Dr. Prudy Barrett Nelson, Tom’s wife, talked about her and Tom’s 501 (c) (3) organization, “Helping Hands for Vulnerable Children (HHVC)” in Uganda. It is home to many refugees since countries at war surround it. Living situations are bleak, most houses are made of dirt and dung, AIDs is rampant, the average woman has five children, literacy is low, and malnutrition is high.
To initiate a positive change, Tom and Prudy opened an office in Kihiki in 2018, formed a Board of local leaders, and developed five social enterprises. With this start, they were able to send a few brilliant, but disadvantaged, children to boarding schools because public schools were of inferior quality.
They now have 34 kids at all levels of education. Because this is all very expensive, in 2022, they started their stateside, non-profit organization, HHVC, to support the work being done in Uganda.
Posted: August 28, 2025 by kiwanisjay
HHVC
Dr. Prudy Barrett Nelson, Tom’s wife, talked about her and Tom’s 501 (c) (3) organization, “Helping Hands for Vulnerable Children (HHVC)” in Uganda. It is home to many refugees since countries at war surround it. Living situations are bleak, most houses are made of dirt and dung, AIDs is rampant, the average woman has five children, literacy is low, and malnutrition is high.
To initiate a positive change, Tom and Prudy opened an office in Kihiki in 2018, formed a Board of local leaders, and developed five social enterprises. With this start, they were able to send a few brilliant, but disadvantaged, children to boarding schools because public schools were of inferior quality.
They now have 34 kids at all levels of education. Because this is all very expensive, in 2022, they started their stateside, non-profit organization, HHVC, to support the work being done in Uganda.
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Kiwanis Club of St. Joseph Benton Harbor
What is Kiwanis? We are an eclectic mix of ages, genders, occupations, backgrounds, and interests. We are all passionate about making our community and the world a better place for children so they can thrive.
The Legion of Honor award is given to members who have dedicated at least 25 years of service to the mission of Kiwanis - improving the world one child and one community at a time. Help us recognize these outstanding individuals who have given their time, energy, and hearts to caring for kids!
25 yrs - Dave Miller, Ken Wojcik, Bruce Molineaux
30 yrs - Bob Clark
35 yrs - Gary Sisson, Chris Quattrin, Tom Nelson
40 yrs - Mike Ryan, Jay Wojcik
45 yrs - Bill Hanley, Roy Dost, Dave Brown
50 yrs - Bob Cheek, Jon Sauer
55 yrs - Harvey Johnson
60 yrs - Ken McKeown
This group represents more than 660 years of service to Kiwanis!!! ... See MoreSee Less
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We had a great time celebrating one whole year of the all-abilities Kaleidoscope Playground! 🛝 Popsicles handed out by Kiwanians and balloon creations by Michigan Twist Co. 🎈added to the FUN 🤩! #kiwaniscaresforkids ... See MoreSee Less
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Congrats to our Kiwanis St. Joseph Foundation scholarship winners! We enjoyed celebrating these young leaders and all of their accomplishments. Such bright futures ahead! #KiwanisCares #scholarships #improvetheworldtogether ... See MoreSee Less
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