Tela-Gram TWELVE

June 20, 2007

The H2H-Tela Committee is active every week planning for the January/February 2008 trip. Putting all of this together is much like a giant jigsaw puzzle!

Update on some recently held events:

Teddy Bear Fundraiser, May 9, 2007

• 23 volunteers did an amazing job of dressing teddy bears for Mother’s Day gifts. This 4 hour shift raised $1,035.00! Thank you to the teddy bear dressers extra-ordinaire! It was great fun.

May trip to Tela

• Sam and Al spent 11 days, and Nicole Gilbert PT and Kim Kelley PT spent six days in Tela. Sam, Nicole and Kim worked at the P.T. Center treating children, training the staff and performing administrative duties. Al visited the 2007 projects and obtained ‘wish lists’ from various organizations and schools. Also paid outstanding bills and obtained minutas on potential projects for 2008. Sam and Al also met with the Minister of Health in Tela, visited with the physical therapy unit in the hospital in San Pedro Sula; met with Mayor David Zaccaro and the Tela Rotary.

Reunion , June 3, 2007:

• Over 60 volunteers and family members attended the reunion event for a potluck dinner to review photographs of the trip, enjoy Mary’s wonderful slide presentation and reminisce amongst friends. Each volunteer received a certificate thanking them for their participation and dedication to the H2H-Tela program. (Certificates are ready for those who could not attend.) Basically, we all had just a fun evening of getting together – thank you all for coming and bringing super food!

Proposed Dates for 2008 trip:

• Saturday, January 26 - Saturday, February 2
• Saturday, February 2 – Saturday, February 9
• Great flight on Continental Airlines…requires you leave on a Saturday and return on a Saturday. Burlington to Newark , Newark direct to San Pedro Sula . Leave at 6:00am and arrive SPS 11:00am. Price is good – round trip- hovering between $425 to $500.

Held and upcoming P/R presentations:

If you know of a group/club that would be interested in learning about H2H-Tela, we will happily set up a presentation or help you present one.

• June 1, Renaissance School at Shelburne Farms (picture presentation)
• This school of 5 preschool/regular schools has adopted the H2H-Tela program for the upcoming year.
• June 13, Young at Heart, Shelburne Methodist Church
• July 7, Charlotte Town Party (table presentation)
• July 17, Charlotte Town Library (picture presentation)
• September (date tbd), Hinesburg Carpenter Library (picture presentation)
• October (date tbd), Evening at Village Wine and Coffee, Shelburne
• Rotary presentations are being scheduled

Fund-raising:

If you have ideas for fundraisers – please let us know. We’ll be happy to help get the idea moving.

• Mozart at Trapp Family (final concert) and a night at the Trout Club – Raffle
• John is working on this fundraising option with Eric Hanley
• Saturday, August 18, Shelburne Day
• This will be held on the town green, and we will have a booth to sell hot dogs, corn on the cob, root beer floats, lemonade, cookies/brownies. We can use some help with donations of baked goods to sell; and if you want to donate an hour or two to help at the booth, please let me know.
• We are planning to do a 50/50 raffle (of a VT Teddy Bear and other possibilities??)
• Summer concert, no date scheduled, just in the beginning stage, more info will follow as the idea comes to fruition
• September, Harvest Festival at Shelburne Farms
• Possibly – don’t know yet – if we can get a table to sell some type of food item(s) at this popular event.
• Early Fall
• Thank you evening for our 2007 donors and request for 2008 donation
• Late November/early December
• VT Teddy Bear Fundraiser

Donations of materials/goods and wish lists:

• Wish lists are attached. As soon as the wish lists are completed for the P.T. Center and for Sherwood’s nursing home, I will forward to you. If you have or collect any of the items, please let us know immediately (via email or phone) so we can mark it on the list.

Container update from Norm:

• Norm has been working diligently on getting help from his Chiquita friends to ensure a prompt delivery of our beloved container! Thank you Norm!
• We have a storage room that is filling up fast in Shelburne, graciously loaned to us by the Renaissance School . Last week we collected 50 pairs of crutches, 6 walkers, 4 canes. And the baby joggers are rolling in! It won’t be long before this room is filled and we will be hoping for a second storage room here.
• Jack Barnes and Ted Goulette are filling up their warehouse with items also.

