|
Mayan Families Connections
| |
Mayan Families Connection is an online community for our supporters! To participate, visit the MFC Blog, or join the Yahoo! mailing group to keep up with the latest news. |
|
About Us | |
Mayan Families is a small non-profit group working in the Highlands of Guatemala. We are a registered 501(c)(3) Non Profit Charity of the Internal Revenue Code.
Your donation is tax deductible as allowed by law. |
|
|
Mayan Families Monthly Newsletter
Fall 2011 |
|
Happy Thanksgiving from our families to yours!
We have so much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving.
Thanks to all of you, Mayan Families finished 19th place in the Chase Community Giving Competition! We have won $25,000 US which will go a long way to helping children in Guatemala have food and an education!
We are grateful that our first student in the sponsorship program,
literally Student #1, graduated after six years of school sponsorship. She was our first student in this program that now has over 2,000 students and the very first in her family to graduate from high school. Maria Antonieta comes from a family where her parents barely speak Spanish and did not have the chance to receive an education. But thanks to her sponsor, Sue Cudd...who flew down to Guatemala to be at the graduation....Maria Antonieta now has the opportunity to go onto University....making her one of the first people in her village to have this opportunity. We are thankful to all our sponsors who brighten so many children's lives.
We are so thankful to the Upper Arlington Rotary Club from Columbus, Ohio...who came to the inauguration of the kitchen, roof and retaining wall that they had funded at the Tierra Linda Community/Education center.
They were warmly welcomed by the community of Tierra Linda...who are so appreciative of all the help that they are receiving.
The Upper Arlington Rotary Club funded the equipment and materials to open the 7th grade Jnr. High School in Tierra Linda. They have made a commitment to the community to fund the 8th grade for the coming 2012 school year and the 9th grade in 2013.
This support makes it possible for the children of Tierra Linda to have access to continued education !
So thankful for all the bright, shining faces this week at our pre-school/nutritional centers. Many of the pre-school children are graduating and moving onto elementary school. This week we had three graduation ceremonies, El Barranco, Tierra Linda and San Jorge. Next week, we have San Antonio Palopo, Panajachel and San Andres.  
 Thanks to their sponsors, they are in much better health, they have been receiving two hot meals a day, a vitamin tablet, brushing their teeth and getting a head start with their education. Most of our children do not come from families that speak Spanish, they speak the indigenous dialect of this area, which is Kakchiquel or Quiche...but with the classes they have received, they are now all familiar with Spanish, know their colors, their letters and enjoy coming to the pre-school. We hope that this will give them a good start on their journey into elementary school and beyond.
We are so thankful for the wonderful help that Cristobalina has received.....Click here to read her October update....this week Cristobalina walked out of the hospital! Something that she thought that she would never be able to do again.
We are very grateful to all of the groups, volunteers and visitors that have come to work and visit Mayan Families here in Panajachel, Guatemala. We are also grateful to all of the donors who have sent gifts and donations through the various shipments and to everyone who worked so hard to get these shipments here to Guatemala in time! We are so grateful for all the toys, clothes, shoes and gifts that we have received to distribute this Christmas. Last year we gave out over 5,000 toys. 
We hope that this year we will be able to do the same. Thank you to everyone who has made this possible. If you would like to give a gift to your sponsored student ...or a needy child...it is not too late. We can buy the gift here in Guatemala for your child.
If you would like to donate to any child in need...it is just $12 to give a soccer ball or a doll to a child. Please send your donation to ............ or you can go to our link to find out what you can buy and give to your sponsored student/family this year.
Many thanks to the people who have donated Tamale baskets for families to be able to celebrate Christmas this year.
Last year we gave out 1,600 baskets that fed approximately 16,000 people. We are hoping that we will be able to help the same amount of people ( or more) this year. It is just $35 to feed a family of 10 .... The need is so much greater this year. If you would like to help a family but can't afford the whole amount..you can make a donation of any amount to put towards a basket for a family in need who may not otherwise have food for the holidays. Please click here to donate now.
|
|
Spread the 'Mayan Families' Word
Please follow Mayan Families on: Blog: Sharon's BlogIf you would like to join a Yahoo support group that assists Mayan Families please go to: To ensure receipt of our emails, please add to your Address Book. Thank you once again for supporting Mayan Families! |
|
Sincerely,
Sharon Smart-Poage
Mayan Families
sharon@mayanfamilies.org
www.mayanfamilies.org
Tel: 619-550-2608
|
|
|
Happy Thanksgiving!
