about us
Forming Lives Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, as of August 2016, focusing its efforts on building a recreation center and a school aimed at improving the community of Santa Cecilia, Colombia. We want to provide education, mentoring and training programs as a tool to break the cycle of poverty.
• Santa Cecelia is an underdeveloped and underserved community with 10,000 residents of which 6,000 are between the ages of 0-15 years old lacking many social services. The recreation center and programs we envision will focus on community development and preparation to work and be prepared for a better future.
• 41% percent of Colombian households suffer from food insecurity. Food insecurity can impact 58.8% of families in rural areas like Santa Cecilia.
• Poverty remains a prevalent issue, with 35.7% of the population living below the poverty line (Colombian poverty line is equivalent to $5.50 USD per person, per day.
• A vibrant community recreation center has a stabilizing effect on the lives of youth in Santa Cecilia. By providing safe and adequately equipped spaces for physical activities like dance, soccer, rock climbing and other sports. The recreation centers provide space to develop discipline, healthy exercise habits, and teamwork. It also creates the perfect setting for local mentorship programs, providing guidance and leadership development for the youth of the community. The role of community recreation centers is especially crucial for communities, like Santa Cecilia, that lack the necessary facilities to keep their children in safe environments.
Ensuring community youth have a healthy outlet for their creativity and energy is an important step towards long-term improvement.
You can contact us at 845-269-2898 or info@forming-lives.org
our history
Our hearts were captured by the dream shared by Pastora Lucy and Pastor Ricky, to build a community that would create spiritual, emotional, and physical transformation for the people living in Santa Cecilia. YES, DREAMS DO COME TRUE!
More than fourteen years ago, Lucy Lancheros, was very sick and about to die. However, the Lord gave her a promise during that time " If you believe you will see my Glory," and so it was. Lucy recovered and the Lord called her to work full-time for those most in need in the city of Bogotá, specifically in the mountain sector in the Santa Cecilia neighborhood where at that time violence, drugs, vandalism, and poverty defined it. Her passion for this sector grew. Her compassion that the lord put in his heart for the community grew. Her family has joined her and they have seen this promise come true, and they believe that there is still much that the Lord wants to do. Forming Lives has joined in making this dream come true
coliseum project
We are currently building "The Coliseum" - a recreation center and a school for the community of Santa Cecilia, Colombia, There are no parks and the children have to travel to the city of Bogota to attend school, therefore, the Coliseum is essential and will have a great impact. The Coliseum will promote social formation. The plan is that the children will be able to dream and work toward a future with opportunity for advancement. The emotional impact of the plan is hope. Be a hero and help us empower the next generation.
Honesty
We express beliefs, ideas, and opinions in a truthful, sincere and frank manner.
Love
We show a genuine concern for the good of others, with unselfish acts of kindness, such as, compassion, caring, thoughtfulness, service, humanitarian and noble actions.
Respect
We will appreciate the diversity of our team and recognize each of us can bring a unique prospective.
Teamwork
We align ourselves to the mission of the organization and promote a spirit of cooperation. We share resources ad help each other solve problems. We trust and depend on one another and God as our ultimate source and friend.
Pastor Lucy & Ricky
In 2007, God called Lucy to the mountainside neighborhood of Santa Cecilia where Ricardo grew up. The neighborhood is now recognized as “La Mariposa” (butterfly) because the houses are painted to create the shape of a butterfly when viewed from the bottom of the mountain. Together with Lucy’s background in social work and Ricardo’s expertise in construction, they built the center with donated materials into what it is today.
Lucy began working in this sector before her husband joined her. She began a soup kitchen where she shared food and the word of God with a message of hope with a group of women. She taught them not only about the Lord, but also began to motivate them to generate their own income through the art of weaving and other crafts. Her passion for this sector and her love for the children grew.
The compassion that the Lord put in her heart for them and in general for the families in the sector, led her to take on the challenge of starting a foundation. This is how FORMAVIDA was born, a non-profit organization that seeks to generate transformation through different social projects that lead each member of the community to know and develop their skills, but above all to know who has the power to transform lives.
Formavida has a staff of dedicated teachers. Many were part of the program when they were children and are now social workers who can work with the children. It is a beautiful result of the vision of the program to raise spiritual leaders.
board of directors
Angie Hanlon-Toth
President
Born in Puerto Rico and raised in the Bronx, Angie moved to Rockland County in September 1999. She went on a mission trip to Bogota, Colombia with a team from Risen King Alliance Church (RKAC) in May 2013, a trip that she was not going to shortly forget. Her heart was captured by the dream to build a community that would provide spiritual, emotional and physical transformation to the people living in Santa Cecilia. As a response to the call of God for missionary service and a commitment to transform lives, she travels to Colombia yearly with her husband Frank Toth to partner with the Lord in His work.
Frank Toth
Treasurer
Frank supports Forming Lives because he is determined to make a positive impact in the lives of the children. He thanks the Lord for giving him the desire and ability to help the children of Colombia, In his life he has met the calling of God to help others. His desire is to continue to use his talent to aid the needy.
Holden & Lucy Texel
Directors
Holden and Lucy joined Forming Lives because they believe in the cause and find joy in helping the people of Santa Cecilia go from hopelessness to a brighter future filled with everlasting hope.
Jamel Patterson
Advisor
Dr. Patterson has held leadership roles in outreach ministries, as she follows her passion to work with the indigent. She has been involved with missions in Africa, South America, the Caribbean and health fairs in the United States. Dr. Patterson also gives talks to high school students, encouraging careers in healthcare. The call to serve the poor and needy is a mandate from the Lord, and it has become the cry of Dr. Patterson’s heart. Her spiritual growth comes from her involvement in her church and the ministries at home and abroad.
Laura Angélica Rodríguez Lancheros
Advisor
Laura grew up in Bogota, Colombia with her family where she attended Fundacion Universitaria Monserrate to study Social Work. She is a key member of the Formavida ministry in Colombia where she supports the children and God's plan for their future. She is a graduate of the Alliance Theological Seminary in Rockland County with her Masters in Intercultural Studies.
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