Day 54: New fundraising event: Bowling on May 4!!

Thanks to the awesome work of one of my friends (who is a graduate student out at Berkeley), we have another fundraising event coming up in May.

Check it out:


Bay Area Bowling Night!
Friday, May 4, 2012,  8 - 10 pm
AMF Southshore Lanes
300 Park St., Alameda, CA 94502

Suggested donation: $20/students $25/non-students
Includes 2 hours of bowling, shoe rental, and popcorn!

Check out the Razoo fundraising page she put together for more information!

This looks to be a really fun event!!

Thanks for all of the continued enthusiasm, interest, and ideas!  If you are interested in helping set up a fundraising event, or even just your own fundraising page to help in these efforts, check out the Camarones page on Razoo.com or go here to see how to start your own fundraiser for CCC and see how simple it is to put together your own page.  Or, please feel free to leave a post below, or email me, thanks!!

End of Day 26: $3336.00

Same as yesterday, no official dollar change today, so now is really the time to find out how you can help! I hope to know how much was raised from the Pizza Pie Café fundraiser out in UT tomorrow.

AND, I hope you are getting excited for the Zumbathon this Saturday, March 17th, as it is going to be an amazing dance party!!  We have 7 Zumba instructors volunteering to bring you 2 hours of fun time (and we have a stage so you will be able to see them- cool!!).  We also have some amazing raffle prizes (two more businesses donated today!); cool Camarones Community Coalition t-shirts for sale that were donated (my parents rock!!), so 100% of the money for the sale of the shirts goes directly to the fundraiser!!; and yummy bagels, water, and other snacks donated!!  This is surely going to be a fun, fun time!!  You won't want to miss it!  Come early to register, or save time by printing the form and bringing it with you!  And don't forget to check out the Facebook Event page!

ALSO, stay tuned for a couple more fundraising events I am working on organizing with friends out on the west and east coasts of the US.

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!!

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 17: $2585.00

Thanks to a very generous donation, the total is now $100.00 higher, and over $2500.00.  Awesome!  Thanks for the continued support!


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 there are discussions going on about neighborhood centers.  The city is doing a study on the role of neighborhood centers and community needs and is hosting five meetings in March to receive public input.  The Meadowood Neighborhood Association will be discussing Madison's Community Development Division's study on neighborhood centers tomorrow, Wednesday, March 7, 2012 at 7 p.m. as a part of their normal monthly board meeting.  Meadowood neighbors are encouraged to attend.  Input for residents living on the West side of Madison can be made at one of the five "Community Conversations" the city is holding.  Thursday, March 22, 2012 from 6 to 7:00 p.m. at the Alicia Ashman Library.  


So, what are the benefits of neighborhood centers?  Depending on what types of "benefits" a person is interested in examining, it may be difficult to quantify.  Granting agencies and donors usually want to see things like attendance numbers, or crime reduction, or some other quantifiable indicator of benefit.  However, many larger benefits of neighborhood centers or community meeting spaces, may include things like strengthening social capital, which has been linked to overall health benefits and crime reduction (Alaimo et al. 2010), but "social capital" may be more difficult to quantify, than, say, number of people using a neighborhood center or exactly how much crime has been reduced as a result of the center being in an area.  


Social cohesion that may result from having a neighborhood center or similar facility, has been shown in larger cities to be linked to overall quality of life (Friedman et al 2012).  Further, the more a community's residents feel some sense of solidarity, the more a community is able to take on challenges (such as violence, and crime), and neighborhood centers can provide programming and space for residents to re-form these connections (Yan & Sin 2011).


Additionally, benefits may be more intrinsic, and include things like an increased self-esteem or self-worth.  Or, benefits of neighborhood centers may have a number of indirect effects based on the types of services being offered.  These indirect benefits may include increasing economic stability, or enhancing neighborhood quality (by reduction of crime rates), which can even provide benefit to non-participants of the center or of the specific programming being offered (Eamon et al. 2012).


Those are just a few, very general, potential benefits of neighborhood centers.  There is a lot of literature out there on all of the direct, indirect, intrinsic, and extrinsic benefits.  But, really, many of the benefits come out only from listening to the stories that participants or employees share about experiences.  I will be curious to learn a little more about these neighborhood center "community conversation" meetings, and I hope to attend the meeting tomorrow.

End of Day 13: $2190.00

Thanks to a couple of generous donors, the total is now up another $175.00- thanks!!  There will also be a modest amount added from the bowling night soon (they have to add up food and beverages too), so stay tuned.  The group was a little smaller than my friend was hoping, but she had been quite ill and I am really happy people went and had a good time!!

I am hoping someone will be able to help bump the total to over $2200 tomorrow- now is the time to donate if you haven't already!  Thanks for the continued support.  Please continue to help however you can!  Think $5 is too little?  Think again!  Every little bit helps get closer to the goal!  Check out how you can donate too!  Or, check out these upcoming fundraising events if you would like to help out by going to one (or more) of them.  As always, please feel free to email me if you would like to help organize a fundraising event, have an idea, or just a question for me.


