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HJH is excited to announce our annual summer/fall matching grant is springing forward this year!
Our new Spring/Summer Matching Grant begins on May 15, 2022. Many of our donors wait for a matching opportunity to double their impact, and we are so happy to be able to offer this opportunity once again! HJH extends our deepest gratitude to the family that continues to fund this match for us year after year.
We know summer is a busy time for many of you, which is why we have moved the summer/fall matching grant to spring/summer! HJH is gearing up for a busy time as well with the library fully reopened and group trips in the works! While we always need your support, this year we have a special need for funding to update our library’s computer lab, which has not seen a technology upgrade since we moved to our new location in 2014! Just like everyone else, we are experiencing higher costs for just about everything from gas for the mobile truck to the tables and chairs in our community rooms. We need your help to keep up with the ever-changing needs of our precious library. Please consider making a donation today to fund our ongoing projects as well as the work that has yet to be done.
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The Library is now fully reopened!
For the first time since March of 2020, our library is now fully open and operational. Last month, we made the decision to reopen the computer lab and children’s room which had been closed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Those of you who have visited our library know the computer lab is a sought after-commodity and an important community resource. The children’s reading room is a gateway for many to becoming strong readers. As we mentioned above, we need to replace several of the HP All-in-One desktop computers in our lab. A few are no longer functioning, and the others are on their last legs. We are amazed that these computers have lasted for almost eight years but we really think it goes to show just how valuable and cared for this resource is for our community.
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Library staff is excited to have all of our rooms and activities reopened! Pictured from left to right: Edwin, Wiston, Denis, Katia, Heidy |
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A group of young girls complete the first two levels of their 3D printing training course.
The Suenos 3D Printing Center is now central to a pilot 3D training course with small groups of students from the San Juan del Sur Day School. Students meet in the library twice a week to learn the basics of 3D printing and gain hands-on experience with the equipment. This summer, we will be initiating a small grant to offer this program to middle and high school aged students using the curriculum designed by Wiston with the help of Board Member Preston Tobery and Mark Demorra from the University of Maryland. Wiston is doing a fabulous job as he navigates the world of teaching for the first time and has received wonderful feedback from his students. |
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Wiston and his students. |
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Wiston poses with each of the students who completed the first level of the 3D printing course. |
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Mobile Project adds a new school.
We are excited to announce we have added a 37th school to our Mobile Project rotation. We visit each school monthly so students can check books out and take them home. The new school is located closer to the Costa Rican border near the community of Cardenas in Tiruri. This community, like most of the others we serve, approached us to ask if the Mobile Project would be able to visit their school.
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Augusto, Heidy, Wiston, and Edwin with the students of the school in the town of Tiruri |
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Heidy helps a student check out a book while the rest of the students search for the perfect one to take home. |
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Rotary/Library bike safety event
With the library fully reopening, we also hosted a bike safety event in collaboration with the San Juan del Sur Rotary Club. The event was held March 25th in the park, and bicycles were repaired, safety information was shared, and handouts provided. Most importantly, reflectors and reflector tape were applied to over 50 bikes. Moderate to major repair was provided on a few of the bikes to the delight of the young owners.
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Denis applying reflector lights to a bike at the Rotary bike safety event. |
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Heidy prepares supplies while Wiston repairs a bike. |
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Lily’s CRM adventure!
HJH’s Executive Board determined that the organization needed a more focused and methodical approach to managing donor records/information. Given the number and complexity of Client Relations Management (CRM) software products available, we needed help deciding which product would best meet our needs. Since we already had a collaborative relationship with the Center for Social Value Creation at the University of Maryland, Lily Griner, HJH Board Member and librarian, approached its Director, Nima Farshchi, to see if his students could assist in this challenge.
Our timing was perfect! The Center was looking for projects for their annual competition and our project matched their requirements perfectly. Once our project was selected, we identified the software criteria that would best serve our needs. Five groups of 4-5 students were then formed and tasked with the challenge of selecting the best client management software for HJH.
After several weeks of research, the students presented their findings to a group of judges, selected by The Center to include Smith School faculty and Lily Griner as a member of the HJH Executive Board. Jane Mirandette and Pat Herron (also Board Members) attended the presentations via Zoom and voiced their opinions of the students’ performances to the judges. All the presentations were excellent. The students exceeded our expectations in providing good insight into the pros and cons of the different CRM software products, so much so that the judges decided to announce two winners. One group won first prize for the best presentation, and a second group won first prize for finding the most cost-effective CRM software that met HJH criteria. The result was a win/win/win for the University, the students, and HJH. As always, we appreciate Lily’s initiative in seeking out this opportunity.
