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Greetings!
It's almost November - meaning that elections are
around the corner, Washington DC just had its annual
event, and all of us at Fabretto are starting to plan
ahead for the coming year. We're looking at
budgets, short and long term goals in our strategic
plan, and setting a busier schedule than we've ever
had for events, fundraising, and most importantly -
for programs development. Yet, as busy as we
might be, we still want to take the time to share
some of recent happenings at Fabretto.
So read on, and find out!
| Program Highlight ? Baskets for sale! |
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Finally, you don?t have to wait for our events to be
get baskets, woodshop items, and cards! We?re
excited to announce that our Shop Fabretto
site is
now active and can be linked to and from our main
website - or directly from below!
Our first group of offered items includes two types of
notecards.
The pictures on both were taken from murals
painted by students at our Cusmapa children's
center. The first,
Wildlife, is a beautiful depiction of
Nicaraguan birds
and wildlife. A perfect card for thank you notes and
invitations; a pack of 10 also makes a wonderful
hostess
gift! The second card, Jesus and Dove is
perfect
for the
Holidays. There are savings to be had for ordering in
volume. Better yet, you get to send
beautiful
Christmas cards that your friends won't receive from
anyone else!
And speaking of Christmas, the site also features two
items from our Cusmapa woodshop. The first, a
Nativity Puzzle, is ingenious in that when
taken
apart, the pieces make a lovely crèche for display
during the Holidays. The second item is an
intricately carved wooden Ornament, perfect
for
wreaths or
windows. Both items come in a natural pine finish.
They make great gifts, especially for kids who can
paint them!
Finally, we have our pine needle baskets!
Always
popular at our fundraising events, we have a variety
of styles available online. Check back often as
offered items will change depending on inventory and
whatever the artisans in the Women's Basket
Cooperative are
creating. Each basket is unique and reflects the
craftsmanship of the woman who made it. Perfect
for many uses or just to display, the baskets make
great
gifts for house warming parties, weddings or any
occasion.
We hope you enjoy your online shopping adventure!
And remember, our Nicaraguan artisans benefit
directly from the sale of these items as do the
children in our programs. So no need to feel buyer's
guilt - it's not really shopping, it's charity!
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| Washington DC Night for Niños ? A Huge Success |
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On Saturday, October 21st, we hosted our 10th
annual Night for Niños at Washington DC?s fabulous
Fairmont Hotel. The evening was an unparalleled
success ? netting at least $100,000 in support of
operations and programs. During the dinner, we
honored Frank X. Rienzo, Athletics Director, Emeritus
of Georgetown University for his long standing
support and advocacy of Fabretto and the children.
Nicaraguan Ambassador to the United States,
Salvador Stadthagen, was delighted to present Frank
with Fabretto's Corazon de Oro award on behalf of
the
Nicaraguan people.
The highlight of the dinner came during the live
auction, when we successfully raised $30,000 to help
build the new Francis X. Rienzo Sports Fields at our
Somoto children?s center! We plan to inaugurate the
new baseball diamond and soccer field in late spring
2007.
Please see the next article for more information on
this exciting project.
The second part of the evening, the Fiesta, was also
a great success, with over 350 guests ? our
best attendance ever! Everyone danced, mingled,
savored the extraordinary dessert buffet, and got
some great deals on some fabulous silent auction
prizes.
We would like to thank our fabulous committee
members for their incredible efforts in making it all
come together, as well as our sponsors for their
tremendous support. It?s all for the children and we
are very grateful.
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| Somoto?s Field of Dreams ? Coming in 2007! |
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Our Somoto Children?s Center is one where we could
easily accept many more children, if only we had the
space! The last piece of open land at the center is
the current soccer field, shown here and which as
you can see is in dire need of
repairs. Thanks to a grant by USAID?s office of
American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA), we
have the opportunity to construct a new classroom
building starting in January ? a modern facility which
will house 2 classrooms, a library, and a new
computer lab. Eventually, by 2008, we hope to add
another building with 4 more classrooms and
additional study areas. But the only place to do all
this, so that they are close to the current academic
buildings,
is
on the current soccer field!
Fortunately, through the generosity of the Hearts
Afire Foundation, led by Georgetown alumnus Dr.
Dennis Cesar and his wife Theresa, we will purchase
a piece of land behind our center, larger than
the current soccer field, with the aim of developing a
terrific new sports area for the children
and the community. We envision a baseball
diamond, an adjacent soccer field, and still more
open area for the kids to run around, and maybe
even a modern playground! But all this will take
significant financial resources. The big question
is - Where will we find the funding?
In DC - that's where! We are delighted to announce
that through the
generosity of many dinner guests at last weekend's
Night for Niños event, we now have committed
funding to make this
dream a reality! Various guests pledged their support
during the live auction, helping us reach our goal
of $30,000! The new sports venue, to be named the
Frank X. Rienzo Sports Fields, will provide
our
students with a safe place to develop their bodies,
minds, and sportsmanship skills. Plans are to
inaugurate the new sports area in late spring 2007.
