End of Day 29: $4381.00

Help make Day 30 a great day!  Tomorrow (Monday) is the Dining to Donate Fundraiser, and Day #30 for this fundraising effort.  Come on out tomorrow, Monday, March 19th anytime between 11 a.m. to midnight to the Applebee's on 660 S. Whitney Way, Madison, WI.  15% of all food sales will go to the fundraiser (you can even order carryout to go)!  Applebee's put together the flyers, which can be printed from here and need to be brought with you when you go to eat out.

Or, consider making a donation online or seeing how else you can help.  Or, if you have already donated, consider doubling your donation today!

Thanks again for helping with this fundraising effort.  As usual, feel free to email me or post below for questions, comments, or to help host a future fundraising event.

End of Day 28: $4381.00

WOW!  Thanks to all of the amazing people that came out today to Zumba for charity, and to the amazing instructors for their energy, all the businesses and individuals that donated to the raffle, and volunteers that helped with the setup and take down of the event, we raised $1015.00!  AWESOME!!  An additional $30 donation bumped us up $1045.00 today!  Thank you to everyone who helped make this Zumbathon a success!!

Here are just a few fun pictures, and a video, from the event!

Now that you sweated for 2 hours of some amazing Zumba, come on out to eat on Monday, March 19th, to help continue fundraising efforts with the Dine to Donate Fundraiser:  Monday, March 19th. 11 a.m. to midnight.  Applebee's, 660 S. Whitney Way, Madison, WI.  15% of all food sales will go to the fundraiser (you can even order carryout to go)!  Applebee's put together the flyers, which can be printed from here and need to be brought with you when you go to eat out. 

Thanks again for continued support.  As usual, feel free to email me or post below for questions, comments, or to help host a fundraising event (stay tuned for another event coming to Davis, California)!!

End of Day 23: $3336.00

Thanks for another wonderful and generous donation today!  I really appreciate the continued support and enthusiasm!!  Wanting to find out how you can help?  Remember there are also a couple more fundraising events if you want to Zumba or eat out to help with fundraising- check it out!

Have a question or comment?  Please feel free to post below, or send me an email!

End of Day 21: $3236.00

Thanks for another wonderful and generous donation today!  I really appreciate the continued support and enthusiasm!!  Wanting to find out how you can help?  Remember there are also a couple more fundraising events if you want to Zumba or eat out to help with fundraising- check it out!  Today, I also picked up a couple more wonderful raffle prizes for the Zumbathon. 

Have a question or comment?  Please feel free to post below, or send me an email!

End of Day 16: $2485.00

Thanks to three wonderful donors, the total is another $160.00 higher today- you guys are amazing!  Thank you for your continued support and wonderful notes!


Thanks also to those of you out in Logan, UT who are helping to get the word out about the fundraiser (and are participating too!) that is going on Monday through Thursday this week (March 5 through 8th).  Pizza Pie Café (25 E 1400 N Logan, UT) will donate 25% of all food sales to this fundraiser!  All you have to do is bring this flyer with you when you eat there (flyers are also available in the ENVS departmental office at Utah State).  They even have gluten free!  So, go enjoy some pizza one, or several nights/days that week!  Check out the Facebook Event Page!


Here in Madison and want to eat out to help this fundraiser?  Check out the new Facebook Event page for the Applebee's Dining to Donate event on March 19.  And, please pass it on!  

End of Day 5: $1835.00

Hey everyone!  You may have noticed that the total is the same as yesterday.  Yes, that's right.  No monetary donations came in today, but, a lot of great things still occurred.  With the help of friends, I have finalized plans on two additional fundraisers, happening in two different states.  Also with the help of friends, people are spreading the word and offering their support and enthusiasm.  For that, I am very thankful!


However, to help toward the fundraising goal, please consider donating or passing the information along to others you think may be interested.  Thanks so much!


Tomorrow or over the weekend I will make a separate page for the fundraising events that are confirmed, but for now, I'm just going to list them here so you can see other ways to get involved/help out:


1.  Bowling Fundraiser:  Thursday, March 1st.  6:30 to 8:30 p.m.  4 Seasons Bowling, at 322 SE Washington Street, Hillsboro, Oregon.  $16 includes 2 hours of bowling and shoe rental and $8 of that goes to this fundraiser!  Also, 15% of any food/beverage sales goes to the fundraiser.  So, if you happen to be in the area, go get some strikes for charity!


2.  Pizza Fundraiser:  Monday, March 5th through Thursday, March 8th.  All day.  Pizza Pie Café, 25 E 1400 N Logan, UT.  25% of all food sales will go to the fundraiser!  Fliers will be available in the ENVS office, and on this blog for printing as that's how the restaurant knows which purchases go toward the fundraiser.  They even have gluten free!  So, go enjoy some pizza one, or several nights that week!


3.  Dine to Donate Fundraiser:  Monday, March 19th.  11 a.m. to midnight.  Applebee's, 660 S. Whitney Way, Madison, WI.  15% of all food and beverage sales will go to the fundraiser!  Applebee's is putting together fliers, and they will be available on here, as well as various locations in Madison for bringing with you when you go to eat out.  This is the last day of the fundraising drive, and what a delectable way for it to close!


I am also still working on details for a Zumbathon here in Madison.  Stay tuned for details!


