End of Day 30: $4,650 (not including Applebee's amount or a few other things I know are coming)

This last month has truly flown by!  I feel so honored and extremely grateful to know so many caring and wonderful individuals!  With all of your help, in 30 days, we were able to raise a respectable sum of money, but so much more than that has happened in the last month.  I cannot adequately put to words the feelings of sincere gratitude I have for people to be so giving and generous of their time, their energies, and their ideas (as well as money).  I have learned a lot about fundraising and networking and other important skills that I am hopeful I'll be able to continue to put these tips to good use in the years that come for assisting in sustainable development projects in Camarones and elsewhere, as this truly is a lifetime commitment on my part.

While the dollar amount doesn't match the original $30,000 that I stated I had set out to raise, I am extremely happy!!  I plan to continue fundraising and seeking donors before heading down to Ecuador to help with on-the-ground strategic planning and budgeting for where we are at.  I also plan to organize a baile and maybe a small raffle when I am back in Ecuador to raise a small amount more, but also continue to foster ownership and enthusiasm.  With some creativity, and careful planning, we can start with the money already raised and build a center that has the possibility to be expanded as more money is raised in the future.  And, hopefully we will be able to use strategies and ideas from these last 30 days to help with other projects, including completion of the potable drinking water system in this community.  Time, energy, and ideas abound for future projects.

So, what is next?  I will continue to post on here as I have updates to the dollar amount raised, or to announce upcoming fundraising events (look for a couple more on the east and west coasts, thanks to friends that are helping me coordinate!!), or updates on other ways you can help.  I will also continue to post information on the importance of neighborhood centers, or the sister neighborhood center connections, or fun projects down in Ecuador, or random photos as the mood strikes (or someone requests/suggest).  And, as it gets closer to me heading back to Ecuador, I will post updates, and will then try to continue posting after I am back in Ecuador and working on the next phases of the community center construction.

As always, feel free to email me or post below for questions, comments, or to help host a future fundraising event.  And, please consider making a donation online or seeing how else you can help.  Or, if you have already donated, consider passing on the word to those you think may share an interest.

Thanks again for making the month leading to my 30th birthday something truly beautiful and wonderful!  This fundraising drive started as a crazy idea that popped into my head just 34 days ago and I had no idea where it would go.  I honestly would not have been able to predict all of the wonderful things that have transpired in the past month, but I am so thankful to have experienced them all.

End of Day 14: $2225.00

In the mail today came another $35.00 in donations from a couple of generous donors- thanks!!  I also appreciate receiving the notes that often come with the donations!  I'm still waiting to hear the total from the bowling event, but my friend did mention to me that apparently there was some friendly betting going on that resulted in one individual agreeing to matching the amount raised that night- awesome!  Which, brings up the subject of matching.  For those of you that have already donated, you may want to check with your employers to see if they do any kind of matching for donations to charity.  Or for those of you that are still planning to donate or are planning to attend fundraising event you may want to consider looking into employee matching to make your donation go even further!


Several of my friends and family members have heard me talk at length about why community driven development projects are so important (and I also wrote a little bit about it in an earlier post).  Unfortunately, there are a lot of development projects that do not have the support or backing of a community both here in the US and across the globe.  Take, for example, disagreements over proposed development in Madison, Wisconsin's downtown State Street area.  A proposal to tear down several buildings along the 100 block of State Street was met with opposition voiced by local individuals and business owners over preservation of historic buildings on this block, and then led to some compromises being sought for preserving these landmarks (2-1-12 Channel 3000, Moisman, 10-2-2011).  Or, check out one of the top stories from the local paper in Madison today, which talks about plans for redeveloping apartments near campus, and three different interest groups have plans that do not align.  In communities the size of Madison (according to 2010 U.S. census data, Madison's population was 233,209), any development project will meet some opposition (though even small communities are not immune to these kinds of disputes, of course).  But, it's the resulting discussions, and compromises, and communication between the "two sides" that can determine the "success" of the development.  Pick any city or community and you'll find many similar examples.


The more disparate the perspectives of the groups involved in the development discussions, the more difficult it may be to reach a consensus. Or, if one group is largely at a political or economic advantage over the other group, this may result in a lack of participation in discussions, and these groups choosing, instead, to use political or economic will to determine what "should" happen.  In these instances, resentment, or worse, "bad development" could result.  So, how does "good development" occur?  Or what constitutes "good development"?  Very generally, "good development" results when interested parties work together and when communication and understanding are paramount.  The outcome may include increased resilience and a resulting reduction in vulnerability and increased amount of security and adaptability.  A synergy can result where there is the potential for individuals involved to see things from a different perspective.  Information sharing and joint decision-making may also be key (DePaoli 2011).  


