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 19: $2625.00

Thanks to a generous $40.00 donation received in the mail, the total is over $2600, not including the amounts raised from the Pizza Pie Café fundraiser or the bowling fundraiser- that is awesome!!  Thanks!  I also got a few more fun raffle prizes for the Zumbathon Event happening in Madison, WI on Saturday, March 17th and am working on t-shirts!!   I will post raffle prize donors on the list of donors/sponsors in the next couple of days.  Thanks to all the great companies and restaurants that have already donated!!

If you are in Logan, UT and still hungry for pizza, you have about 2 hours left of the Pizza Pie Café fundraiser.  As a final, last minute reminder, 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 on the last day of this fundraising event! 

Stay tuned for details on t-shirts!  As usual, feel free to post comments, or email me

Look for some longer/more interesting posts over the weekend.

End of Day 18: $2585.00

No donations came in today online or in the mail (see how to help), but I did get a few more fun raffle prizes for the Zumbathon Event happening in Madison, WI on Saturday, March 17th.  I will post raffle prize donors on the list of donors/sponsors in the next couple of days.  Thanks to all the great companies and restaurants that have already donated!!


Tomorrow (Thursday, March 8th) is the last day of the Pizza Pie Café fundraiser out in Logan Utah.  If you haven't already heard, 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 on the last day of this fundraising event!  Check out the Facebook Event Page!


Thanks for the continued support and enthusiasm for upcoming fundraising events and for this fundraising drive in general.  Feel free to post comments on here, or continue emailing me- I love hearing from you.

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 15: $2325.00

Thanks to a very generous $100.00 donation, the total is over $2300.00- yay!  I also received several nice messages, and there is a pizza fundraiser this week, so it should be an exciting week!


Are you hungry for some pizza this week?  If so, and if you are out in the Logan, UT area, check out the  PizzaPieCafé Fundraiser.  Monday, March 5th through Thursday, March 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!


Interested in hosting a fundraising event near you?  Email me and let me know your ideas and how I can help!


Thanks again for continuing to send wonderful messages and notes. Remember to look into employee matching to make your donation go even further, and pass along information on  how to donate or on fundraising events your friends or family- Thanks!!


As I have written a fair amount about Camarones, I figured it would be good to share some information about the Meadowood Neighborhood Center (MNC), and why that connection is important.  I grew up in the Madison area, just down the road from where the MNC is now located.  The MNC is a pilot neighborhood center that was opened 3 years ago as a collaboration with the City of Madison, and is managed by the Madison School and Community Recreation. The center itself is located on Madison's southwest side, right next to the Meadowridge Public Library.



View Larger Map

The goal of the MNC is to "is to provide a safe, supervised space for youth during the after school and evening hours.  It also serves as a place for neighbors to socialize and a place for adult programming.  The space is a focal point in the neighborhood to share resources for a better and stronger community." 


The MNC has a variety of different services and programs for adults and children in the community.  Most of the programs are free or very low-cost (and the programs that have a fee often have waivers or reductions to try and not exclude interested individuals).  One of the more popular programs is an employment connections group and it occurs every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.  This is a collaborative program between a variety of great services in Madison (including Joining Forces for Families, Urban League, Employment and Training, and the Meadowridge Library).  These agencies and various volunteers come and assist with job searches, resume writing, computer work, job leads, and other useful services to individuals trying to secure employment.


Another popular service at the MNC for adults is the open computer lab.  Every day adults can come in and use computers in the center for free.  Volunteers also offer different computer classes depending upon the day, as well as assistance in job searches and resume writing.


For youth, the MNC offers both middle and high-school drop-in after-school programming, and elementary school programming.  This fall, while finishing up my PhD, I was working part-time at the MNC.  I was hired as an after-school program leader, but was there all day on (mostly) Mondays and Wednesdays assisting with clerical work as well as adult programming during the day, and then helping to lead youth programming in the afternoons.  Most of the youth attending the MNC are Toki Middle School students (where I also attended middle school and is not far from the MNC).  MNC serves over 100 middle and high school youth on any given semester, with the bulk of these youth coming from under served or disadvantaged families. 

For the most part, news surrounding the Meadowood Neighborhood area has largely been due to negative activities.  Drugs, violence, and theft reports have been increasing in recent years.  The MNC has definitely been an important resource at allowing more positive activities (and news) to reach the area.  Additionally, the efforts from the Meadowood Neighborhood Association (which holds its meetings at the MNC), are definitely a strong component to improving neighborhood dynamics.

The goals of the MNC and the population it serves are both similar and different to the proposed center in Ecuador.  There are many parallels between the two communities (of Camarones and southwest Madison-Meadowood area), which make them perfect for a "sister" pairing (more on this in later posts).  Of course, any number of areas would probably work just as well, but these two areas are areas that I know well, have lived in, and have had the opportunity to work with on various projects.  Future goals for cross-cultural programming in these centers includes the ability to replicate the programing and activities in other interested after-school programs or neighborhood centers in other parts of Wisconsin and Ecuador, as well as other areas in the US or world.


Questions, thoughts, comments?  Please comment below or email me.

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 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.