MPSRC donated 40 dictionaries to International School of Monterey. This is an ongoing project that will benefit 2 third grade classes each year. Thanks to Joe M, Don K, and Jeff H. for helping out.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Thursday, April 10, 2008
San Miguel de Allende Rotary & Feed the Hungry
San Miguel de Allende Midday Rotary Club (District #4160 ~ Club #70057)
(http://www.rotarysma.org/)
San Miguel de Allende (SMA) is an hour and a half bus ride from Guanajuato and has a similar, but yet different level of intrigue. The streets are wider with slight inclines to them and the houses radiate various shades of fall colors (think orange and red leaves in September). The growing population of this city over the past twenty to thirty years has created a diverse population and foreigners account for half of the populace. As a result, English is commonly spoken and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to give one of my first Rotary presentations.
SMA Midday Rotary Club (District #4160 ~ Club #70057) is the only English speaking Rotary Club in México. At Present, they are busy working on last minute details for their diabetes awareness weekend conference this month and a potable water program in one of the rural schools in SMA. Since the neighboring Rotary club is an English speaking club in a Spanish speaking city, they are in constant need of translation services (i.e., various Rotary documents between the two clubs in SMA and the district). Last month I helped them with a grant translation and I know future opportunities will be presented to increase my translation skills this year (I am very excited for this practical experience).
To amplify my knowledge of successful non-profit organizations in México, Duane Eriksmoen (SMA Rotarian) invited me to participate in Feed the Hungry (a program associated with the Midday Rotary Club). Feed the Hungry builds kitchens at elementary schools in impoverished areas outside of San Miguel de Allende; it is common that students in the surrou
nding areas walk one to two hours to reach the closest school and most do so with little or no food. As a result, Feed the Hungry distributes food weekly to their school kitchens to feed 4,000 kids a day. During my stay in San Miguel de Allende I helped pack and distribute food to the 31 kitchens in their program. I also received the privilege of visiting a school (La Campana) during their morning snack time to visit with the students and meet the cooks.
For more information on Feed the Hungry and/or volunteer opportunities please check out their web site: http://www.feedthehungrysma.org/ or contact Rotarian, Duane Eriksmoen, at deriksmoen@aol.com. Additionally, I can be reached by email to better direct any specific questions: samantha.radovich@miis.edu.
(http://www.rotarysma.org/)
San Miguel de Allende (SMA) is an hour and a half bus ride from Guanajuato and has a similar, but yet different level of intrigue. The streets are wider with slight inclines to them and the houses radiate various shades of fall colors (think orange and red leaves in September). The growing population of this city over the past twenty to thirty years has created a diverse population and foreigners account for half of the populace. As a result, English is commonly spoken and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to give one of my first Rotary presentations.
SMA Midday Rotary Club (District #4160 ~ Club #70057) is the only English speaking Rotary Club in México. At Present, they are busy working on last minute details for their diabetes awareness weekend conference this month and a potable water program in one of the rural schools in SMA. Since the neighboring Rotary club is an English speaking club in a Spanish speaking city, they are in constant need of translation services (i.e., various Rotary documents between the two clubs in SMA and the district). Last month I helped them with a grant translation and I know future opportunities will be presented to increase my translation skills this year (I am very excited for this practical experience).
To amplify my knowledge of successful non-profit organizations in México, Duane Eriksmoen (SMA Rotarian) invited me to participate in Feed the Hungry (a program associated with the Midday Rotary Club). Feed the Hungry builds kitchens at elementary schools in impoverished areas outside of San Miguel de Allende; it is common that students in the surrou
nding areas walk one to two hours to reach the closest school and most do so with little or no food. As a result, Feed the Hungry distributes food weekly to their school kitchens to feed 4,000 kids a day. During my stay in San Miguel de Allende I helped pack and distribute food to the 31 kitchens in their program. I also received the privilege of visiting a school (La Campana) during their morning snack time to visit with the students and meet the cooks.For more information on Feed the Hungry and/or volunteer opportunities please check out their web site: http://www.feedthehungrysma.org/ or contact Rotarian, Duane Eriksmoen, at deriksmoen@aol.com. Additionally, I can be reached by email to better direct any specific questions: samantha.radovich@miis.edu.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Project Amigo
Project Amigo began over 20 years ago when Rotarian Ted Rose from California found himself in a humble rural village instead of at the base of the volcano he had traveled to Colima, México to explore. His experience in the village that day changed his life.
Ted Rose and his wife Susan Hill are the founders and directors of Project Amigo, headquartered in Cofradía de Suchitlán, a small rural village on the slope of Colima’s Volcano of Fire, 18 miles above the capital city of Colima. Project Amigo is a non-profit organization supported by Rotarians and Rotary Clubs throughout the United States and Canada. Its mission is to “enable the poor children of Colima to achieve their highest potential by providing educational opportunities, material support, enrichment activities, and medical and dental services not otherwise available to them[1].”
