Margaret Fellker: She fell into depression after losing her son, but the Eucharist opened the way for her to help young people

In the midst of depression and hopelessness after the loss of her son David in the mountains of Ecuador, Margaret Fellker, founder of the charitable NGO David’s Educational Opportunity Fundfound the redeeming love of God and awakened in his heart the mission of helping young people in poverty.

Originally from Madison, Wisconsin (United States), Margaret’s journey of faith marked by tragedy and an encounter with Jesus the Eucharist became a powerful source of inspiration for many in Quito, Ecuador, when she developed an NGO with her husband. dedicated to supporting talented students facing economic hardship.

The loss of David

“David was, is and always will be our only son, born in 1981. It was always a good adventure being his mother: he started reading at the age of 2; “I was a teenage actor in a Shakespeare theater and then in an improvisation theater,” Margaret said in a recent interview with ACI Prensa.

Margaret recalled that, from a young age, her son demonstrated a remarkable passion for exploring the world and connecting with diverse cultures. At the age of 17, David was an exchange student in Hungary. His desire to learn and experience life abroad took him to Africa, where he spent a month in Ghana. He didn’t stop there; At the same age, she began volunteering in a Spanish-speaking neighborhood in Chicago, where she also began learning Spanish.

Throughout his life, David became fluent in four languages: English, Spanish, Hungarian and German. This love of learning and connection led him to Ecuador, where, as a university student, he decided to spend an exchange semester at the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador from February to June 2002.

David’s life was suddenly cut short when he disappeared near the Ecuadorian city of Zamora in 2002, an event that left his mother in deep mourning. She had to travel to Ecuador to look for her son, whose whereabouts are unknown to this day. His body was never found.

“I found myself alone in Zamora, staying with a kind family and going out every day with several police officers in search of clues that could reveal something to us about David,” she said.

The Eucharist as a source of comfort and a new calling

In those dark days, Margaret found refuge in the local church, where the Blessed Sacrament chapel became her place of solace. “I saw the words painted on the wall that let me know I belonged there. Since then, I always carry them in my mind and heart: ‘Come to me, you who are weary and troubled, and I will give you relief,’” she shared, remembering the words of Christ that accompanied her in her pain.

What began as a desperate search became a revelation of love. “I received a totally unexpected, creative gift from the infinite divine imagination: a much broader capacity than ever before, to love each person who extended a hand to me in that very bad situation,” he said.

This experience transformed his perspective on suffering. “It was like manna and I received just what I needed every day, every morning,” she added, emphasizing how love helped her connect with those who were also suffering.

Margaret not only reflected on her own loss, but also opened herself to the stories of others. “I could approach other people with that love, listening to their stories with great interest. “I couldn’t stay within myself with my pain,” she insisted.

The founding of David’s Educational Opportunity Fund

Her path to healing led her to found David’s Educational Opportunity Fund, dedicated to offering financial, educational and emotional support to high school and college students from low-income families in Quito. Its objective is to provide comprehensive and constant support so that these young people can complete their education and fully develop their talents, leadership skills and character qualities.

“There were two things that made it inevitable for me to return to Ecuador with my husband Mike and our daughter Rachel in 2003: the kindness of everyone who had helped me, and the beauty I had seen. So we started with a young lady, Gaby Lima, who wanted to study Environmental Engineering. Then another, Verónica Guamba, who wanted to be an early education teacher,” he explained.

Over the years, the organization has grown significantly, supporting 24 currently graduating students and 16 ongoing students. “Our work is my and my husband’s joy, and it fills our lives with what we all need: a purpose that fills our lives with meaning,” she stressed.

Finally, Margaret reflected on her journey, acknowledging that she does not want “God to know or believe that I am satisfied,” but rather that she wants to continue serving the young people most in need. “I have always been astonished, surprised by God’s blessing, because I received from Him what allowed me to move forward,” she concluded.