news

After being back from a whirlwind trip to Africa, to serve the children of AROH-Uganda, and criss-crossing the country at the speed of light & experiencing an extreme safari, (totally unprotected from the wildlife) at dusk near Prince Albert Lake, in addition to, cruising in the Nile River on a mamba (a boat used to hunt crockcodiles) and seeing a clinic our office design and and assist on the fundraising for AROH-Uganda, with my good friends Ronald Mugabi, Alex Meyerhoff and Godfred Mobati. Ronald, the director and brainchild of Aim for the Restoration of Hope-Uganda, an NGO with lofty dreams to serve the less fortunate... our children in East Africa on a miniscule budget, to ending up in Paris at the Champs Ellysee... It was a life-altering experience which reaffirmed to us and my architectural colleagues that "Yes, architects can make a difference in this world by bringing hope, hard work and most importantly unselfeshly giving all we got to offer until there is nothing left. Audrey Hepburn said it better: "Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to receive...Love has to do with what you are expected to give, which is everything!!!!!". Students, Friends, Colleagues, and acquitances, please follow Mother Theresa's motto, "Give what you don't have, give until it hurts... that is the absurdity of God's Love in Action". Our message to our friends is that in this world divided by creed, ethnicity, gender, economic boundaries and all kinds of barriers, please join Escalante Architects to assist AROH-Uganda by helping our Ugandan children, who are our future, and in doing so, you will worship God, the living God, who crosses all boundaries we ficticiously have created for ourselves.

More images to come!!!!!

Thanks Ronald for welcoming me and my friends into your heart!!!!

Ana

All,
Please check this out, and enjoy. An example for all of us to emulate. The lesson is well... priceless
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/14/AR2008071402682.html

or watch it on you-tube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXbxkP95VPU

Alex and Ana hopped on a plane to Africa on Christmas Eve and came back as bearers of a life-changing story. An Architect by trade, Ana is a professor of architecture at Cal Poly Pomona and a practicing architect. Alex, a director of Planning and Economic Development at their architectural & Planning firm. Their role around the office is continually evolving but they will forever be employed as silent partners with Director Ronald Mugabbi at Aim for the Restoration of Hope-Uganda, grand story tellers and dreamers. In their sparks of creative intelligence and insanity are helping directly the charity to redefine the concept of humanitarian work, offering new life to old hope. They both believe wholeheartedly in magic and the impossible. Ana a proud parent to two incredible daughters, Sofia and Lourdes, Alex a devoted parent to Alyssa, his beautiful daughter who is trying to find her own voice in the world. Ana warned Alex, “Going to Africa changed my life for ever…And it will change yours too”

Ana Escalante and Alex Meyerhoff just came back from a whirlwind trip from Africa with a detour in England and France. Being able to see the fruit of our dilligent and quiet efforts to assist Aim for the Restoration of Hope-Uganda (AROH) was an incredible experience. With my Commander-in-Chief, Ronald Mugabi we cruised the country from one end to another, visited the orphanage, the clinic, gave gifts to the children, stayed at some beautiful places and although worn-out by the trip, we are back, envigorated, happy and most importantly ready to tackle 2009 with all we got, teaching, running our practice, enjoying a balanced life and of course, helping AROH with all we got.
More on the trip later... It is good to be home!!!! now, off to my first run under a sunny sky in my beloved Palm Springs.