger and lack of education and healthcare. I believe my mission is to live HOPE--to be HOPE--in a world desperately in need of HOPE, and that my life as a Dominican has prepared me incredibly well for that mission."

 

 

Yamilette was born in Managua, Nicaragua and after graduating from High School, worked at the InterContinental Hotel, one of the largest hotels in Managua, for 13 years.  She and her husband Oscar, along with son Oscar Jr. lived in Mexico for 2 ½ years while Oscar worked on his Masters Degree in Agricultural Economy.  They went back to Nicaragua with a new addition to the family, their daughter Ilona Mariette.

After being back at home in Nicaragua, they found that things were very different. They were not happy with the education their children were receiving at the Catholic School and they decided to move to United States, particularly, Plattsburgh, NY because they had sponsors there.

Their children were sent to St. Peter’s School, and that is where she and Sister Debbie Blow met. Sr. Debbie was the school principal and their neighbors were Pat and Eve McGill.

  The women all became very close friends, and when Hurricane Mitch hit Nicaragua in 1999 – the largest sustained category 5 hurricane on record - an mission was planned to help bring aid to the devastated communities outside of Managua, where Yamilette and her husband were from. The first mission accomplished much however, much was left to be done.

The three founders continued to work on plans to return to Nicaragua to bring help to the poor and the Mission of Hope was born. Yamillette believes that the reason Mission of Hope has been so successful is because the they bring material and monetary aid directly to neediest. As every one of the over 1000+ people who have gone on Mission have seen, the Mission of Hope continues to provide help where it is needed the most.

 

 

Eve McGill lives in Plattsburgh, NY and she and her husband Pat became instant friends with the Flores family when they moved to the area in 1997. When Hurricane Mitch devastated much of Central America in 1998, Eve and Yamilette worked with Sr. Debbie and others in the community to organize an emergency relief fundraiser to assist the people in the Flores' village of Chiquilistagua.

They underestimated the generosity of the people in the North Country, when in the first effort, they received over $10,000 in funds and thousands of pounds of supplies to be sent to Nicaragua.

Eve traveled with Yamilette to her native homeland in December 1998 and was so impacted by the extent of the devastation that she knew there was more that could and should be done.  On the flight back to Plattsburgh, they discussed the situation and prayed about the possibility of a return trip to Nicaragua, this time with people from the community and students from Seton High School. Their goal was to bring help and hope to the lives of people who were in such desperate need.  And thus, the Mission of Hope was born.

Eve has made seven mission trips, but has not been back to Nicaragua for several years. She acknowledges that there remains a soft spot in her heart for the wonderful faith-filled people of Nicaragua.

Eve feels privileged to be affiliated with the Mission of Hope over the past years and to witness the life-giving and life-changing impact the Mission has had on not only the people of Nicaragua, but everyone who has gone on a mission trip.  Thousands of lives have been positively touched and no one is ever the same when they return. Eve believes the Mission has helped others to fully understand what it means to be brothers and sisters in Christ and that the hand of God has been guiding the path and blessing the continued growth of this humanitarian effort from the very start which gives us all hope for the future.