Thanks again for your support!  Look for some more interesting posts over the weekend.

End of Day 12: $2015.00 + ?

Why the question mark?  Well, as I type this there is a bowling fundraiser going on out in Hillsboro, Oregon and I am not sure how many people actually made it there.  My friend who was helping to coordinate the event has been fairly sick this week, but she's a trooper and is still going to support the fundraising drive.  Thanks to her for helping to organize, and thanks to those of you that took the time to go bowl for charity!!

I have posted the Zumbathon registration form online.  Go here for a poster about the event and a link to the registration form, or go here to get the form directly.  Also, be sure to check out the Facebook Event Page.  I have been working on getting fun raffle prizes for the Zumbathon, in addition to the Zumba gear some of the instructors are donating, and think it is shaping up to be an exciting party!

So, who are some of the people that have been helping out with this fundraising drive?  It is really hard to categorize as it is such a wonderfully diverse group of individuals from all over and from all walks of life. Of course, my close friends and family make up a large portion of the support thus far, but many individuals that have helped are strangers, who believe in, and support, the ideas of community-driven sustainable development .  Thank you for your support, and your enthusiasm, and your positive thoughts!

I am still curious.  What topics do you want to hear more about?  For any of you that have not yet donated, is there something you want to learn more about (before you choose to donate or attend a fundraising event?).   For those of you that have donated, what would you like to know?  Feel free to comment on here, or send me an email.

Here is a list of a few topics I'm thinking of writing about over the next 18 days:  sister neighborhood center connection, recipe sharing, river clean-up, oven construction, women's activities, teaching escapades, coffee processing, message from the President (I'm hoping the President will be able to write something that I can post and then translate soon), making chocolate, more on sustainable development, plants/animals in the area, more about Meadowood Neighorhood Center in Madison, more about living in Camarones.  Others??

End of Day 11: $2015.00

Thanks for another $10 donated today!  Thanks for the continued support.  Please continue to help however you can!  Think $5 is too little?  Think again!  Every little bit helps get closer to the goal!  Check out how you can donate too!  Or, check out these upcoming fundraising events if you would like to help out by going to one (or more) of them.  As always, please feel free to email me if you would like to help organize a fundraising event, have an idea, or just a question for me.

Reminder that tomorrow, March 1st, is a Bowling fundraiser!  If you live in Oregon, check this out:  50/50 Bowling night:  Thursday, March 1st.  6:30 to 8:30 p.m.  Four Seasons Bowling Alley, 322 SE Washington St, 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!

I was asked by a friend about the kinds of programming and activities the community would like to see in the community center.  Briefly, the center will be used to hold monthly town meetings as well as any additional town meetings or special events.  There is also a strong desire by community members to have English language instruction for adults and children in the community.  One reason for this is to prepare local community members to be able to act as guides and hosts for potential income-generating ecotourism in the area.  There is also a desire to have programs for women in the community- from workshops to early childhood programming and exercise classes.  A shared community kitchen and playground for children.  Because medical services are an hour away, providing simple health services is also important.  A library and reading area.  An office area for anyone in the community needing a meeting space, to use.  A guest room/house to be used for visitors.  Educational programming for youth and adults, including environmental topics relevant to river health and quality and other environmental concerns highly relevant to daily living.  A computer work area with classes on how to use the machines.  Opportunities for cultural exchanges with youth living in the US.

So there is a brief overview of some of the classes/services the community is hoping to have in the community center.  Of course, the list is not exhaustive, and some opportunities may develop in the future that will be in line with desires of the community, but haven't yet been discussed.

What other things are you curious about?  Let me know!

End of Day 8: $1865.00

No new donations today, but, seeing as there is no mail on Sunday, and if you were in and around the Madison, WI area, you should have been outside today, and not on the computer, it is understandable.  However, with the workweek starting again, now is the time to donate if you haven't!  Even if you only have $5 to give, don't be shy, please consider donating!  Or, if you are more interested in eating out, dancing, or bowling to help out, then check out these events!  Or, want to help plan a fundraising event or presentation in your area?  I will gladly help- just email me!  Thanks!!

(Repeat from yesterday, but worth stating again) Remember, 100% of the money being donated is going toward sustainable development in rural Ecuador, with the primary focus being construction of a community center that will also act as a sister neighborhood center to Madison, Wisconsin's Meadowood Neighborhood Center.  The center is being designed by the local community, on land that was already donated by one of the families living there, and will be both a meeting place, location for educational and health services, and a facility to assist in income generation, and cultural exchanges for local community members.  Any additional funds raised will be used to help complete a potable water project left incomplete since 2009 when the local government failed to provide the matching funds to the Rotary International project.

