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Updates On The First Service Learning Program Since 2020
This is from a heartfelt letter from Brandy Hodgson, who recently volunteered with the library programs in San Juan del Sur.
“Our family of five is recently home from a two-month international, experiential, educational adventure!
Our volunteer work with HJH Libraries for All anchored our eight-week experience in Central America. After an initial few weeks in Costa Rica, Jane generously opened her arms and her community to us as we created a home for the next five weeks in San Juan del Sur. Volunteer projects with the SJDS Bibioteca and La Biblioteca Móvil gave us purpose 3-4 days a week as we offered stories, crafts, and books to children and schools that had very little in comparison to our status quo. Other days were filled with Spanish language and cultural immersion, exploration of SJDS, and visits to other parts of Nicaragua (including Granada, Massaya, Ometepe, and Managua) to visit libraries and learn more about the rich culture and history of the country. I am most grateful for the human connections; the people who guided and cared for us, and whom we now consider family. They left indelible hug-prints on our souls!
Stories and memories will season future family meals, and each of us will continue to reflect on our time and experiences in Nicaragua. Seeds that were planted over the past two months will merge and flourish in the lives we create and pursue from here.”
–Brandy Hodgson for Arthur Judson, Soleil, River, and Jasper Hodgson
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Arthur, Brandy, River, Soleil, and Jasper with Edwin Vasquez |
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SJDS Biblioteca updates – A festive party held for Jasper showed the biblioteca’s spirit of community. |
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The Media room is now open and additional computers are needed. The Children’s room is up and running and new work tables and chairs have been purchased.
These recent activities have boosted morale for everyone and announced that We Are Moving Forward Again! |
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Mobile Project Expansion:
There has been an ongoing awareness of the need to enhance our Mobile Project to serve older school age students. In January, a solution appeared. The HJH Foundation was given the first portion of a substantial donation of a massive collection of books from AIMS International Books in Cincinnati, OH that are suitable for older student readers. Jane and volunteers were able to bring down enough of these books in February to expand the Mobile Project to visit afternoon schools that older students mostly in grades 4 to 6 and 7 to 8 attend.
We are also excited to announce that the Mobile Project will soon be serving a 37th school in the rural town of Tiruri close to the Costa Rican Border which has both younger and older students. Permissions from MINED (Ministry of Education) are underway. All of the library’s collections will eventually be refreshed, and more new content will be added to the collections regularly as we process this amazing new collection and deliver them to San Juan del Sur.
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AIMS Bookstore update:
Jane and Laura Pineda-Soraca returned to Cincinnati on March 12 to process the next delivery of Spanish books that Joe Spiere will transport to Colorado by truck . Board member Barbara Thorne and her husband Pat Keziah joined the team to help pack and then to take suitcases of books back to Maryland. Eventually, Board members who attend the next 2022 tour or event will deliver the books to San Juan del Sur. More of what we have always called “grassroots efforts.” |
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Laura Pineda-Soraca, Barb Thorne, Pat Keziah, Jane Mirandette
with AIMS Bookstore Owner Georgia Crowell and her son David Crowell.
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If you missed our last newsletter, you will want to read up on this amazing opportunity! |
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Michael’s Memorial:
Michael A.Iacoboni 1948-2021
It has been a year since Michael’s passing, and the Nicaraguan and American legal requirements are nearly complete. But I am not sure those of us so close to him have yet fully processed losing Michael. We are so grateful for all who supported the donation fund in Michael’s honor that allows us to continue his work with the HJH Foundation. A commemorative plaque will be placed in the library, and we will dedicate four “porch style” rocking chairs in his name in the children’s and main library rooms at the SJDS Biblioteca. Please see the memorial site for our tribute to Michael.
If you would like to contribute to the fund use the buttons below and indicate in the Note field that the contribution should go to the Michael A Iacoboni Memorial Fund.
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We are registered as Hester J. Hodgdon Libraries for All.
Please donate today with the PayPal or JustGiving buttons above OR by check made payable to:
HJH Programs
1716 Del Norte Ave.
Loveland, CO 80538
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Leveraging the Power of Education:
As part of our educational mission, the HJH Foundation offers university and trade school scholarships to local Nicaraguan youth. Over the years, this support has provided students with the opportunity to become accountants, veterinarians, teachers, and other types of professionals. One of these scholarship recipients was Reynaldo Vallejos Espinoza, who completed his degree in TESOL (Teaching English as a Second Language) from UCA (Universidad Centroamericana) in Managua in 2017. In this video Reynaldo shares what the SJDS Biblioteca means to him and how important the library and the scholarship have been to his life and career.
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Double your Donation through your Company’s Matching Gift Program:
A survey conducted by the Conference Board’s Environmental, Social & Governance Center revealed that 94% of major US corporations plan to maintain or increase their charitable giving in 2022. Studies also show that as much as 7 billion dollars from companies’ philanthropic funds do not make their way to nonprofit organizations. Much of this money, which is available through company matching gift programs, goes unused because employees are not aware that their employers offer matching gifts.
Now would be a wonderful time to see if you can double your donation. Consider checking with your employer to see if they have a matching gift program.
Check out these websites:
Top 30 Matching Gift Companies: Find Your Match
Charity Navigator Employee Match Program database
If your company is not listed, consider contacting your Human Resources Department and ask if they participate. You might be surprised by what you discover!
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A Note from Jane:
Thank you everyone for your continued friendship and support.
I’ll close with my favorite version of the Irish prayer:
May you always walk in Sunshine
May you never want for more
May Irish angels rest their wings
Right beside your door.
Let everyday count, Jane
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