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Accomplishments:..
2009 Bike Tours...
CalCoast Was a big hit, and is being refined for a second try in 2010! Participant
photos are link
2009 Xela Girls Sponsorship Drive...
We were able to confirm $150
Sponsorships for all the girls for the beginning of 2009.
2008 Bike Tours...
Utah
National Parks June
7 - 14, 2008 Was spectacular & raised $3,000! Participant
photos are linked HERE
Montenegro September 12 - 22, 2008 & Croatia September 25 - October 4, 2008 were also big sucesses.
2008 Xela Girls Scholarship
Drive Success!
Bill has been able to confirm 40 $100
scholarships for the older girls who are attendin private schools
outside of teh Hogar. Donors ranged from small contributions
to designated proceeds from Richards Adventuer & Bicycle
tours, but the money is in & all 10 will have scholarship
support above and beyond their Light The Way sponsorship.
OC NOW event...
On March 25th, several of us (Richard
& Sandi, Marilyn & Angelo, Bill & Dev, Alex &
Nicolae & Walli) enjoyed attending the Orange County National
Organization for Women, NOW hosted "Guatemalan Experience
Dinner" to Benefit: MIA,
Mujeres Iniciando en Las Americas, an organization that campaigns
against gender bias and domestic violence in Guatemala. MIA provides
financial support to organizations in Guatemala with similar
missions, such as Sobrevivientes, a Guatemalan organization led
by Nobel Prize nominee Norma Cruz, who works for women's rights
in Guatemala. http://www.miamericas.info.
The program, including it's expansion of teh White Ribbon Campaign
in Guatemala (MORE)
looks like another great program worthy of support and may
be considered for our GCFR targeted charities support.
Speaker: Lucía Muñoz-Topic: "Guatemalan
Women, Hidden in Plain Sight"
As Founder and executive director of MIA, Ms. Muñoz works
with students and others in the U.S. raising awareness about
this issue, and also works with Sobrevivientes in Guatemala to
end femicide.
When: Tuesday, March 25, 2008 6:00 to 8:30 pm Where: Orange Public
Library, Community Room, 101 N. Center Ave. Orange, CA 92866
Cost: (Proceeds to benefit MIA) Catering by: Tikal Guatemalan
Restaurant, 1002 E. 17th St. Santa Ana 714-654-7129
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On May 1, 2007 the House and the Senate passed two resolutions:
House Resolution 100 submitted by Congresswoman Hilda L. Solis
& Senate Resolution 178 submitted by Senator Jeff Bingaman.
The Resolution condemns the murders and expresses condolences
and support to families of victims. Specifically, the resolution
encourages the Government of Guatemala to recognize domestic
violence as a crime and to promptly investigate the killings
and prosecute those responsible. It also encourages adequate
resources for police and prosecutors to investigate the murders
thoroughly and urges the U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala to meet
with the families of the victims. Finally, it recommends that
the Secretary of State develop a comprehensive plan to address
and combat the growing problem of violence against women in Latin
America. http://www.libertadlatina.org/Crisis_Indigenous_LatAm_Guatemala_Index.htm
OC NOW & MANA de Orange County invites us all to stand with
them, to bring attention to the violence against women in Guatemala.
They extend their support, in solidarity and sisterhood to the
women of Guatemala.
UNIFEM tour follow up...
Following their tour
with Richard, UNIFEM is hosted a program & Panel Discussion
on Violence Against Women in Latin America on February 16th.
Lucia Munoz, founder of Mujeres
Iniciando en Las Americas (Women Initiating in the Americas),
gave a talk entitled "Women in Guatemala: Hidden in Plain
Sight."
The event also highlighted UNIFEM's Safe Cities in the Latin
Americas. A program which aims to free cities from violence against
women in public as well as private places http://www.unifem.org/gender_issues
****** Additional Speakers And Guests******
Pat McCully, Founder, Circulo de Amigas (Circle of Friends),
Nicaragua www.camigas.org
Masako Delalieu,Chairperson, Amnesty International Club; Student,
Soka U.
Diana Wells, Student, Department of Women's Studies, Soka U.
Linda Pauwels, ALAS
de America - Weaving for Wellness, San Pedro, Buenos Aires,
Argentina
For more information or questions: socal@unifem-usnc.org
or 949-458-4957 CeCe Sloan
2008 Tours...
With the success of our Guatemalan tours in 2007,
raising over $8,000 for the two foundations, we looked ahead
to 2008 with great anticipation and have had 3 wonderful groups
visit Guatemala and Nicaragua. ~Richard
Guatemala Tours Tips...
Richard & Sandi hosted a gathering in December
to go over the pre-tour details, and even had the pleasure of
introducing Gail in person! Past participants talked up various
must-see discoveries they had enjoyed, so here are a few tips
from books to coffee houses we enjoyed... MORE
Guatemala 2008 Tours
Guatemala
January Tour Tuesday, January
15 Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Guatemala Unifem
Tour Thursday, January 24 Friday, February 2, 2008
Nicaragua Tour in
support of Building
New Hope Monday, February 4 Sunday,
February 10, 2008
Granada San Juan del Sur - Masaya Led by Gail Rodgers
MORE
Big Donor Bash Sunday; July 22nd, 2007
Richard & Sandy hosted a tour reunion and donor thank
you luncheon at their home in Irvine. Thanks for the great food,
friendship and photos exchanged!
