Winter Newsletter

Posted by La Catalina Foundation on December 30, 2007, 10:08 am
189.162.35.137

Issue 8 – Winter 2007 La Manzanilla, Jalisco, México MIDDLE SCHOOL WINS GRANT FOR COMPUTERS & INTERNET SERVICE!!! Working with our local middle school, La Catalina Educational Foundation assisted with completing a grant application to receive 10 new computers. Out of 20 schools in the State of Jalisco that applied, La Manzanilla middle school was proud to be one of three schools that won the grant. Our seventy middle school students and their teachers are eagerly awaiting the delivery and installation of these new computers along with the 5 year free high-speed internet access that was awarded as part of the grant. Thank you to foundation board member and middle school principal, Valentín Chavez Castro and our intern Dean Klompas for their great efforts! SURVEYING THE COMMUNITY’S EDUCATION NEEDS As we are in the process of planning for the construction of a community educational center, we have been surveying the Mexican community of La Manzanilla to see what kind of educational services and facilities they would like to see for their children and grandchildren. Our first community survey was conducted to 29 Ejiditarians. This survey is also being administered to the teachers and school administrators, the “Padres de las Familias”, the middle school students, and other groups of Mexican residents in the community. The following are the results from three of the primary questions from our first batch of surveys administered to the Ejiditarians in October 2007. [To view tables with survey results, please visit our website at the link below]: www.lacatalinafoundation.com/Article.asp?id=538896 A complete summary of the community survey will be made available on our website. A BIG THANK YOU TO SOME OF OUR SUPPORTERS… This quarter we owe a lot of THANK YOU’S to all of the people who supported the foundation in one way or another. Thank you to Judy Rohloff and Rusty Schultz who helped with our English program in the schools. Also thank you to the following individuals who donated materials and supplies: Rick & Brenda Finney – Vancouver Island, Canada – laptop computer for Daniel Ramirez Katie Leach & family, Chico, CA – school supplies for the elementary & middle schools Rick Strittmater & June Nery – Denver, CO – supplies for schools and foundation Michael Pace – Seattle, WA – playground balls for elementary & middle schools, copy paper for elementary school and English books for foundation Dean Klompas – Vancouver, B.C. – school supplies for the schools & foundation Rennie Holly – teaching materials for elementary school AUCTION, AUCTION, READ ALL ABOUT IT! Please mark your calendar for our on-line auction which will take place right here on our website at www.lacatalinafoundation.com from January 15 – February 15, 2008. If you have an item to donate, please contact us a.s.a.p. This will be followed by “A Night under the Stars” live auction and party in the main plaza on Saturday, February 23, from 6pm to 10pm. Of this year’s auction proceeds, approximately 25% will go directly to La Manzanilla public schools, 25% will go to the foundation’s programs, and 50% will be earmarked for the education center construction project. For more information on either the on-line auction or live auction party or to find out how you can volunteer, please call us at (011) 52 -315-351-5362. See you Under the Stars!

Be sure to visit www.lamanzanilla.info