Woodworking is just one lifeskill taught at La Carpio

HOPe members Paul Greene, Billy O'Sullivan and Brendan O'Flynn returned to the New Horizons School in La Carpio, Costa Rica in late January to inspect damage from Hurricane Thomas and recommend improvements to the property .

La Carpio is an extremely impoverished shanty town of approximately 30,000 people, squeezed into an area no larger than ¼ square mile, just west of the capital city of San Jose.  Most residents are Nicaraguan refugees, who have lost their homes and jobs to earthquakes, and fled to Costa Rica.

HOPe has been instrumental in the construction of a multi-functional school that combines basic educational curriculum with an essential  carpentry apprentice program.  Children who complete this program will be competent in the trades of drywall, general carpentry, cabinetry and woodworking.   The concept is simple, they will be literate, possess a practical education and most of all, be employable.  The hope is that upon completion of the program at New Horizons, these students will be able to find employment that can bring opportunities for both themselves and their family to move out of the barrio.

The San Jose area had been hit hard by Hurricane Thomas, and the school suffered from the impact of the storm. The building itself was not damaged, but heavy, sustained rains caused severe erosion damage to the property.   The northern property boundary is situated high upon a sheer cliff, secured by a tall chain link fence.  The erosion washed out a thirty foot long section of the fence, leaving the fence posts and footings dangling some five feet in the air.

This created a major safety concern for school children who play soccer in this area, and are in danger of falling down a treacherous embankment.  The goal was to not simply repair the fence, but to take steps to prevent future erosion damage. 

With this critical need in mind, the HOPe members on this mission recruited Jim O'Sullivan, a friend who is an expert in soil, irrigation and erosion control to join them on this trip. He has developed a novel and economical solution to the erosion problem that will use discarded car and truck tires, secured by steel rebar, stacked in the ravine that the erosion has created.  The tires will then be filled with compressed dirt and stone.  A new drainage pipe will be installed to carry runoff water safely away from the property.

Students at La Carpio learn to build and repair computers

In the school, the computer lab has become the center of interest for most students.  Instruction there has now expanded to teach some of the more advanced students computer repair. The Hope team was very impressed by students repairing hard drives, mother boards and CD drive units on the computers donated by Hope.  It was gratifying to see the progress made at the school and the hard work paying off and making a big difference. 

Future plans for the La Carpio area include the expansion of a health care clinic and construction of a multi-use community center that will double as an adult education /vocational training center.    `

Note: For more pictures of this trip, please visit us at http://www.facebook.com/#!/HopeCharityNY and become a fan!   

As Spring approaches, the staff at the HOPe Thrift Shop is asking for several things.

Sr. Renee Duignan, the outstanding Irish woman, who is the main contact for our projects in Honduras, called us this week to say that our recent donation of $8005 has resulted in 60 young children attending school, who previously could not do so because their families could not afford the mandated uniforms and basic educational supplies. Her message to HOPe was very complimentary: "Please tell HOPe members and supporters how appreciative these children and their families are for making it possible for the kids to get an education."

 

Congratulations to Cormac McCormick on being selected as Guest of Honor for the County Longford Dinner Dance which will be held in  the Astoria Manor in Queens on March 13th. Cormac, who is the owner of  O'Brien's Irish Pub in Manhattan, provided that premises for a HOPe fundraiser last year.

 

Welcome to the three new members who joined HOPe at the February meeting - John Cotter, Joan Friedman and Martin Roche. New members are very welcome and they are encouraged to get involved right away in the project planning and fundraising events of the organization.

 

Edmund O'Sullivan, the well-known and talented Irish-American artist, has generously offered to partner with HOPe by donating a substantial part of the receipts from the sales of his drawings that are sold to HOPe members and their friends to our various charitable projects. We will tell you more about this exciting new development next month.

  

Our distinguished member, Mary O'Sullivan, is recovering from a recent illness in the Sprain Brook Nursing Home in Yonkers. We hope that Mary will be back soon at our meetings and again greeting people at our monthly ceilis in the Kerry Building.

Rosaleen Brady, Ashley's mother, who helps out regularly in the HOPe Thrift Shop, is recovering from a serious brain operation in New York Presbyterian Hospital. The great news is that she is doing well and will be moving soon to Hayes Rehabilitation Center, where  her doctors expect her to complete a remarkable recovery.

Another HOPe supporter who is suffering with serious illness is Jimmy Frawley from Ennis in County Clare. Jimmy and his wife, Bridie, were the main organizers of the Ennis Wren Boys charity event in their home town every year. Jimmy described the whole process and planning strategies to HOPe members and the result in New York is seen every St. Stephen's Day in New York. We hope that Jimmy recovers fully.

Last month we announced that Sean O'Shea, the famous Cork singer and performer, was impressed by what he heard about HOPe from his cousin Margaret Moriarty.  He has volunteered to come to New York at his own expense to head up a HOPe fundraiser in the Kerry Building on Saturday, April 30^th, 2011.   We are lining up additional talented entertainers to perform gratis.  All benefits will go directly to HOPe projects.  We hope you will attend what promises to be a memorable night. 

As mentioned previously, HOPe now accepts Paypal donations at its homepage at www.hope-charity.org.  We hope that people worldwide will take advantage of this convenient method and help us help the very poorest of the poor.  

For the most up-to-date news, become a fan of Hope on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/HopeCharityNY