I have been asked a number of times about the currency in Ecuador.  As of March 13, 2000, the official currency of Ecuador became the U.S. dollar.  Prior to that, the national currency was the Sucre.  The Sucre was named after Antonio José de Sucre, who was apparently a good friend of Simón Bolívar's (extremely important figure in Latin American history of independence), and, like Simón, a Venezuelan independence leader.  Apparently Antonio José de Sucre participated in the battles for South American independence from Spain, and is buried in Quito, Ecuador.  The U.S. dollar was adopted as the official currency after the exchange value of the sucre drastically decreased during 1999.  Sucre notes were exchangeable for U.S. dollars at the rate of 25,000 sucre to 1 U.S. dollar.  Before the sucre (used from 1884 to 2000), the currency of Ecuador was the Ecuadorian peso.

End of Day 7: $1865.00

Awesome work for the first week!  However, now is the time to donate if you haven't!  Even if you only have $5 to give, don't be shy, please consider donating!  Or, if you are more interested in eating out, dancing, or bowling to help out, then check out these events!  Or, want to help plan a fundraising event or presentation in your area?  I will gladly help- just email me!

Remember, 100% of the money being donated is going toward sustainable development in rural Ecuador, with the primary focus being construction of a community center that will also act as a sister neighborhood center to Madison, Wisconsin's Meadowood Neighborhood Center.  The center is being designed by the local community, on land that was already donated by one of the families living there, and will be both a meeting place, location for educational and health services, and a facility to assist in income generation, and cultural exchanges for local community members.  Any additional funds raised will be used to help complete a potable water project left incomplete since 2009 when the local government failed to provide the matching funds to the Rotary International project.

View  of the primary school from the hill next to the donated land for the community center

 Community members participating in a river clean-up

 A lot of garbage was collected in the same river that is used for drinking

 The kids in the community participating in a community clean-up

 Clinton showing off a bunch of garbage he found

 Some of the kids participating in the community clean-up, posing with me

End of Day 6: $1865.00

Thanks again for another generous $30 in donations today!  Are you interested in donating too?  Check out how!  Also, check out information on upcoming fundraising events to see other ways you can help.

There is a lot of bamboo, or caña growing in and around Camarones.  One of my friends there makes beautiful lamps, hammocks, beds, and other crafts out of the bamboo.  He has even made one lamp that stood 8 feet tall and was one of four he was asked to build that size.  He is very talented and extremely detail-oriented- see for yourself!

Bamboo

 He makes several different sizes of lamps, and also different fabrics for the lampshades

 Bed frame made out of bamboo

 Workshop and giant lamp

Bamboo hammock

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 3: $1635.00

Thanks again to the generous donors helping raise another $200.00 today!  Thanks also for continuing to get the word out and pass this along to anyone and everyone you think could be interested.  Please check out how you can help.

Some more exciting news today!  I am currently working on organizing a Zumbathon here in Madison!  Stay tuned for details, but it's looking like it will be Saturday, March 17th.  So, dust off those hips and get ready to move for charity!

Ah, dancing.  The bailes (dances) that start around 9 or 10 p.m. and last until 7 in the morning are not unique to Ecuador, but I experienced a number during my stay.  This was how I earned my reputation, but not what you might think.  My reputation came from my sweating, not my dancing.  I sweat (or is it "perspire"?) a fair amount.  Even though I lived and worked in Hawaii for almost a year doing fieldwork for my PhD, and I was born and raised in the humid and muggy midwestern summers, I do not acclimate.  Oh, I tried to fight it, or disguise it, but it was fruitless.  In the end, I realized that eventually people would stop saying to me in Spanish "oh, you sweat a lot", because they already knew.  And, when I thought that the sweating could be used to take a break from dancing for a bit, the gentlemen caught on and told me that it didn't matter, "let's dance!"  When's the last time you've danced till dawn and wanted to do it again the next day?

Dancing with Don Ernesto with my chicken arms in the purple shirt, but loving every minute of it

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.

End of day total for day 0.75

Thanks to a generous donation today, the total for day 0.75 is $1110.00.  This is a great way to actually kick-off the fundraising tomorrow, as official day 1!  Another $10 is awesome!  Donations of any amount are welcome.  Put another way, if 2,889 individuals are able to contribute just $10, the goal will be met (can you tell I like numbers and was on math team when I was younger?).

If you aren't able to financially contribute, think about passing on the blog to those who might be able to.

Thank you again for all of your contributions and messages!  Thanks also for passing along the link to people you think may be interested.

With tomorrow being the official kick-off to the 30 days, look for more pictures of the community, and other information about living in Ecuador.  Please also feel free to ask questions about Camarones, nearby communities, or other things of interest.  Or, if you've traveled to Ecuador and want to share your story, please do.  Have a great recipe from those travels?  Even better.  I love cooking!