Thanks again for all of your interest and enthusiasm!  All of this talk of food fundraisers makes me hungry....  look for some recipes and stories about making a few Ecuadorian foods in future posts.  For now, enjoy a few pictures of yummy goodness.

 Dulce de papaya

 Shrimp ceviche

Tortilla de maiz

End of Day 4: $1835.00

Thanks again for another $200.00 in generous donations!  And thanks for continuing to help get the word out!  Look for additional pages to be added soon with details for specific fundraising events, and, as always, check out how you can help.

For anyone out in the Hillsboro, Oregon area, stay tuned for information on a bowling fundraiser happening soon (thanks to a friend living in the area- yay!).  Watch for specifics on all of the upcoming fundraisers to appear here over the next couple of days, after details are finalized, but do remember to mark your calendar for the Dining to Donate culmination event on March 19th at the Applebee's at 660 S. Whitney Way in Madison, WI.  Interested in helping to coordinate a fundraiser in your area? Email me so we can try and work out the details!

Some of you may have noticed a little blurb in the Wisconsin State Journal the other day about a bus that ran off a cliff in Ecuador, killing 29 people.  Unfortunately, traffic accidents (especially involving the buses) are fairly common there.  Some of this has to do with road conditions, but I have heard that a large part also has to do with the different bus companies, with some being more lenient than others.

I enjoyed the times that I rode the bus in Ecuador, but mostly because of the music, bright seat patterns, and sometimes the appearance of guest, non-human, animal passengers.  The open-air buses were my favorite, with such an open view of the countryside.  For the most part, my bus adventures went off without a hitch, except for one afternoon when a tire blew out, or something happened, which caused us to pull off the road and be stuck for a while.  There was great commotion to see what was happening, but no announcements made, nor ideas about what was wrong.  We watched for a while as the drama unfolded.

A giant board was used at one point to try and give some leverage.

And then there seemed to be a bit of confusion as to what to do.

And then one brave soul was under the bus working for quite some time.

At one point, not too long after we pulled off the road, another bus went by and a bunch of the passengers (smartly) ran off and switched buses.  Not being in any real hurry at this point, we decided to wait it out.  However, after waiting for quite some time, with no responses as to how much longer it might be, we ventured with another couple of groups and caught a ride on a flete driver's trunk and headed off, leaving the broken down bus behind.  I am not sure what was wrong, or how long it took to fix it, but it wasn't there a week or so later when we went by the same area.  So, if you are traveling in Ecuador by bus and it breaks down, it's probably a good idea to follow the majority of the passengers if they run to another bus, unless you really have nowhere to be anytime soon.

End of Day 2: $1,435.00

Thanks for another $275 in generous donations today!  You guys rock!  Thanks also to everyone for spreading the word and helping to get the message out to anyone that might be interested/able to help.  Seriously, every little bit helps!  Again, if you're interested in helping check this out.

Some exciting news today!  On the last day of the challenge (i.e. March 19, 2012), Applebee's in Madison, WI (660 S. Whitney Way) will be hosting a dine to donate event where you bring in a flyer (that I will post online), and then 15% of food and drink purchases go toward this fundraiser.  What an awesome way to end the fundraiser!  Look for more details on here soon!

Also, the Pizza Pie Cafe in Logan, UT will be hosting a fundraiser for a week in March where 25% of food and drink purchased during that week will go toward this fundraiser for anyone bringing in a special business card (that a friend is picking up for me and we're figuring out where/how to distribute).  How exciting is that?  Look for more details on here soon.

If you have any other ideas for fundraisers and want to help, feel free to email me.  I'm working on a bowling fundraiser out in Oregon, and a few other ideas as well.  Stay tuned!

Recently, a conversation with a friend made me think about two individuals in Ecuador who I affectionately refer to as my "abuelitos Ecuatorianos", or my Ecuadorian grandparents.  All of my grandparents are no longer alive, and I often miss the wisdom and humility that comes with having lived a certain length of time on earth and experienced a variety of things.  All of my grandparents were tremendous advocates of education, and I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to have pursued an advanced degree.  I also feel fortunate to have known, and learned from, my grandparents for a large part of my life.

While I was in Ecuador, I adopted some grandparents, or, rather, I think they adopted me.  Don Ernesto and Doña Carmen taught me more in the moments we shared than any textbook could have.  This is what I miss most about my grandparents, and this is what I loved about them.

Don Ernesto, Doña Carmen, and Me (I'm 5'2", but I tower here)

Doña Carmen taught me the true meaning of being a "diabla".  Literally, "devil", but in this case, a very sarcastic, quick witted, wise woman.  You might imagine the kinds of jokes she was spouting as I was helping to make blood sausages for the first time (which, at one part includes blowing on the very well cleaned intestines to check for leaks...).  It was over pig's blood and intestines that we first bonded...

Video recording of me checking for leaks in the cleaned intestines before stuffing them to make sausages.  Video taken and commentary by Kelly (another volunteer)

Don Ernesto is an amazing farmer.  He has a very nicely maintained farm and is very generous with his produce- from bananas to papaya, lemons, limes, oranges... you name it, he probably has it.  Additionally, I think he was my favorite dance partner of all.  I really felt like I looked ridiculous (and probably did most of the time), but I couldn't help smiling, laughing, sweating, and generally enjoying life while dancing with him.

Me dancing with Don Ernesto

I am thankful to have met such interesting and wonderful people and look forward to the chance to learn more from my adopted abuelitos when I return to Ecuador.