Spring Newsletter

Posted by La Catalina Foundation on June 24, 2009, 11:43 am
187.146.87.151

Hello Everyone, Nice to have the internet back! You can also see our newsletter, with pictures, on our website at: http://www.lacatalinafoundation.com/Article.asp?id=1361048 Issue 13 – Spring 2009 La Manzanilla, Jalisco, México Your Money in Action Thanks to your support and another successful auction back in February '09, LCEF, as mentioned in our Winter newsletter edition, was able to make a donation to each of the three public schools in La Manzanilla. These funds were earmarked for specific improvements projects and were put into immediate action by the schools! Here is a status update on the projects the schools have taken on: Playground Shading for the Preschool. With the communities support, the preschool was able to build a new playground last year. This year's goal was to construct a shaded canopy over the playground to protect the children from the hot sun. Funds from LCEF were applied to the construction of the canopy, which is nearing completion. Sidewalk Construction at the Elementary. In order to secure the safety of the children, teachers and parents decided it was critical to build a sidewalk around the school to keep the children safe and off the main road with dangerous traffic. Construction materials were donated and, with the funds awarded by LCEF, the school was able to pay for the manual labor to finish over half of the project. The school is trying to finish the sidewalk before the rainy season, which is just a few weeks away. It is estimated that the completion of this project will cost $5,000 pesos (approx. $450 US). To donate funds for this project please contact us. Installation of Upgraded Electrical Wiring for Computer Lab at the Middle School. In 2008, LCEF and La Manzanilla's public middle school worked together and won a grant from the Department of Education. The grant included 15 computers various printers and internet access for 5 years, but did not include the funds to install the required electrical setup for the computer lab. This year with LCEF's donation, the school was able to successfully rewire the lab and allow for additional computers to be installed, so the students are now enjoying access to their computers. Phase 2 of Costa Alegre Educational Center As many of you may know, LCEF received a donation of land from the Ejido of La Manzanilla to build an educational center for the community. LCEF was quick to respond and, in July 2008, the construction of the first classroom was finished! Since that time, LCEF has been running their free educational programs in the center. The next planned stage of the construction is building bathrooms. We are almost two thirds of the way to reaching our fundraising goal! Currently, we have raised $69,060.00 pesos and need an estimated $39,000.00 pesos more to be able to complete this next important phase of the Costa Alegre Educational Center construction project. Once the bathrooms are built, the next major focus will be on building the community computer lab. MAKE A DONATION NOW towards the construction of the bathrooms by clicking here, or contact us to learn how you can get involved and make a difference! Math Program for Youth Re-launched Thanks to board members Victor Amezcua and Valentin Chavez Castro's never-ending commitment to education, LCEF has re-launched free math classes in La Manzanilla and Melaque. The classes focus on basic algebra and are held at La Manzanilla's public middle and Melaque's public high school. The classes are open to middle school and high school students who want to learn algebra or improve their math skills. For more information on this program please click here. Two More Students in Need of Help! LCEF is happy to announce that, thanks to the support of Tim and Ann Edwards and family, funds have been secured for one "Wings" high school scholarship for next year, which will be awarded to Luis Arceo Victoria who was nominated by the middle school teachers and LCEF board members. These scholarships will be announced at the middle school graduation in July 2009, and funds will be awarded to students during the Fall 2009 - Spring 2010 school year. Please read on to find out about Luis, our first scholarship recipient, and the other unique candidates... Luis is 15 years old and is the top student in his class. He dreams of being a chemist and finding cures for fatal illnesses. During his three years in La Manzanilla's public middle school, Luis has won every academic award possible, including LCEF's top English student award. Luis lives with his mother, father and brother. His father does car body work and his mother recently lost her job due to the closing of a real estate agency in La Manzanilla. Tessy is 15 years old and comes from a family of 11. Tessy's father died in a car accident 4 years ago. Tessy's mother takes care of raising the children who still live at home, by cleaning houses and serving food at the middle school. Tessy dreams of becoming a manager of a hotel and has currently saved 2000 pesos towards her high school education. Katya is 14 years old and comes from a family of 5. Katya's father left the family when she was a child. Currently Katya and her three sisters and mother share a two room rental apartment with friends to cut down on costs. Katya's mother cleans houses and is also trying to sell food on the weekends to make enough money to support the family. Katya dreams of becoming an elementary school teacher. For $1100 US, you can sponsor one of these students, and give them the wings to fly! This covers all of their expenses for the first year of attending high school. To sign up as a scholarship sponsor, please contact us or visit this page to learn more. A BIG THANK YOU TO SOME OF OUR SUPPORTERS… This quarter, we want to give thanks to the following part-time residents, visitors and friends of La Manzanilla who donated supplies and program materials or who made a contribution to the foundation and public schools: Tim & Arlene Shubert, John Kydd & Family, Douglas Vaughn, Shanna McClarnon, Kimberly Smith, Carolyn & Roger deRoos, Tim & Ann Edwards & family, Carol Lopez, Maria Castelazo and Gabriela de la Vega. Also thank you to our Wings Scholarship sponsors - Duane & Cheryl Chaves, Christina deRoos, Tracey Lovell, Jeff Dalto and Carolyn & Roger deRoos who are continuing to support Gaby and Lupita on their second and first year of high school, respectively. The foundation, schools and children of La Manzanilla say, “Gracias!” OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS • LCEF is gearing up for their 3-week English and Arts summer camp for the children of the village. Please contact us if you would like to get involved as a volunteer teacher. • Thanks to Valeria & Dave, funds were secured for the purchase of soccer uniforms for La Manzanilla youth soccer team. Three cheers to Valerie & Dave!!! ¡GRACIAS, Y HASTA LA PRÓXIMA!

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