Last week the Holy Family Children’s Home in Ciceron received $1,500 plus toys and groceries from organizers of the recently held 50/50-charity fete. Another Home is the feature for this week. 50/50 organizers took the trek down to the south of the island on Saturday to make their final donation of proceeds of their event held earlier this month. The STAR was with them as they made their second donation to the Fostily’s Home in Soufriere.

Fostily’s has been in existence for almost 30 years but not many people know that the Home exists. Loyola Nicolas, the sole caretaker at Fostily’s said the Home started decades ago with Eugina Fostin, known by most as Eya. Influenced by her mother who’d worked as a nurse and cared for children who were dropped off at a local hospital, Eya started helping out children in need. "When she first started doing this, a lot of people used to ask her, ‘why are you taking in other people’s children?’" said Loyola Nicolas before revealing the sad news that Eya had passed away in 2006.

Since then, Loyola, a 29-year-old who was once cared for in the very same Home by the woman that no one—surely not the kids the Home has cared for over the years—will ever forget, has been running the Home. Loyola quit her job as a cashier at a local meat shop the day Eya died to provide 24-hour care to the kids. She spends every spare second trying to keep smiles on their faces.

Janique Delmar and Miguel Trim presented $500, groceries and toys to the 10 kids at Fostily’s Home. "I feel happy because we don’t get stuff all time," Loyola told the STAR. Since Eya passed away we’ve been getting less donations. We’re always happy to get help from anybody. Now that she’s gone, I have to do it for her. It’s been okay so far although it’s a bit tough sometimes when you have to be worried about what’s going to happen to them later on. We get help from different organizations and the community as well."

Loyola encouraged St Lucians to donate to the Home. "We have a grave need for fostering children in St Lucia," she said. "People don’t really want to take in other people’s children. Sometimes parents are in a situation where they cannot help their children. I think it would be good if more people did this."

No matter where they ended up, Loyola said the kids always came back to visit and offer support to the Home. "Sometimes they come and they spend a day or a week," she told the STAR. "They’re always welcome. If there is a layoff or something they come down. They always call to check on us, to make sure everything is okay and to find out if we need anything. This will always be home for them. If they have a problem they call me. Sometimes I wonder why these big people are calling me," she laughed.

"I hope somebody does it after me. I enjoy doing this. I love the children. I treat them like my own siblings, and we’re just like one big happy family. I don’t look at where they come from. We just stick with each other."

The Vibes Alive team left Soufriere but not before promising to return and receiving send off hugs from all the children. "I can’t even describe the way I feel . . . I feel like an angel coming to someone’s rescue," said an almost tearful Janique. "I would definitely do this over again. I’m glad we could help out. Just seeing how happy the kids were is encouragement to do this again."