P.T. News from Sam:

• I am taking this opportunity to extend our thanks and appreciation to our donors and volunteers. Your gifts and work effort have made the completion of the building possible in less than four months. Nicole Gilbert, Kim Kelley and I were at the Center again in May to initiate the use of the building for the children.
• Last October there were 16 children, and now we have over 70. I had some furniture and treatment equipment made in Tela for some of the rooms. The finished products were excellent.
• The Center is now on the Internet and we can communicate daily. We also have a medical record system for each admitted child.
• This week Tug and Beth Knorr and group are painting the outside of the new building to match the first building. In August and January we will complete the inside for which funds are being raised.
• Nicole, Kim and Lorrie have been collecting Baby Joggers and doing very well.
• Sports and Fitness Edge has contributed a 15 passenger school bus in good condition for use by the volunteers and the Center.
• The Center is well kept by parents. They volunteer to keep the building and the property in shape. One family donated an air conditioner for the first building, and we are sharing the cost of the same in the new building.
• There are many stories that we can tell about all the children. The best is the open appreciation shown by the parents and the staff for our collective effort.
• Without your generosity and effort we could not have gone forward. The children's smiles are a good indicator of the progress they are making in the therapeutic environment that now exists as an outcome your collective energy. We will be returning in October to continue work with the children.

Volunteers:

• So far, 35 have officially signed up for the 2008 program with many other potentials.
• Over the next few weeks, we will be setting informational meeting dates for volunteers along with dates for fundraising/letter writing parties.

Potential Projects

These are potential projects – not set in stone – and will be approved upon confirmation of the dollars we raise with our fundraising efforts. Final projects will be determined by late October.

• Antonia Paz School
• Replace the roof on classroom
• Container
• Sort, label, and help distribute the ítems from the container.
• Esperanza de Castro (rural village)
• Construct 50 individual latrines at rural mountain homes. Sewage from these homes is currently going into the river that is the water supply source for Tela. (Matching grant option/Tela Rotary request project.)
• Fire department/Police
• We have already received many donations for the fire department and police departments and we are hoping for our expert(s) to return to do additional training.
• Build benches
• Build benches at the Hospital, Clinics, PT Center for patients and patients’ families. Build benches at the Mayor’s Playground and at the IHNFA playground.
• IHNFA
• Construction additional play equipment
• Construct cubbies for classrooms
• Replace roof on existing classroom
• Construct a water filter and chlorinator system
• Jazmin School
• Build a classroom. This school currently holds classes under a grass-roofed shelter with no walls.

• JFK School
• Construct 7 meter-square latrines against an existing wall
• Jubilados School
• construct a small playground with swings, walking bridge, teeter-totters, etc.
• Mayor’s Playground
• community-wide playground and playing field proposed by Mayor Zaccaro. To help us with our playground development, a local Williston resident who has constructed playgrounds in Central America will donate all the equipment and travel with two assistants to install the equipment.

• Mayor’s projects
• We are waiting for Mayor David Zaccaro to identify several projects that will benefit children and involve local participation with our volunteers. Mayor David has promised that we will have several of his assistants to help us with whatever we need. We have asked Mayor David for some projects that are not heavy work for the volunteers who prefer not to do lifting.
• Medical Team, Dental Team
• Many from the medical team will be returning and other community medical and dental professionals have expressed interest in going.
• PT Rehab Center
• Construct a walkway from the road to the Center’s ramp
• Construct a cyclone fence around the center
• Paint and lay floor covering in the center
• Construct a cistern and pump to supply water to the center
• Phsycial Therapy Team
• Four and maybe five P.T.’s are on board to do training staff and treat the children.
• Retiro Daycare:
• Complete construction of an existing ‘daycare’ building with a kitchen, bathroom and other finishing requirements.
• Solar panels
• Waiting to hear from Mayor Zaccaro on his request

Team Leaders:

• Each project will have a "Project Leader" to manage and coordinate the project's work.
• Would you like to lead one of the projects – please let me know.

Watch the newspapers:

• There are many articles that are in the local newspapers about our H2H project. If you see one, please forward an original to me (Linda Gilbert, 190 Red Tail Lane , Charlotte , VT 05445 ). I am trying to keep a historical record. If you know of a newspaper/television station that is interested for a future article, we will be happy to offer information.

Web site – handstohonduras.org

Remember our web site address is www.handstohonduras.org – not .com

Please be sure if you tell someone our web site, make sure you tell them the .org. Thank you. The web site is and will be in renovation over the next month or so - please watch for changes. Louisa Schibli has kindly offered to help revise the site!

THANK YOU:

Thank you all for your desire to be

‘TEAM HANDS TO HONDURAS – TELA, 2008’

We look forward to a great couple of weeks.

Keep in mind these very important mindsets:

“go with the flow”

“mañana will come”

“the little things add up to huge successes”

As always, please feel comfortable to call or email with questions, suggestions and concerns. Linda Gilbert (425-3838)

Directing Committee: Al Gilbert and John Hammer, Co-Chairs;

Sam Feitelberg, Linda Gilbert, Colleen Haag, Dorrice Hammer, Norm Robinson.