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WANTED: Frequent Flier Miles
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Have more frequent flier miles than you can use? We'd love to use them! Consider donating miles to help us keep our overhead costs low -- and get a tax deduction in the
process. At least 25,000 miles are needed
for a staff member to fly domestically to meet with donors, and 35,000 to fly to Guatemala. Call Joanne at
(651) 917-0243 for details.
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Did You Know
Over 3150 letters from students to their Sponsors have been translated by staff and volunteers so far this year.
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Double your Donation
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Thanks to a generous supporter, 2008 Common Hope Partner gifts that are designated to Education or Health Care will be matched! Click here to learn more and become a Common Hope Partner.
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Sponsors Needed
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More than 500 students still need Sponsors. Do you know someone who could help? If you do, forward this e-news or send them to our website. Thank you!
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Current and
Upcoming Needs of the Month
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June:Children's books in Spanish July:Full size bars of soap and hand towels August:School supplies For details contact Andrew Allen via email or (651) 917-0917.
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Did You Know
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The average monthly income for affiliated families is $171.
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Greetings!
A mother's network in action, students being encouraged toward their goals, thousands of supplies collected, supporters offering up their skills ... We hope you enjoy the latest news about what your support is making possible. Thank you!
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Mother's day celebration
On May 28th, a Mother's day celebration for the "Mothers' Network" was held in Antigua. The network
is a group of affiliated mothers who volunteer to deliver notices and updates to affiliated families about
health fairs, the Loving Parenting Initiative of the psychology  department, and
sponsorship correspondence. With their full schedules, social work staff cannot always make
these short visits.
Currently 69 mothers help us to
more quickly and efficiently reach all the different communities in which we work. According to sponsorship staff member Lys,
"These mothers who volunteer aren't really well-known, but they do great
work!" Twice a year the sponsorship office organizes a celebration to
thank them for their valuable contribution.
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A long time friendship
Richard Sieber has sponsored Carolina Pérez for sixteen
years, and they have maintained correspondence and become good friends over the
years. In a recent letter, Richard wrote
to Carolina about how proud he is
of her accomplishments. He shared that he keeps her
photo in a prominent place and shares frequent updates about Carolina's
studies with his friends and family.
Carolina is
studying to be a teacher, which is Richard's profession as well. He expressed his delight that she is pursuing
the same path. "It sounds as though
you've already learned a very important reward of being a teacher: I have found
that I've never stopped growing." Thank
you to Richard for his commitment to Carolina's
education, and best of luck to Carolina
as she finishes her teaching degree!
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Meet Edgar
Roberto Raxón Avila
 Edgar is a seven-year-old and currently
attends second grade in San Rafael el Arado. He enjoys playing soccer with his brothers and sister, and he wants to be a fireman someday. He lives
with his mother, father, four brothers and one sister.
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Texas physician lends a hand
During the month of May the Antigua
clinic staff were joined by Dr. Emily Sloan, a pediatrician from Texas.
Under her leadership, the team conducted a medical evaluation of all students at our pilot school in Antigua. This is the latest phase in the
clinic's efforts to establish the health status of all our on-site students.
Earlier this year nutritional and dental evaluations were conducted by
the clinic staff, as well as a hearing exam by the psychology staff. Later in 2008 a
visual acuity examination will be given to complete the project. "We
are on our way to having a complete health profile of each student," explains
clinic director Dr. Pineda, "and I think this is unprecedented for any student
population in this country."
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Shari Blindt visits supporters in California
Shari greeted Bay Area supporters at
the Orinda Community Church on Saturday June 7th. At the "Friendraiser," supporters heard from Shari about the latest news from Guatemala.
The
following day Shari and members of the Bay Area Leadership Team promoted
Common Hope at the Sports Summer Jam at the 24 Hour Fitness in
San Ramon. Local businesses showcased their goods and local
talent attended the festivities. Contact Sandy Smith at smithsss@sbcglobal.net if you would like to help with future events in the Bay area.
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 Best Buy Vision Team
Contact us at visionteam@commonhope.org if you would like more information about joining or leading a team.
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Summer
Heritage Camps
 Common Hope
will be promoted at several Heritage Camps around the country this summer. Children adopted from Latin America attend these culture
camps to gain exposure to the rich
cultural history, language, arts, and ways of life of their heritage.
June 17-19
Families
for International Children Heritage - Camp Grand Rapids, MI (www.fficgr.org/id3.html)
June 26-29
Latin
America Heritage Camp - Fraser, CO (www.laafwi.org/)
June 30
La Semana
Heritage Camp - Lakeville, MN (www.lasemana.org/)
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50th birthday party benefit
On May 9th,
Terri Kendle Sievers gathered 150 family members and friends at the Cinema
Ballroom in St. Paul. Guests enjoyed Latin and
Ballroom Dance instruction with a chance to practice their new moves.
Food and beverages were donated by area businesses and friends.
Terri went
on a Vision Team in 2006, has been a short term volunteer, and will return to Guatemala again this summer. Instead of
the usual gag gifts one receives for a 50th birthday, Terri
preferred her gifts to benefit the children and families in Guatemala. Guests chose to honor Terri
with gifts of tutoring, housing, school shoes and asthma treatments, to name a
few. At the end of the night Terri's dream brought in over $6,000 -- a
terrific way to celebrate this milestone in her life.
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Collect children's books in Spanish
Our June need of the month is 1,500 children's books in Spanish. In-kind supply drives help us to keep our
costs down and direct monetary donations toward other crucial program needs.
Thank you to
all who helped to collect toothpaste and toothbrushes in May. We have received over 1,000 brushes and 500 tubes of toothpaste! There's still a way to go with this drive (1,500 of both items are needed), and we will continue to accept more of these supplies until we reach our goal. Thank
you!
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Emergency food baskets needed
The rising costs of food and fuel that we're feeling here in
the US have
been affecting our families and programs in Guatemala
as well. Our social workers report
seeing more and more families who simply do not have food to put on the table. We budgeted for 50 emergency food baskets for
families who experience illness or job loss, however more than 90 families needed the assistance
in April!
While Common Hope's primary
goal is to help students and families reach their full potential through
education, we know that it is impossible for children to succeed on an empty
stomach. A donation of $20 to our emergency fund can help purchase an emergency food basket to address these needs.
If you can help, please contact Kate Heider, sponsorship coordinator, via email or at (651) 917-1045.
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Skilled volunteers needed in Guatemala
Teachers: We still have an immediate
need for eight Spanish-speaking preschool and primary teachers to
help with a new initiative to train local teachers. Application deadline is July
1, 2008.
 Dentists: We have an on-going need for dentists to help
us in the clinic at our new satellite in San Rafael.
For more details please contact Louise Lundgren via email or at (651) 917-0250.
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