About us
Galicia Caravan No. 77 originally chartered in Detroit, Michigan in 1949 is today one of the largest and oldest Alhambra Caravans in the Great Lakes Region. It is the Order of the Alhambra, Inc.’s charitable mission; to assist the intellectually and developmentally disabled. Founded in 1904, our members are a fraternal family bonded thru Catholic faith, Christian values and a desire to assist the less fortunate. We host field trips, boat rides, zoo trips, circus trips, picnics, Christmas parties, dinner dances, etc. and provide scholarships to students pursuing careers teaching the cognitively impaired. Alhambra Houses provide housing for the developmentally disabled and St. Francis Camp on the Lake located in the Irish Hills of Michigan gives them the opportunity to experience a week at a camp specifically geared towards their unique and different abilities.
We Alhambrans have dedicated ourselves to stretching out our helping hands – for Christ – to developmentally disabled children. In God's providential plan it seems that the developmentally disabled child has a human role to perform, an earthly destiny to fulfill, a vocation to carry out. Their earthly vocation is to stimulate others to constructive and worthwhile activity, to inspire others to fulfill spiritual and corporal works of mercy. Not only have these children inspired progress in science, they have deeply enriched the lives of others by the charity they have awakened. They have given us Alhambrans the opportunity to better ourselves by being more kind, thoughtful and considerate. We give them our time, our interest, our abilities, our love, our kindness, ourselves. Each developmentally disabled person can be a factor for good in our lives.
– Abbot Leo M. Cornelli, O.S.B. †
For all of us, having the opportunity to make their lives and the lives of their families a little bit easier is one of the most rewarding experiences God has to offer.
Volunteer Mission of the Order of the Alhambra, Inc.
Provide assistance, education and residences for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities
Identify, mark, preserve, and commemorate Catholic historical places, events and persons of international or regional importance
Promote fraternalism and sociability among members and their families.
It’s truly a mystery why God sends such special children into our lives. The incredible love they bring with them into this world is boundless. We consider ourselves so very blessed to personally know each of these wonderful children.
It’s About God’s Special Children - The Intellectually and Developmentally Disabled
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