As I've mentioned before, bottom-up development movements (i.e. community driven and directed), are likely to be much more successful than those being imposed by individuals with little direct experience in the community (Altieri & Masera, 1993).  These types of bottom-up, or participatory development approaches, can include communities and/or individuals joining up with individuals that may be considered "outside" of the community and still be successful.  The difference is, however, that these "outsiders" aren't really true "outsiders", as they act as facilitators of the process and active participants in a cooperative process of development.  Examples of less successful top-down approaches to development projects are easier to find when individuals outside of the community are directing and implementing the project without consideration for, or with, the local community.

I feel very strongly that these types of bottom-up, participatory development models can be applied to an endless number of communities, though the recipe for success will vary.  Of course, each community will have its own unique needs, interests, opinions, and expertise to go on, which needs to be incorporated.


Please feel free to post a comment or email me thoughts on this or any other topic you would like discussed or have questions about.

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 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 10: $2005.00

Yay!  Thanks to a generous $20 donation, the total amount donated is now over $2000.00.  That is awesome!  Thanks for your 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.

The Applebee's Dining to Donate flyer is now available online please remember to bring a copy of it when you come out to eat on 3/19!

The Zumbathon flyer is also available online and there is now a Facebook Event page so send it to anyone that might be interested!

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.  I imagine that some of you that are stumbling upon this blog and fundraising initiative for the first time are still wondering why you should care, or why it is important to help.  So, over the next few days I plan to provide more details on goals for the community center and beyond (including more details about why the connection to the Meadowood Neighborhood Center is important), and hope you will share in my enthusiasm and consider donating.  I am also hoping you will feel compelled to ask questions for anything you might want to hear more about.  Don't be shy!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have been volunteering my time and money to help get this initiative going, as it has been something this community has been trying to do for a long time, but as with many worthwhile projects, financial resources were not readily available.  I became intrigued by the enthusiasm the community first shared at a town meeting, but was cautioned by some that the request for assistance not simply be a hand me out, and also to be sure that this really was something community-led.  So, I talked with the president and others in the community about how we could help out.  I even met with the mayor and he seemed excited about this initiative.

But, the true test came with what happened after I returned to the US.  Communication between the US (or the rest of the world) and this community is not easy.  It is 45 minutes by truck (of which there are two truck owners in town who charge 50 cents one way to the nearest town) or 35 min walking to the road plus additional 30 minutes to the closest town where you can then pay a dollar an hour for internet (if it's working that day, and it is often spotty).  In a region where people are fortunate if they have work, and, if they do, are likely earning about $8 a day for 10+ hours of work, the bus fare plus internet fees are nothing to ignore.  So, when the president continued to make efforts to get to the internet to discuss ideas and plans over gmail text chat, or borrow a cell phone from someone, or use a cabina or pay phone to call me so I could call back, I knew that there was something unique here.

It became clear to me through these continued discussions that the community wanted this center not only for basic human services, but also as a way to continue with the community's ideas and momentum in order to provide for sustainable development in a grass-roots, community-driven way.  Not as something another group or outside agency was telling them was how it should be.  And, based on my varied educational background and connections to different individuals and resources, I have been volunteering my time and money to help get this initiative going.  This will definitely be a lifetime commitment on my part, but I view myself as largely working in the shadows, gently nudging an already burgeoning community-led initiative for sustainable development.

This initiative can be viewed in part as an asset-based community development.  This strategy for community-driven development has been used in both urban and rural communities in North America as a method counter to the typical "needs-based" approaches used by governmental and non-governmental agencies.  This approach works by enabling or empowering already existing assets within the community in order to assist communities in driving the sustainable development process themselves.  The theory is based on the idea that social assets and social capital can be extremely powerful in enabling community development where financial capital may be limited (for more information, check out Mathie & Cunningham, 2003).

While the community does not have money to put into this initiative, they do have several assets, including donated land.  The center will be built on land that a family in the community donated for that purpose.  The location of the land is ideal, as it is in the center of the community and not far from the primary school.

View from slightly above the donated land, looking down toward the primary school

Another asset the community has is talented builders who will be able to help with all parts of the construction of the center.  Additionally, the president of the community is friends with an architect, so he is assisting with design plans for free.  And the list of non-financial assets goes on.

Using a "bottom-up" approach to development is likely to be much more sustainable than alternate approaches of many NGOs (Altieri & Masera, 1993).  And, these community-based initiatives can lead to income generation for the community, that is done in a way that is sensitive to the culture and the environment of the area (see Ruiz-Ballesteros, 2011 for example).

More on this in later posts.....  Please feel free to ask questions!  And, thanks again for your support!!

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 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!