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Our library family shares a major life moment!
HJH would like to congratulate Jhossy Quiroz and Whitney Knutson on their marriage! Jhossy and Whitney met in 2017 in San Juan del Sur while Jhossy was working in the library, and Whitney was participating in our GRIP Program (Global Responsibility Internship Program).
They were married in Colorado, and many of our Advisory Board members were able to join them at the wedding including Victor Zuniga (who was a member of the wedding party), Jane Mirandette, and Preston Tobery. Many others in Nicaragua were able to join via Zoom! We wish them many years of love and happiness!
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Whitney and Jhossy on their wedding day in Colorado. |
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Double your donation through your company’s matching gift program
Our annual Spring/Summer Matching Grant is a perfect time to check this out and maximize your donations! Consider checking with your employer to see if they have a 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. We have supporters who have used these gift programs through Microsoft, Google, and Dartmouth and we are so grateful for the extra support!
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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Memorials: To remember and honor two of our friends and supporters who have passed.
While we were excited to share in Whitney’s and Jhossey’s nuptial celebrations, we are sad to acknowledge the passing of two of our long time volunteers.
A dear friend and supporter for many years, Edda Maria Sevilla passed away on January 29th at her home. She was a volunteer for many years with the Future of Nicaragua Foundation based near her home in Bethesda, Maryland. Since 2006, when we met while she was visiting her birth home in Nicaragua, she had also been part of HJH. She happened on one of our posters depicting a recent news article where the then Minister of Education was being criticized for the lack of books in his schools. She had replied that, while she didn’t know the extent of the lack of books, she did know that more than half the schools did not have running water. Edda and I launched into a grand conversation about the lack of reading materials in schools and that books and education were things we could assist in providing and how we were doing so. From that day, Edda worked closely with us and chose to provide the bulk of our craft supplies for the San Juan del Sur Biblioteca and Mobile Project. She was a delightful lady and is deeply missed. If you would like to honor Edda’s memory, her wish was that donations go to support the Future of Nicaragua Foundation. Please send donations to: Future of Nicaragua Foundation, 5301 Westbard Circle Number 339 Washington, DC 20016.
It is with a sad heart that I write to share that our own Liam McDermott passed away on March 10th. His son Brian let us know Liam had suffered an aneurysm. Liam made a difference in so many lives over the years. He was a super supporter of our San Juan del Sur Biblioteca and headed up our fundraising campaign for many years. His Irish sparkle always charmed. He was such a good friend. It was his wish to be cremated and his ashes spread over the ocean. His wife Marina and family plan to honor that wish. Our Executive Board members, Lily and Pat, knew him well. I thought I would also share their thoughts and tributes here as well.
Lily Griner: Pat and I just loved seeing him and spending time with Liam – such an amazing person – I always looked forward to seeing him, getting that hug, enjoying the Irish humor, visiting his house, watching him share candy with the kids we passed on the road, the kids laughing and waving, so many memories – I can see him skipping the rocks down to the beach on our first visit and finding the starfish which he gave me and which I still have – Liam will always have a place in my heart! –Lily
Patricia Herron: Thank you, Jane, for letting us know about Liam. I echo Lily’s sentiments. Liam was one of the first people I met on my first trip to Nicaragua with Lily. He took us under his wing immediately and shared his beloved town, San Juan del Sur, with us, where he had made his new home. Each time Lily and I traveled to San Juan, we spent time with Liam, listening to his funny and entertaining stories and listening to him sing (he had a beautiful voice). He was an early riser, so we shared many wonderful breakfast meals with him at the Hotel Villa Isabella. I was so looking forward to seeing him again on my next trip to Nicaragua. He will forever live in my thoughts and prayers. –Pat
A memorial fund to benefit the San Juan del Sur Biblioteca has been created in Liam’s name. If you would like to contribute, just indicate that the donation is for the Liam McDermott Memorial fund. These and other tributes will soon be found on our website Memorial page.
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Liam, Jane, and Marina having breakfast at Hotel Villa Isabella |
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Jane posing as Where’s Waldo… How fitting for those of us who like to keep up with all her adventures! |
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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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