LCEF‘s Summer Program Brings Smiles to Local Children

For the third straight year, LCEF provided a highly subsidized summer program for local children in the village of La Manzanilla. The program ran from 9:00am – 12:00pm, Monday through Friday, for three weeks at LCEF’s Costa Alegre Educational Center.  Registration for the program quickly reached full capacity of 25 students, ages 5 – 11.   English, art and dance were taught to the children by local Mexican teachers along with LCEF’s own Dean Klompas.  Wings scholarship recipients also attended the program as volunteer assistant teachers.  The summer program once again brought big smiles to children in the village and was a great opportunity for the scholarship winners to help in the community.

We want to thank everyone who donated arts & craft supplies this year to help make this program possible. Also, a big thanks also goes to La Catalina Natural Language School for sending volunteer high school students from the U.S. to help get the program started

Preschool Receives Dental Program

Thanks to the donation from the University of Wisconsin, Maria Castelazo and Pat & Rudy, LCEF, was able to provide free toothpaste, tooth brushes and dental supplies to every teacher and student at the local pre-school, as well as a dental education workshop for the students. This concluded a series of free dental health classes provided by LCEF to all three public schools in La Manzanilla this year.  Please help us keep this program running for next year. If you or anyone you know can donate dental supplies please contact us at http://www.lacatalinafoundation.com/contactus.asp

LCEF and Helping Hands Bookstore Work Together to Support Education

LCEF is delighted to be working with the Helping Hands Bookstore to help send more students to school. This year the Helping Hands Bookstore, impressed with what LCEF was doing with the Wings Scholarship, decided to sponsor a Wings Scholarship student. LCEF and the Helping Hands Bookstore are currently working on creating a new scholarship program that will support children who are forced to drop out of school after elementary due to financial difficulties.   The first recipient of this program for the 2009-10 school year Esther , who is 15 years old and wants to be a veterinarian when she is older. A big thank you, once again, to Stephanie, Charlie, Bret & Donna, Barbara and the Helping Hands Bookstore for your commitment to education in La Manzanilla.

A BIG THANK YOU TO SOME OF OUR SUPPORTERS…

This quarter, in addition to our Wings Scholarship sponsors, we want to give thanks to the following part-time residents, visitors and friends of La Manzanilla who donated supplies and program materials, volunteered, or made a contribution to the foundation and public schools: Wally & Charlee, Mary Jo & Tom, Larry Segall, Dean Klompas, Chris Devero, Bill & Paula Smith, Carol Lopez, and Gabriela de la Vega.

The foundation, schools and children of La Manzanilla say, “Gracias!”

In other news........................

LCEF honored and recognized by Kindergarten, Elementary School and Middle School for the continued academic support and donations of resources and materials.

With a little extra help from LCEF, the Parent/Teacher Association from the elementary school were able to complete the construction of a new sidewalk to keep their students safe from traffic accidents.

LCEF was proud to extend a few free classes into the summer. Basic Algebra for Youth and Adult Community English followed their normal scheduled hours, even in the heat and humidity of the summer months.

¡GRACIAS, Y HASTA LA PRÓXIMA!