Beaded Jewelry Sales July 16th,
2007
Opportunities sometimes arise in very unique ways. When Richard
and Sandi were returning by shuttle bus to Antigua in January
2007, they met a director from one of many small groups making
a difference in Guatemala. They were told how they raised funds
for their organization, with beaded jewelry sales at various
events in Ohio. Sandi decided to purchase some jewelry, and give
it a try herself. In three months, with the help of Marilyn Vassos,
she has produced over $1,000 in proceeds, donating it to the
Light The Way foundation in Xela. The beaded art work is now
obtained through a collective Gail Rogers is working with and
is a "fair traded" product, so the artisans who do
the work are being paid better wages to produce the product.
MORE
Drinking Water Q Beta Water Filter
Project July 15th, 2007
On the recent tour another great project opportunity was
introduced to us; Gail Rogers, the person who operates the Posada
la Merced and coordinates our tours with Richard, has gotten
involved in helping the local people have at-home filtration
systems.
Locals can not afford the bottled water we turistas drink, and
local water sources are not consistently safe, but a project
is helping get effective water filters out in the highlands.
On the June tour a filter was brought to Xela and Gail is now
also helping place these great filters in use. MORE
June Tour Success June 25th to July 3rd, 2007
Another successful Guatemalan Highlands
tour was completed, raising another $3,100 in donation proceeds
for the two foundations, along with a new water purification
project that Gail Rogers, our tour organizer, is involved in.
The first summer tour, intended to introduce families and folks
not able to join Richard in the winter months included five young
adults, ages 11 to 25, making it a very special tour for everyone
involved. Richard also discovered that a late June "Highland
Fling" produced the same comfortable temperatures, (in the
high 70's, with a few afternoon showers) and a much greener landscape
than in many previous winter visits. It was such a rewarding
experience, he plans to schedule another late June visit in 2008.
The photo below: Kim Gerrard & Sally Lodato presenting Light-The-Way's
Dana Mannen a check for $1,700. Sally and Kim were responsible
for bringing seven friends and family members along, making this
tour's sucess possible. |
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Richard Martin wrote:
I wanted to extend a huge heartfelt THANKYOU
to all of you for joining me in Guatemala. It was a very special
trip for me, as I'd never traveled to the highlands in June,
and never with five mature young adults. You made it such a positive
experience, it will become a yearly adventure. So feel free to
put the word out if you know anyone wishing to join us next summer.
Our donations totaled $3100!! And we know how far those dollars
go with the foundations we support. In six tours since 2004,
we have gone from: "We can make a small difference",
to "We
are making a difference!". And that couldn't please me more!
I spoke to our webmaster, Bill Sellin, this morning and he is
ready to update our website, www.sellin.com/GCFR. If you have
photos, please send them along. In a few weeks, I will have a
Fall 2007-2008 calendar of fund-raising opportunities that you
may want to pass along to others. It will also include some new
tours that Gail and I are working on. A supported Western States
bicycle tour with camping/lodging options may also be in the
works for late spring/early summer. And Sandi is putting her
beaded jewelry sales calendar together for the upcoming holidays,
now that we have Senovia's new inventory. I am sure you realize
how rewarding this has become for us, and Sandi and I thank you
for making it possible. |
Guarderia Stove Fund April 15th, 2007
We secured $821 in donations for the new gas stove and area
rug for the Guarderia.
$700 stove, $80 Area rug & 5% F T-J overhead of $41 in mid-February;
We got pictures today from Amy Lawrence (aka Amy-Dos) showing
the stove in place!
Sorry to be so long in getting back to you
with the wonderful results of your donations to us! We were able
to purchase an absolutely gorgeous stove for the Guarderia, which
is finally up and running. We were also recently made the proud
owners of a lovely rug for the little ones, of which I have yet
to take pictures. The attached photos are of Dona Delfina and
the stove, and one of me and the mothers after a day of searching
for saplings for our greenhouse project. I hope that all is going
well with everyone in the group. We are also currently finishing
up the construction for a solar powered shower/tower for the
water deposit on the grounds of the Guarderia. I'll be sure to
send photos when that starts looking like more than a tower of
cement blocks!
Take care and please feel free to keep in touch. I look forward
for the next group's upcoming visit in June!
Con cariño, Amy 2 |
  
Still going strong in 2009!
Renaissance Jacket Raffle
Wanda's Art to Wear Raised
$700 for El Hogar ~ Winner announced!
 
Light The Way domain Registered February 4th,
2007
With Dana's permission and support, Bill registered &
is hosting www.Light-The-Way.org
Guatemala Tours January 11 - 21, 2007
Richard & Sandi led another fund raising tour for 10
visiting Antigua, Copan, Rio Dulce, Livingston & Quetzaltenango.
At the Guarderia a wish list of "above & beyond"
the regular operating budget was prompted, and with a brief huddle,
a play rug for the children and a commercial grade gas stove
were quickly identified.
At the Hogar, the group enjoyed lunch, a tour of the home - being
renovated with an expanded bathroom; Slippers were distributed
to each of the girls, and we each received knotted wrist band
rememberances.
January 23-February 1, 2007
Richard stayed on and led a second tour for 14 visiting Tikal,
Antigua, Chichi & Quetzaltenango.
The second group also visited the Guarderia & the Hogar,
the group enjoyed a visit & tour of the home; Day Packs and
clothes were were distributed to each of the girls, along with
unloading duffel bags of school supplies and clothing. Larissa
& Izzy Leybovich have pix up already!
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These tours introduce participants with
a very personal exposure to Guatemala, and a direct contact with
both charities. Offered at a very low cost, the proceeds of the
tours are split between the two foundations we help support.
For his patience, leadership, generosity and traveling savvy
a legend is growing across the highlands of "San Ricardo,
the traveler..." San Simon and Maximon may have a new peer
Santo soon. |
Holiday
Celebration December 10, 2006
Fund Raising Party at Cafe
Piccolo for wine & appetizers MoLAA
(Museum of Latin American Art) tour raised about $3,700
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