As this year draws to an end, we would like to dedicate this last day of the year, with gratitude, to all of the supporters, donors and sponsors of Mayan Families who have made so many wonderful things possible this year.
Thank you for sending so many children to school and giving them a chance at a brighter future. Thank you for the houses you have built, the school construction, the community center construction, the New Mayan Families Trade School with Carpentry Classes and all of the tools needed to supply it, the Sewing Machines and supplies to make the sewing classes even better, the food you have given so that people can have enough to eat, the life-saving medical care that you have made possible for so many who otherwise would not have received help, donated medical supplies and equipment, for the micro loans to help families to have a hand up, the stoves that make it possible to have clean air inside the homes, aid for the elderly, the water filters that give clean, safe drinking water, the many wonderful donations of clothing, shoes, blankets, towels, beds, closets, tables and chairs.....these things are such basics, but they are such miracles for the people who receive them.
Thank you for the Holiday Tamale Food Baskets....we received donations for 1,400 baskets that were able to feed approximately 14,000 people this December, and the toys that you donated that brought such joy to thousands of children.
Thank you to the volunteers who came and gave their time. To the medical, dental, vision and veterinarian groups that made such a difference in the quality of life for so many. Thank you to the sponsors who came and visited their students, who shared hugs and brought such joy.
This year, as we gave out the Holiday Tamale Food baskets ... As we gave out the Holiday Tamale Food baskets this year, so many people came up to me and said, thank you. They thanked me for the kitchens and bathrooms that had been built, the stoves, the water filters, the medical care, the operations that had been organized and for giving their children a chance to go to school.
These thanks belong to you.
One woman came and thanked me for the sponsorship that made it possible for her to go complete her University degree. She is a wife and a mother of 6 children. She started to thank me, and then tears welled up in her eyes. She said now I have completed my University degree, and I have a job as a social worker. She said, "before I had my degree and before I had a job....I could only wash clothes by hand and make a little money." "My first four children did not eat three times a day.They often did not have more than tortillas with salt. They didn't know what milk was....now my two younger children do not know what it is like to go hungry. They have milk every day. They are healthy. There have been so many drastic changes in my life since I have graduated and can now have a job that pays me a living wage so that I can help my family."
Today is your last day to take advantage of this year's tax laws and make a tax-deductible gift to support Mayan Families and the crucial work we do here in rural Guatemala. Your contribution will make have an immediate and lasting impact to positively affect the lives of Mayan children, women, families and the elderly.
Mayan Families this year won the award from Great Non Profits.org as one of a their Top Charities for 2012! With our high ratings for efficiency and effectiveness, you can feel confident that the special tax-deductible gift you make right now will go as far as possible to help improve the lives of the families we work with. With each year that passes, the challenges facing them grow in scale and complexity. Your support is essential to ensuring that Mayan Families can take the innovative steps necessary to expand the scope, scale and pace of our work.
This is an email received today from one of our supporters. "Greetings from Guatemala, Those who read the December Mayan Families Newsletter may recall that I have been here in Guatemala with my husband and four children (ages 8, 9, 12, 14) for the past two weeks... week 1 with Mayan Families in Panajachel, Guatemala and week 2 exploring Mayan culture in Antigua and Tikal. We fly home to Boston this afternoon, after the most glorious reunion with our son Will's Foster Family yesterday. Trip of a lifetime, for sure!!!! I just had to drop a quick note to this wonderful group and say, once again, that Mayan Families is simply awesome. Their commitment to provide comfort and care to those in need is inspiring. Although I could write about it and describe it in vivid detail, to personally witness it is a blessing beyond words. I was reminded when checking my email this morning that today is the last day of 2012 and, those who itemize their charitable contributions, may have incentive to make their sponsorship payment (or any other end-of-year gifts) before midnight tonight so that they can take the deduction for their 2012 tax payment. My inbox was full of messages this morning requesting last minute contributions from other organizations, so I thought I'd give a shout-out for my pals at Mayan Families. Wishing you all a Prospero AnoAņo Nuevo! Blessings from Guatemala City, Beth & Jay and Family"
With your help we can...
- welcome more children into our school sponsorship program
- continue to build or expand in areas with growing need
- ensure stability within our existing programs
- strengthen families in areas living beyond our current reach
As the clock winds down on 2012, you have just a few hours left to make your charitable donations (and thus qualify for a charitable tax deduction on your 2012 taxes).