One of my main interests this year as an Ambassadorial Scholar is researching, observing, and participating in educational development programs in impoverished areas. I was fortunate to meet Project Amigo’s directors through Bob Hardenbrook, a Reno South Rotarian living in Guanajuato this spring. They invited me to spend a week at Project Amigo.
The ladies in a knitting club in northern California donated beautiful handmade hats and scarves to Project Am
igo. Lety (Project Amigo staff) and I had the privilege of delivering these handmade goods to the kindergarten in Cofradía de Suchitlán and to the elementary school at the migrant labor camp in Quesería. This excursion to the elementary school helped me fulfill a photography class assignment at the Universidad de Guanajuato, and the students were more than happy to help me with my assignment during their recess. Lety, the children, and I shared many laughs as they proudly modeled their new attire on the playground with jumping, running, and walking poses.
Some other highlights during my week at Project Amigo that utilized my language and teaching skills included translating student letters to their sponsors in the States and Canada from Spanish to English; and working with Project Amigo’s higher education scholarship recipients at their afternoon homework club. I designed a language lesson where the students had the opportunity to practice their English and teach me Spanish!
After spending time in Cofradía de Suchitlán, meeting the people, and interacting with the students I decided that I wanted to be a part of this well-established, efficient, and dedicated program. As a result, I am sponsoring Blanca Janeth, a sixth grade girl this year in Cofradía de Suchitlán. I plan to return to Project Amigo to further help with their program and to meet Blanca Janeth this summer or later this fall.
I believe that education forms the base to all future growth and development in every country. Although Latin America has made progress in the area of education there is a still a long distance to go. In México, elementary school children receive four hours of instruction daily[1] and only 60% of students finish high school[2]. Additionally, only 25% of the Mexican work force has an education beyond middle school,[3] and many educators consider this statistic too high. Consequently, educational programs like Project Amigo contribute to the country’s long term development and foster a greater understanding in the community regarding service and pedagogy.
For more information on Project Amigo, student sponsorship, and/or volunteer opportunities please check out their web site: http://www.projectamigo.org/. Additionally, I can be reached by email to answer any specific questions: samantha.radovich@miis.edu or feel free to contact Project Amigo’s founder, Ted Rose, at ted@projectamigo.org.
Ted Rose and his wife Susan Hill are the founders and directors of Project Amigo, headquartered in Cofradía de Suchitlán, a small rural village on the slope of Colima’s Volcano of Fire, 18 miles above the capital city of Colima. Project Amigo is a non-profit organization supported by Rotarians and Rotary Clubs throughout the United States and Canada. Its mission is to “enable the poor children of Colima to achieve their highest potential by providing educational opportunities, material support, enrichment activities, and medical and dental services not otherwise available to them[1].”
One of my main interests this year as an Ambassadorial Scholar is researching, observing, and participating in educational development programs in impoverished areas. I was fortunate to meet Project Amigo’s directors through Bob Hardenbrook, a Reno South Rotarian living in Guanajuato this spring. They invited me to spend a week at Project Amigo.
The ladies in a knitting club in northern California donated beautiful handmade hats and scarves to Project Am
igo. Lety (Project Amigo staff) and I had the privilege of delivering these handmade goods to the kindergarten in Cofradía de Suchitlán and to the elementary school at the migrant labor camp in Quesería. This excursion to the elementary school helped me fulfill a photography class assignment at the Universidad de Guanajuato, and the students were more than happy to help me with my assignment during their recess. Lety, the children, and I shared many laughs as they proudly modeled their new attire on the playground with jumping, running, and walking poses.Some other highlights during my week at Project Amigo that utilized my language and teaching skills included translating student letters to their sponsors in the States and Canada from Spanish to English; and working with Project Amigo’s higher education scholarship recipients at their afternoon homework club. I designed a language lesson where the students had the opportunity to practice their English and teach me Spanish!
After spending time in Cofradía de Suchitlán, meeting the people, and interacting with the students I decided that I wanted to be a part of this well-established, efficient, and dedicated program. As a result, I am sponsoring Blanca Janeth, a sixth grade girl this year in Cofradía de Suchitlán. I plan to return to Project Amigo to further help with their program and to meet Blanca Janeth this summer or later this fall.
I believe that education forms the base to all future growth and development in every country. Although Latin America has made progress in the area of education there is a still a long distance to go. In México, elementary school children receive four hours of instruction daily[1] and only 60% of students finish high school[2]. Additionally, only 25% of the Mexican work force has an education beyond middle school,[3] and many educators consider this statistic too high. Consequently, educational programs like Project Amigo contribute to the country’s long term development and foster a greater understanding in the community regarding service and pedagogy.
For more information on Project Amigo, student sponsorship, and/or volunteer opportunities please check out their web site: http://www.projectamigo.org/. Additionally, I can be reached by email to answer any specific questions: samantha.radovich@miis.edu or feel free to contact Project Amigo’s founder, Ted Rose, at ted@projectamigo.org.
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