Historical Timeline

- Historical Timeline

How Casa Charlene Came About

1988-2001: Reggie and Dottie Bollich volunteer service at the Redemptorist Pattaya Orphanage in Thailand.

2001: In January the Bollich's meet Redemptorist missionary Fr Mike Shea, founder of Sarnelli House orphanage (1999) for HIV+ children near Nongkhai in northeast Thailand. They visit Sarnelli twice.

2003: In November Ben Bollich volunteers at Sarnelli Orphanage. There are no accommodations for volunteers so Fr Mike has Ben share a room with 18 month old Josie, a child who is a victim of a botched abortion.(Josie died in 2006.)

2004: (February) Reggie asks Fr Mike what kind of capital project he may need at Sarnelli. Fr Mike responds, "Your son will attest to you that I need a home to house both volunteers and foreign benefactors who wish to travel here hand carrying their donations to Sarnelli."

2004: (March) A 6 room volunteer house is agreed upon at an initial estimate of $30K. Bollich's meet Charlene's mother (Mary) who approves the use of Charlene's name for the volunteer house to which Fr Mike agrees also.

2004: (April) Fundraising campaign begins. Initially, most of Reggie's diaconal brothers, in formation at the time, donate followed by 18 Louisiana KC chapters.

2004: (May) Fr Dan Edwards, pastor at St Edwards Parish at the time, asks Reggie to address the congregation at masses on weekend of May 29. Two gracious benefactors donate $600. A week later St Edwards Parish CCD class donates $1,100. "Friend of Charlene", Big Mike Mouton (now deceased), donates attractive glossy circulars for mail out and together he and Reggie prepare a mailing list  Total donations in the bank are now at $3000+.

2004 (June) Circulars posted to 300 people on the mailing list. Among the fist gracious
benefactors to respond is a Houston based Lexus car saleswoman who donates a portion of profits from each car she sells. By the end of 2004 there are sufficient funds to begin construction

2004: (Christmas) Fr Mike starts construction but the tsunami hits the Thailand peninsula and the cost of building materials skyrocket sending the cost of the Charlene Richard House to $15K more than the earlier estimate.

2005: In the first 4 months donations pour in to more than cover the $45K cost of the house and by the end of April the 6 bedroom Charlene Richard House is miraculously completed and paid for.

2005: (October) The Bishop of Udonthani dedicates the Charlene Richard House. Attending the ceremonial mass, celebrated in the ground-level atrium is Charlene's next oldest sister, a niece, and a grandnephew.

2013: (June) Ben Bollich and spouse Laurie Ottenbriet moved to Manizales Colombia in 2012 where Ben taught 5th grade at Granadino School. During the first year of settling into the culture, they connect with a small group of local Catholics who have a non-profit organization endorsed by the Diocese of Manizales. For over 27 years the "Fundacion de Merienda" has been feeding the homeless in 'el centro', known to the locals by the name 'Galleria' . So each quarter, Ben and Laurie organize a "feeding of the homeless", for $200 they can feed 400 'street people'. Granadino School volunteers comprising staff, teachers, and students prepare and cook the meals in the school caferteria, load the cooked food into Guatavo's truck (Gustavo is director of the 'Fundacion'), pile into a rented van-bus, follow Gustavo to Galleria where other members of the 'Fundacio' have gathered to help with the feeding. On a Wednesday night in June Ben invites his dad Reggie, who is visiting, to help hand out meals. The 'feeding' takes over 2 hours, but before the meals are handed out Gustavo leads the people in 'grace before meals'. The prayers are recited in unison. By the time the evening is over Reggie is deeply emotional from what he witnessed and shares the experience in an email message to his pastor, Fr Dan Edwards of St Jules Parish. When returning to St Jules, Reggie is asked by Fr Dan to "plan a return trip to Manizales and buy a lot to build a hospice so the sickly street people of 'Galleria' can die peacefully with dignity".

2014: (October) Reggie and Dottie meet Gustavo and together they check out several properties before deciding on a beautiful lot in Villa Maria, a suburb connected to Manizales. The arrangement is for St Jules Parish to purchase the lot over 6 months starting in January 2015.

2015: (October) After three payments, a gracious St Jules benefactor pays the remaining half of the lot. By April 2015 the lot is paid out. St Jules Parishioners Teeny Perret, Jose Luna, and Reggie visit members of the Fundacion in Manizales for Casa Charlene Grounding Breaking and Blessing of the lot ceremony. A plan to build a hospice to care for 28 residents is reviewed. The necessary official permits to start construction have been applied for with the local authorities of Viila Maria and Manizales.

2017: In July 2017 construction begins on the Casa Charlene Hospice. In November 2017 the "March for Bricks" fundraiser campaign began in Viila Maria, led by Fr. Rigoberto Rivera, pastor of Our Lady of the Roasry Catholic Church, with his parishioners. Construction of the Casa Charlene is estimated to be complete in February 2018. LINK to photos

2018: The dedication of the Casa Charlene in Villa Maria, Caldas, Colombia was held on Friday June 1, 2018 at 9:00 AM with a Eucharist celebration.

Mr. Adalberto Zuluaga Ramirez,  a well-known journalistic from Villa Maria, served as Master of Ceremonies.  After opening with welcome remarks Mr. Ramirez introduced Mr. Gustavo Betancourt, Director of the Fundacion de Meriende, to say a few words to the 75+ attendees about the history and purpose of the Casa Charlene Project. Mr. Betancourt introduced four visitors from St Jules Catholic Church in Lafayette Louisiana USA; parishioner Mr. Martin ‘Teeny’ Perret, Diocese of Lafayette Media Specialist Mr. David Mergist, and St Jules Deacons Vicente Blanco and Reggie Bollich.

Fr. Rigoberto Rivera, Pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church in Villa Maria, was celebrant, concelebrants Fr. Gilberto Lopez Hincapie of the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary in Manizales, Fr Juan Pablo Gomez Aristizabal, Our Lady of the Rosary in Villa Maria, Fr Gilberto Salazar Zulauaga, St Catherine Laborne in Turin Caldas Colombia, and the visiting St Jules deacons.

Notably attending were several well-known people from the surrounding Manizales-Villa Maria region. Among them were artist Alberto Osorio, painter of the Charlene Richard portrait, and spouse Nidia Londono Osorio; social-pastoral workers Carlos Arturo Galves Meja of Chinchina and Jose Uriel Sernaof Villa Maria; 'Servers of the Server' apostolate Angela Monsalve, Padre Pio Dining Room for Chilsren of Villa Maria; Fundacion de Meriende members Maria Elene Londono Ramirez (founder), Fredy Loaiza (president), Adriana Murillo (secretary), Diana Patricia Valencia (treasurer), Luz Angela Valencia, German Vasques, Maria Antonio Mejia Gutierrez; Casa Charlene neighbor Helena Correa; Colegio de Granadino PTA leaders Marcello and Isabelle Baeza.

At the end of the Eucharist celebration, Fr. Rigoberto Rivera blessed the Casa Charlene and Deacon Blanco announced the final dismissal of the mass. Culminating the dedication MC Mr. Ramirez announced the unveiling of a memorial plaque attached to the wall of the main room. The Casa Charlene main (dining) room will be known as the Perret Room in the memory of Mr. Henry Camille Perret, a resident of Lafayette Louisiana USA who was well-known throughout the city for his deep faith in Jesus Christ, devotion to the Blessed Mother, honesty in both business and private matters, generosity, compassion for the well-being of others, and for raising 10 children who share today his values.