Most Needed Supplies
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MARCH
Children's ponchos & raincoats
Hats, Mittens, and Gloves still needed!For details send an email or call (651) 917-0917.
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Sponsors Needed
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Do you know someone who could help sponsor José ( right), or one of the many other students? Forward this e-news or a link to our website. Thank you! |
| Interested in ORGANIZING a Vision Team? |
The 2009 calendar
has openings for new teams in May.
Interesting in JOINING a
Vision Team?
Some 2009 teams have room for more members. For more info contact Kristin via email or at (651)
917-0250.
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Did You Know?
In
2008 Students at New Hope School outperformed all other schools
assessed at district and national levels for reading and math in grades
1, 3, and 6.
See results...
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Greetings!
New Hope families sign their land leases, high school graduates share their reflections in a new video, supporters quilt a truckload in 17 hours, folk musician Peter Mayer plays for Common Hope on April 18. ... These are just a few of the latest updates from Common Hope. Read on to learn more.
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New Hope families sign lease to their land
 Twelve families in New Hope Village
signed the papers to become
official land owners in February, after finishing all payments to Habitat
for Humanity International for their homes and working all community service hours with Common Hope for their land.
On March 8 the residents also
met for the first time as a housing association, which will be their forum
for organizing and setting priorities for the community for things like green space, street signs, and speed bumps. Josué Sicán,
operations director, will serve as Common Hope's liaison to the association. |
Aspiring doctor José de
León needs your help
You may have read about José de León's
family in our most
recent newsletter,
which mailed earlier this March. José's
family was featured in our cover story, which took us inside the tough budget
decisions of two affiliated families.
 José wants to be a doctor when he grows up, but he needs a Sponsor to help support his education. The families of Oscar and Victor were featured in the story about San
Rafael, and they need Sponsors too.
If you can help, contact Jessie via jessies@us.commonhope.org or (651) 917-1045. If you know someone else who might be able to help, use the "forward to a friend" link at the bottom of this email.
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High school graduates share advice and goals in their own words
We've posted a new video clip
on our website, which features interviews with five high school graduates who discuss
their plans for the future and advice for their younger peers. The video was edited and produced by
university scholarship student Carlos Robles. You can check out more
reflections from recent graduates in our winter newsletter,
which features excerpts from the essays of three university scholarship
applicants. |
Farewell Siân,
Welcome Caroline
 Last week, Common Hope said goodbye to a very important staff person in Guatemala:
Siân Stephen,
our grants and publications coordinator.
For the past two years, Siân has been the eyes and ears in Guatemala for our US communications staff, collecting
the stories and photos that come to your email inbox and snail mailbox throughout
the year. Siân has also provided vital
support to writing grants, an important and growing funding source for Common
Hope.
A heartfelt thanks to Siân for all
of her great work, and a hearty hello to Caroline McGee,
who we are fortunate to welcome to the position. |
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Active hubs organize in Southeastern US
 Supporters
are holding events for Common
Hope for the first time this spring in Atlanta, Georgia and Naples, Florida. We are very excited to meet old and new
friends in the area for the first time. More
than 375 active supporters in Georgia
and more than 400 in Florida
raised $17,000 and $39,000 respectively for Common Hope last year. We are so grateful for the generous support
of this region!
Twenty people
attended the Atlanta
event on February 28, held at the home of Penny
Arnold, mother of development director Joanne
Griffin. Joanne shared news fresh
from the field, having just returned from Guatemala. In Naples,
Jack and Jan Grunewald will host a
cocktail party at LaPlaya Golf Club on March 22 from 5-7pm, and executive director
Shari Blindt will speak. Friends and family are welcome. To learn more and/or RSVP, contact Mary Gautschi at 651-917-0243 or maryg@us.commonhope.org.
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Celebrating with a university graduate who made history at her school
 Long-time Sponsors Mike Menzel and Kathy Iverson,
founders of Medical Miracles,
recently wrote a reflection about attending their sponsored student's graduation
from university. Read their reflection,
in their own words, here. |
Record participation in 8th annual bee
 The women of North Immanuel Lutheran Church in Pelican Rapids,
Minnesota quilted
17 hours in one weekend for Common Hope. Despite snowy weather
the group had its best turn-out ever, with 14 women on Friday, 18
on Saturday, and six finishing up on Sunday. In total, the group constructed 125 quilts and gathered 30 additional blankets along with some sheets and
pillow cases.
 Organized by Mary Kay
Haugrud and Conni Axness, the event had the largest one-day turn-out since the first bee in 2002. The pair traveled to Guatemala on a Vision Team in March 2001 (under
the leadership of Pastor Gus Ziegler of Perham,
MN) and organized the bee shortly
thereafter. "We are so thrilled, and we
all have fun doing this," says Conni. "We
get just as much joy out of it as the families get warmth from the
quilts."
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Enjoy Peter Mayer's "songs for a small planet" and support Common Hope
 Folk
musician Peter Mayer will play at the Cedar
Cultural Center
in Minneapolis on
April 18 -- and support Common Hope at the same time. Peter and his wife, Beth Harrison, are
adoptive parents of a Guatemalan child.
Having heard many good things about Common Hope, they decided to
support us through Peter's music.
In Peter's
words, he writes "songs for a small planet ... about interconnectedness and the
human journey." His music is "whimsical,
humorous, and profound," transcending the boundaries of folk and the everyday
love song to "a place of wonder at the very fact of life itself."
Tickets for the concert, on Saturday, April 18 at 8pm, are $21 in advance or $23 at the door. Purchase by emailing beth@blueboat.net. Mention you would like to support Common
Hope, and $10 of each ticket will become a tax-deductible donation. Peter's concerts at the Cedar usually sell
out, so act now! |
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Help keep children dry this rainy season
 Our March need of the month is 1,500 children's ponchos and raincoats to get families through the rainy season, which starts in
May. We're still collecting for the
February drive as well -- we're only about a fifth of the way, having received about
350 hats, mittens, and scarves last month.
If you find more winter gear on sale or have time for a bit more
knitting, please send those warm layers our way!
In-kind supply donations are a vital way that
we reduce our expenses. Last year we
saved an extraordinary $24,000 because of your in-kind donations. You can always visit our website
for more details about this and upcoming needs. |
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