We?ll keep you posted!
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| Dates, dates & more dates! |
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Get out your calendars and mark these
down!
Upcoming Benefit
Events
Online, December 1-16, 2006: A Holiday
Auction on the web where you can get great
Christmas
gifts for family and friends and plan your 2007 travel!
Have your holiday gift giving support a great
cause! Check our website for details towards the end
of November.
Miami, December 16, 2006: A concert in
conjunction
with the South Florida Youth Symphony to benefit
both organizations.
Chicago, February 2, 2007: Night for
Ninos at
the James Hotel with Tom Gleason, our Volunteer of
the Year.
Miami, March 9, 2007: Night
for Ninos at the
so hot it's cool Nikki Beach!
Donor Visiting Trip
Nicaragua, February 9 - 14, 2007: We
still have spots available. Don't forget to
reserve soon if you want to come visit our work in
Nicaragua! Add on a few days and visit other parts
of
the country like the beaches, volcanoes, and
colonial towns!
Volunteer Visiting Trips
Nicaragua: We finally got smart and set up
special dates for
individual volunteers and small groups to come down
to Nicaragua for a week of service. Join like minded
people who want to spend some time helping us out,
getting to know the kids, and working with our staff.
Call or email if you want us to put your name down!
- March 25 - April 1, 2007
- May 27 - June 3, 2007
- August 19 - August 26, 2007 - FAMILY
TRIP
- October 28 - November 4, 2007
Note: The family trip will be especially geared
towards
families who would like to come with their children
aged 12 and up. Expose your kids to the "other
side", let them make friends with those less
fortunate, and have a great family vacation at the
same time!
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A Changing World... maybe |
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Dear Friends ?
As we all know, mid-term elections are around the
corner and contests are being waged for control of
the Congress and Senate here in the United States.
What some may not realize is that just a few days
after we all cast our votes here, Nicaraguans will be
voting for a new President for their country. More
and more, donors, friends, and sponsors are asking
us, what does it mean for Fabretto?
As background, the parties running in the Nicaraguan
elections are the Alianza Liberal Nicaraguense (ALN)
with candidate Eduardo Montealegre, the Sandinista
National Liberation Front (FSLN) with candidate
Daniel Ortega, the Movimiento Sandinista Renovacion
(MRS) with candidate Edmundo Jarquin, and the
Partido Liberal Constitucional (PLC) with candidate
Jose Rizo. I am far from qualified to give you a
comprehensive review on the forces at work in the
country and region, so I won?t! It?s complicated to
say the least. If you want to know more, there is
plenty of information on the web.
What I can say is this: Fabretto has a mission to
help disadvantaged Nicaraguan youths break the
cycle of poverty through education. This will not
change, nor has it ever. As an organization working
in Nicaragua since the early 1950?s, Fabretto has
strived to fulfill its mission through the Somoza years,
the Sandinista years, the first years of tenuous
democracy in the early 1990?s led by President
Chamorra, the Aleman presidency, and President
Bolanos? current term. And through it all, Fabretto
has worked successfully within the context of all of
these administrations by remaining outside of the
political arena, and focusing always and foremost on
our mission.
As proof, I can offer this. When Father Fabretto
died in March 1990, perhaps one of the most
sensitive times in Nicaragua?s political development,
the organization received condolences from
representatives of parties across the entire political
spectrum because they all recognized that the only
side that Father ever took was the side of the kids.
And today, all of us at Fabretto remain committed to
the example he set. With close to 200 staff members
and the families of more than 4,300 children actively
involved in our work, it?s clear that we might not all
share the same political views. Yet, all one has to
do is walk through our office in Managua, or in the
classrooms at our centers, to realize that we all do
share one vision, and that is to help the children.
So, can we predict if the ultimate impact on the
electoral outcomes will have major or minor,
beneficial or detrimental effects on Fabretto, be it
Republican or Democrat here or ALN, FSLN, MRS or
PLC in Nicaragua? The answer is no. What we can
predict is that the Fabretto Children?s Foundation will
continue to send close to 90% of the income raised
in the United States from donors like you directly to
Nicaragua to support programs with the kids, that we
will continue to forge alliances with public and private
organizations who share our vision both in the US
and in Nicaragua, and that we will remain committed
to helping our students and their families break the
cycle of poverty with efforts in the areas of
education, health, and community
development.
We urge all of you, whether
American or Nicaraguan, to go out and vote. Vote
with your conscience, vote in terms of the local,
regional, national and international concerns that you
have. And meanwhile, rest assured that we will
continue to work with our conscience, regardless of
electoral outcomes, for the benefit of the children
that we are blessed to serve.
Yours in Fabretto,
Alexandra S.
Garcia
President
For articles on the Nicaraguan elections from NBC News...
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