Top Story VIII


Top Story 1st Place
	By ZACHARY FRANZ, LAREDO MORNING TIMES 12/30/2007

An American's Boundless Love; Stinson gives generously to Nuevo Laredo childrens' home.
Saturday morning, a young girl opened the door at the gate to Casa Hogar Monsignor Enrique Tomás Lozano, in Nuevo Laredo, in answer to the doorbell.For a second, she looks suspiciously at the visitors. Then her eyes fall on a tall man in his 50's, and she smiles in recognition. "Ah, Jim," she said, pronouncing the J like a Y. A moment later, Jim Stinson walks into the compound, where he is greeted by many of the other children and the nuns who govern them. Stinson and his family have been contributors and regular visitors to Casa Hogar for more than 15 years. Before they embraced the girls' home, the Stinsons tried to support children around their Houston home by, for example, buying the livestock they sold at county fairs. Eventually, though, they realized their efforts weren't going to the best of causes. "One year we bought a grand champion pig, and the kid didn't even thank us," he said. Stinson said it without resentment, but it was a sign that other kids could use the money more. Stinson's mother, Jeannette Stinson, grew up in a children's home in central Texas that was similar to Casa Hogar. She had fond memories of the home, and thought they should give their support to a similar facility. The family leases land in Oilton for hunting, so they already came to Laredo often. Jim Stinson checked around the area, and came across Casa Hogar Monsignor Enrique Tomás Lozano. The dormitories were crowded with bunk beds and there were only two bathrooms. So, the girls had to start waking up at 3:30 a.m. in order for everyone to have time to shower and prepare for school. Still, everything was clean and neat. The kids and the nuns were industrious. "They had very little to work with, but what they did have they used really well," Stinson said. He could see that it was a place where money was needed, and would be wisely spent. "After coming here for the first time, Casa Hogar was the one I wanted to help," Stinson said. His family enthusiastically agreed. The family contributed time and money to the house. They donate the meat they hunt. With the help of the Stinsons and others, Casa Hogar built a new facility with bigger dormitories, a better kitchen and a new chapel, with more to come. The number of residents constantly fluctuates as new girls move in and others grow up and move out, but there are now 46 children there. The bedrooms are still crowded, but there are plenty of showers. The girls get to sleep in until 5 a.m. before they prepare for school. Stinson's mother and brother passed away in the last few years, and both gave everything they had to Casa Hogar. The new home is furnished with the furniture from Jeannette Stinson's home, and the sale of the home itself helped finance the new buildings. Such support is critical to Casa Hogar, said Sister Jacintá Gómez, who lives at the home and helps to run it. The government provides about $1,000 each month, a fraction of the operating costs. "Sixty years the house has existed, and people have always supported it," Gómez said. Stinson, a paving contractor, makes the five-hour trip from Houston to Oilton two or three times a month to hunt, and frequently visits Casa Hogar while he's in the area. When he goes, he calls most girls by name and asks about ongoing projects. One year, he took the girls on a vacation to Six Flags in San Antonio after getting special permission from the government. If he can get permission again this year, he will take them Houston, to visit the attractions of that city. Stinson speaks little Spanish, and doesn't seem to have much in common with the young Mexican girls who live at Casa Hogar, and they don't know that he's helped pay for the roof over their head and the food they eat. But the smiles that break out on their faces when he shows up at the door are thanks enough. (Contact reporter Zachary Franz at 728-2582 or by e-mail at zfranz@lmtonline.com)