Birmingham Family Heading to Guatemala to Give Back This Christmas

Guatemala may not have snow, but it will receive some holiday cheer from Birmingham and Bloomfield this Christmas as one local family heads overseas to drop off donated sports gear, school supplies and other items to young people in need.

Birmingham's Lampertius family — whose children attend and — will make the hike to Guatemala, together with a half dozen relatives, to hand-deliver these needed items.

With help from their children's Birmingham schools and from the University of Detroit Jesuit Academy soccer team, the Birmingham Bloomfield Soccer Club and the Marian High School Spanish Club, the Lampertius family will have a lot to share this holiday season.

“In itself, it has been very heartwarming how responsive this community has been to our trip to Guatemala,” said Marguerite Lampertius. “People have been so enthusiastic and generous with school supplies, soccer balls, uniforms and dental products.” 

Marguerite and Jim Lampertius adopted four children from Guatemala to create their family several years ago. When their priest mentioned a need for family sponsors through the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA), the Lampertius family felt it was a perfect fit and would help connect their growing family to the culture of Guatemala.

Soon, Marguerite’s father joined the cause and has since sponsored a boy in Guatemala for the past 10 years. Jim’s mother has sponsored a girl there for the past 10 years. Four other friends are sponsoring children in Guatemala as well. And because they’re all sponsoring children in the same project area, a trip to see their sponsored children will allow them to spend time with a community they’ve helped nurture throughout the years. 

“It will be very exciting to finally meet them and have a chance to connect with them after receiving letters and photos over the past five to 10 years,” Marguerite said. “We hope that we all will personally, and as a family, connect in simple ways to these dear people.”

Together, the schools and organizations were able to collect 12-14 large sports bags filled with school supplies, art items, soccer balls, athletic gear and dental products.

“Our students were so enthusiastic when it came to collecting items for this family to take on their trip,” said Linda Johnson, Bingham Farms community service organizer. “It was nice for the students because they had a personal connection to the Lampertius family.”

At Berkshire, instructor and community service coordinator Christy Booth spearheaded the collection drive. Together, the two schools were able to collect about 10 sports bags filled with school and art supplies.

For the Lampertius family, it’s not just about delivering these needed items, it’s also about connecting and spending time with the people they’ve spent so much time sponsoring, and helping their own family grow a little more this season.

“May we come away seeing the face of God in the eyes and smiles of the children,” Jim said. “The journey is not about what we have done for them, but how they have helped us grow. We hope this trip will also connect our children and extended family to their heritage."