All the hard work, effort and many, many donations throughout the year were matched, doubling our money. LMC Solutions, a Colorado company, matched the approximately $15,000 we had raised during the year with their own $15,000 donation - WOW. An enormous thank you to Chris Klafehn, Executive Director of LMC Solutions Company, for selecting us as one of the projects the company wanted to fund in 2007. Chris' daughter, Laurel, who studied at PLQ and La Escuela de la Montaña, probably helped convince them that this was a worthy effort - great job Laurel. Chris also said that since LMC Solutions is a consulting company that works with school and public libraries, funding the scholarships was a perfect fit with their focus on literacy, books and education. All of us who have studied at La Escuela have seen the kids with their scholarships, taking school and their responsibilities seriously - the money will be well spent.
We had a fabulous year of fundraising, and the communities had an incredible year of projects and changes.
The original goal was to raise $8,000 to support the Water Project. Along the way, the potential for electricity popped up, and then some long-standing funders of the Scholarship Fund couldn't maintain their annual donations, and the goal grew. But we were up to the task, and together donated $30,000 - and blew not only ourselves away but the people at the escuela and in the communities! Mega thanks to everyone!
Here are the stats on the 3 projects we helped fund in 2007. The Water and Electricity projects were one-time projects, but the need for Scholarships continues every year. The priority for the becas has shifted, to trying to keep teens in school till they graduate. You can see by the numbers below that the becas fund directors chose to give more becas to older students who have stayed in school, and really encourage them to stay with it until the end.
Water Project
Expenditures
Construction, pipes, water storage tank
$8,870
Maintenance Fund (repairs, piping, emergencies)
$3,474
Total Project Cost
$12,344
Income
Families' Share
$3,350
Donations
$8,994
Total Income
$12,344
Electricity Project
Expenditures
Installation of power lines
$8,459
Maintenance Fund (repairs, emergencies)
$1,749
Total Project Cost
$10,208
Income
Families' Share
$1,160
Donations
$5,049
Municipality's matching grant
$3,999
Total Income
$10,208
Scholarship Fund (becas)
Basico 20 @ $85 (Boys - 11; Girls - 9)
$1,693
Diversificado 30 @ $318 (Boys - 17; Girls - 13)
$9,520
Leadership Group 5 @ $200 (Boys - 4; Girls - 1)
$1,000
Transportation
$500
Total Cost
$12,714
Income
Donations
$16,234
We did okay! Everyone pitched in, however best they could, and together we pulled it off.
Friends of the Community La Escuela de la Montaña Guatemala Copyright 2009
