storybook that the 3rd grade class at Saber y Gracia wrote

Cooperative for Education recently received photos of a storybook that the 3^rd grade class at Saber y Gracia wrote about our visit to their school on the Snapshot Tour. This is the school where we got to see the CORP program in action through a demonstration of the teaching techniques and a student play!

The students were very happy we came to visit them. This book is part of their education in the Culture of Reading Program (CORP), since they learn to write their own, original stories. I hope you enjoy it!

Hope to see everyone in the Cincinnati area at Fall Fiesta on October 23!! Click here for details!

Chapina/o Love

Jeremy will be returning to Guatemala to capture some additional video for Co-Ed at the end of the month. His ambitious goals: to improve his Espanol and capture any video collateral the organization might need for the next 5 years. Good luck!
We have asked him to pass on some love from our Xavier family to the Guatemalan Co-Ed office and give shout-outs to our party people at the Casba.

SAVE THE DATE - Fall Fiesta is October 23rd!

Cooperative for Education is holding their annual Fall Fiesta at the 20th Century Theatre in Oakley Square. The event will be held on Friday, October 23 from 7:30pm - 11:00pm with a Patron Hour from 6:00pm - 7:00pm. The cost is $100 patron level, $55 at the door, and $45 in advance and will include hors d'ouvres and an open bar. My four classmates and I will be holding our own patron hour that will be on the second floor of the 20th Century Theatre and will showcase a presentation and pictures of what we did on our trip to Guatemala and what we hope to accomplish in the coming months. Please write the event down on your calendar as it is sure to be a good time! (More information & pricing for our event to follow.)

an email from Mary at Co-Ed

Mary asked, "Now that you’ve had a few weeks to let your experience in Guate sink in and to tell family and friends about your trip, I was just wondering if you had any insight as to what the experience meant to you. Or, more simply put – what inspires you to keep trying to help these kids in Guatemala?"
Yesterday I was on the highway and saw a guy driving an SUV with license plates that read GUATE. I smiled at him and he smiled back. I know that sounds like some pretty simple inspiration, but when I think about what pride Guatemalans have in their beautiful country it inspires me to help the children there. My inspiration also comes from a former co-worker of mine who was a Guatemalan widowed mother of a special needs child. I think about if my co-worker had been born in any of the villages we visited what her prospects would have been like. (The average woman in rural Guatemala has less than two years of formal education.) But, by the grace of God, she was in the United States and was able to get the education she needed to first get her real estate license and then her business education to become a loan officer at the bank where we worked. Thanks to her great education and financial stability she was able to provide for her son as a single mother. She is now remarried and her blended family includes 4 children. She and her husband are able to support their extended families in Guatemala and Mexico. I have seen what a big difference education made in the life of my friend and her family and I know our partnership with Co-Ed through the CORP program will have just as big of an impact on the kids at Co-Ed schools!

"I hope you’ll be able to come to our Fall Fiesta on Oct. 23^rd – it’s a great tour reunion and a lot of fun too!"

We are planning on attending the Fiesta and will also invite friends, family and our Xavier community to learn more about our trip and the next steps we are planning to reach our sponsorship goal!

Take care!

Mary

Mary Graham, Senior Marketing Coordinator

Cooperative for Education

2730 Hyde Park Avenue

Cincinnati, OH 45209

Fall...and time to go back to school!

Hi everyone! I've gotten some emails regarding pictures, so to answer your questions yes, all of my photos are included in the slide show so if you click the link that photobucket embeds in the slideshow frames you won't be seeing anything new.
However, Cooperative for Education was kind enough to send links to their picasa web albums so you can get your daily fix of really cute Guatemalan kids: (Thanks Emily!!)
Album #1
Album #2

tip: To see Co-Ed's photos in a slideshow like the one on the blog, just click the "slideshow" icon in the top left corner once picasa loads!

Update from fellow "tourist" Melissa - now with photos!

I just thought I'd tell you that I donated 10 1/2 inches of hair to Locks of Love on Friday Aug 14. I don't have pictures yet of the change, but as soon as I get them from my one friend who went with me, I will definitely e-mail them to you. I donated about 2 years ago, but back then I donated 13 inches. I start school on August 26. I had a great summer, and THANKS again for being a very considerate group. You made the tour a lot of fun. HOPE YOU ENJOY THE LAST DAYS OF YOUR SUMMER!!

the party's over and we're back in class

Now that we're back and have had time to look at our pictures and digest the experience a little, our team is working on writing up some "trip reflections" to share. I know some of us got a little emotional about the trip and many of our friends, co-workers and fellow students want to know more about how we got to Guatemala and what we're up to next!