By Margo Isbell | Contributor
The group of Dallas area mothers and daughters who started Women for Orphans Worldwide (WOW) took to heart their auxiliary’s motto, “Love to Serve, Serve to Love,” as the group continues to serve the orphaned and vulnerable children and families it dedicated its mission to 11 years ago.
WOW is holding its 11th Annual WOW Luncheon and Guatemalan Market on Monday, December 9, 2019 at the Westin Galleria Dallas. The event marks the group’s largest fundraising event of the year. Funds from the luncheon support Orphan Outreach programs in Guatemala by providing educational assistance, outreach and other critical needs of children and families. Sponsorships and tickets for the WOW Luncheon and Guatemalan Market start at $75, and can be purchased at OrphanOutreach.org/WOWDallas.
WOW started after the mothers and daughters went on an Orphan Outreach mission trip to Guatemala in 2009. The middle school girls from Dallas area schools including Parish Episcopal School, St. Monica Catholic School and Highland Park Middle School wanted to do more for the children they’d served. WOW was their answer.
Today, these 13 mother/daughter duos continue to make an impact on the children of Guatemala. The group has raised more than $1.2 million, taken more than 1,000 people on 50 WOW mission trips, and its members have held countless fundraisers and supply drives. In fact, now the founding daughters have all graduated from college, and are leading mission trips of their own to Guatemala. Inna Wines, currently pursuing her Masters of Occupational Therapy at Abilene Christian University, led a group of other occupational therapy students from the college this past summer to work with the special needs children served by WOW. A legacy of giving and having compassion for others is being passed on, which was the goal for the founding mothers.
“We never imagined it would turn into something so impactful,” said Tiffany Taylor Wines, Orphan Outreach Vice President of Development. “In the 11 years since WOW was founded, we have seen the lives of thousands of orphaned and vulnerable children in Guatemala change for the better.” She added “We need more people to get involved by shopping at the market, attending the luncheon or even traveling on a mission trip to Guatemala. The needs in Guatemala are overwhelming and WOW makes it easy to be part of the solution.
WOW is a national auxiliary of Orphan Outreach. Orphan Outreach’s mission is to improve the physical, emotional, educational and spiritual lives of orphaned and vulnerable children and families in Guatemala, Honduras, India, Kenya, Latvia, Nepal, Russia, Ukraine and the United States.
For tickets and additional information, go to: OrphanOutreach.org/WOWDallas