NotFatherless. Empowering children's homes in Mexico

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What We Do

NotFatherless raises money and awareness for Christian children’s homes in Mexico so impoverished, abused, neglected, and abandoned children can grow up in a safe home with a loving family.

How did NotFatherless get started?

NotFatherless was founded by me, Clay Huston (the guy in the middle).

Clay Huston standing with Jorge (left) and Charlie (right), 2 workers at Casa Grande Corazon

I met two of our three Partnered Children’s Homes (Casa Melody’s and Casa Corazon Grande) while on a mission trip to Reynosa, Mexico, in 2017.

While there, we took a break from the planned mission and visited their homes.

After seeing their deep faith, incredible perseverance, and love for the kids in their care, the idea for NotFatherless came to me in an instant; like a light was switched on. My only explanation is that God gave me the idea. I rushed home to farm-town Illinois and began forming NotFatherless. 

I met our third Partnered Home (Casa Vidas Rendidas) through a family friend in the same year. I was told they had just started their ministry and were trying to raise support.

I met with the directors (Renay and Guillermo) over lunch in Fort Madison, Iowa, where I realized they’re a perfect fit for NotFatherless.

I’ve worked with these 3 children’s homes ever since and have raised over $50,000 in support of their ministries.

Who We Support

Our three Partnered Children’s Homes are Family-based and Christ-centered.

What does Family-based mean?

Family-based means they function like one big family. They’re similar in many ways to a foster home in the US, except on a larger scale and they don’t receive money from the government.

What does Christ-centered mean?

Christ-centered means the Christian faith is at the core of everything they do. Faith and obedience are the reasons each of our Partnered Children’s Homes were started in the first place.

Big Heart Children's Home (Casa Corazon Grande)

Reynosa, Saltillo, and Matamoros, Mexico

Our Surrendered Lives Children's Home (Casa Vidas Rendidas)

Chihuahua, Guerrrero, Mexico

Melody's Children's Home (Casa Melody's)

Reynosa, Mexico

How did you meet our Partnered Children's Homes?

I met 2 of our 3 Partnered Children’s Homes (Big Heart and Melody’s) on a mission trip to Reynosa, Mexico, in 2017. I used to go on mission trips to Mexico almost every Christmas break with my hometown church in Illinois.

While there, we would sometimes take a break from the planned mission and visit local missionaries. That’s how I crossed paths with Big Heart and Melody’s Children’s Homes.

I met Our Surrendered Lives Children’s Home through a family friend in 2017. I was told they had just started their ministry and were trying to raise support. I met with the directors (Renay and Guillermo) over lunch in Fort Madison, Iowa, where I realized they’re a perfect fit for NotFatherless.

Ho do you decide which children's homes to partner with?

The basic partnership criteria are:

  1. Are they trustworthy?
  2. Are they Christ-centered?
  3. Are they in need?

Christ-centered is a very important factor. We believe sharing a common faith magnifies the trust factor and helps make sure our goals are aligned.

Determining need is the easy part. Every children’s home NotFatherless supports is run by people we know on a personal level. We have met the house-parents of all 3 of our Partnered Children’s Homes face to face and we communicate with them on a regular basis, and their need for support is obvious.

our big, hairy, audacious goal

A big hairy audacious goal (BHAG) is a clear, compelling, and ambitious target that an organization sets for itself and its employees. The term was introduced in the book Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras.

Our BHAG is to help our Partnered Children’s Homes grow their ministries.

Running a children’s home is hard and expensive. It costs approximately $300 each month to care for one child, and our partnered children’s homes each care for dozens. This means monthly expenses can run upwards of $10,000.

Our Partnered Homes also have large-scale dreams such as building schools, college funds, amd expanding their properties to accommodate more kids.

We want to cover these costs so they can care for more mistreated children.

Our unique promise

100% of every donation goes straight to our Partnered Children’s Homes

How is this made possible?

NotFatherless is run using a low-overhead model. This is a fancy way of saying everything is done online and with volunteers. We don’t have an office or any salaries to pay.

Right now, I (Clay Huston, the founder) run NotFatherless on my own. I setup this website, write the emails, post on social media, organize mission trips, and manage the finances. All on a part time basis. I don’t take a salary, I reimbuse payment processing fees, and I cover expenses such as website hosting out of my own pocket.

I hope and pray for God to make it financially possible for me to do it fulltime soon.

Our Results

$50,000+ Raised

3 Children's Homes Supported

70+ Children Loved and Cared for

How do Partnered Children's Homes use donations?

For the most part, our Partnered Children’s Homes can use money from donations as they see fit.

In our opinion, nobody knows how to run their ministries better than them. Their ministries are complex, unpredictable, and inherently chaotic. Because of this, it’s too heavy of a burden to ask that they track how every penny they receive from NotFatherless is spent.

However, from time to time we run specific fundraisers, such as our Back2School Fundraiser. In these cases, it is communicated clearly that the money is to be used for a predetermined purpose, and we typically request photo proof of purchases.

How You Can Get Involved

Join the Weekly Newsletter

Critics are raving about our newsletter! It’s the best way to watch your donations work.

Become a monthly supporter

100% of every donation goes straight to our Partnered Children’s Homes.

We don’t take a dime!

donate to a fund

Donate to a fund to help cover a specific need, such as yearly school supplies.

Other Frequently Asked Questions

Do our Partnered Children's Homes work the same as foster care?

Our Partnered Homes are what Mexico calls residential care.

Under the Mexican system, “residential care” can mean an unincorporated foster family takes them, in or a non-profit type organization. It basically means someone besides a biological family member or a government run orphanage is caring for the child.

The homes we work with are nonprofits but we compare them to US foster homes because on a day-to-day basis they function like a big family.

Are the kids living with our Partnered Homes awaiting adoption?

Adoption happens but it’s rare.

Most of the kids in the homes we support still have biologically family who have rights, but have voluntarily placed the child in the home for whatever reason, usually because they can’t afford to care for them.

But in other cases they’ve been taken from their biological family due to abuse or neglect. And there are some kids who’ve sadly lost their family. In these cases, adoption is possible.

Do kids live with a children's home for long period of time?

Length of stay varies widely. Some kids will live with the home from a young age until they’re 18 or older. Other times, parents take their child back after a year or two.

learn more

Check out our blog for updates, stories, and testmimony from the mission field.

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