In December, New Hope Director Mynor Lemus, four teachers from New Hope School, and Renato Westby, Program Development Director, traveled to the Chicago area for a teacher exchange with Hubbard Woods School in Winnetka, IL. Teachers from Hubbard Woods had traveled to Guatemala this summer as the first phase of the teacher exchange.

The experience was very memorable for all involved. Writes New Hope teacher Leslie Murga, "I have lived one of the rarest moments of my professional career. Being here, I have seen in a new light the magnitude of what we are doing, how our daily efforts are making a difference and contributing a grain of sand toward the building of our country. Being immersed in work, in the daily routine, one doesn't observe such things! Watching the video the Hubbard Woods teachers took while at New Hope, where they made a comparison between what we both do every day ... there aren't many differences, but it motivated me to achieve more, with more enthusiasm, to give my best every day, so that when someone else comes to visit us like we are, they will see us serving others with great love, as we have seen them doing."

For more on the trip, visit Common Hope's blog.

Photo Caption: New Hope teachers visit Lake Michigan.

Thank you to everyone who supported Common Hope in 2009 and helped us to conclude the year on strong financial footing. The holiday season started off well with Give to the Max Day, sponsored by GiveMN.org. Common Hope raised $37,000 that day, which rose to nearly $50,000 raised on the site by the end of the year. Your generosity continued throughout the holiday season, helping us to meet our adjusted plan for 2009. As expected given the recession, we ended the year 15% behind our original revenue plan, but proactive expense management early in the year put us more than 16% behind plan on expenses.

Being able to contribute to our reserves has put us in a solid position for modest program growth in 2010. We will welcome 2,700 students to the 2010 school year, compared to 2,576 in 2009. And, we will launch a new Education Partner School Initiative, providing support to two local schools through tutoring, teacher training, classroom supplies, and more. The initiative is the beginning of more concerted work to address education quality in Guatemala. Stay tuned for more information on this in our upcoming print newsletter.

Your supply collections help Common Hope to provide opportunities for students and families in Guatemala while saving thousands of dollars that can be directed toward other pressing program needs. Last year, you helped us to meet our supply drive goals for crayons, erasers, pencils, black pens, rulers, and toothbrushes, and we collected hundreds of supplies for our other needs. Thank you! 

Please help us reach our goal.