Second Annual Sponsor Picnic

For the second year in a row, Friends of Barron sponsored a picnic get-together for our scholarship student and their sponsors. The lasides of Barron got together and prepeared a hot meal of chicken poblano tacos, beef machada tacos and fried fish. It was delicious! FOB encourages our students to establish independent relationships with their sponsors to promote the multi-cultural experience.

Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves despite language barriers. Jane and Bill Jackson mad a gift of a new strthoscope to their student, Jessica. Jessica is in the last year of her nursing school curriculum and will soon enter a year of internship before becoming a full-fledged nurse. Jane, being a nurse herself is thrilled to be able to assist her in achieving her goals.

Bill & Jane with Jessica

Bill & Jane with Jessica

Janice and Ron Ohms were able to meet their new student Luis. Luis is 15 and aspires to be a computer science major at university.SAM_1231

 

You Are Invited to a Picnic!

A social gathering to meet the Friends of Barron scholarship students will be held at the Barron Elementary School on Saturday, January 24 at 2 pm. This is an opportunity to mingle with the 27 scholarship students, their parents and the EDM residents involved with the program.

Lunch will be served and the gathering will last about 1.5 hours. Everyone is invited, both current sponsors and potential sponsors.

If you would like to know more about the scholarship program, check out FOBNews.org or contact Dick McGuire in Condo 1105/06.

The Story of Jesus

Jesus with Dr Jeff Astroth, DDS.

Jesus with Dr Jeff Astroth, DDS.

Jesus Tirado lives in Barron. His mother cleans hotel rooms and his dad picks up odd jobs in the fields. Jesus used to sell golf balls along the eastern fence and then was accepted into the “Ninos del Rio” golf training program initiated with a gift from EDM golfers. He turned out to be a talented golfer and formed a fast friendship with the son of EDM residents Graham & Lee Smith. He was able to visit the Smith’s at their home in Ojai, CA. This kid knew he was going to be somebody someday so he stuck around and kept trying when door after door of opportunity closed.

So when the FOB CANAM inaugural dental clinic needed volunteers, Jesus and his friend Uriel stepped up and put in five long days helping the dental health workers treat the entire primary school population. They ran errands, they did paperwork, they herded the kids to where they needed to be. We couldn’t have done it without them. But Jesus was able to help translate inside the clinic as well due to his English skills. He helped sooth frightened kids who were seeing a dentist for the first time. He helped explain dicey situations to concerned parents. And he showed up every day, all day, always with a smile. He caught the attention of the volunteer dentists and they encouraged him to study dentistry.

Jesus is now in his second year of dental school, aided by a modest scholarship managed by FOB CANAM and sponsored by Graham & Lee Smith and Dick & Kris McGuire. For about $250 a month, this kid can go to dental school if he also works a part-time job. He still volunteers at every dental clinic gaining valuable insights working side-by-side with the experienced American dentist and hygienist volunteers; how to hide the needle from view and administer a painless injection, how to clean the hard-to-reach molars, how to explain consequences.

The volunteer dentists identified Jesus as a winner and FOBs sponsors made it happen

Future dentists?

Future dentists?

FOB CANAM WINS FIRST GRANT

Friends of Barron is proud to announce the receipt of a $5000 grant from the Pierre Fouchard Academy, an honorary dental service organization (fauchard.org). Credit must go to Dr Kurt Ferre DDS, one of our volunteer dentists and Academy Member, identified the Academy as a potential source of funding. Additional thanks must go to Jeremy Kennell, an EDM resident who gathered all this input and produced the written grant proposal submittal last July. Monies will be used to purchase a dedicated dental unit and dental supplies for our ongoing dental clinic, an event that occurs annually. Last June, the clinic treated 222 primary school kids and 46 kindergarteners. A group of volunteer dentists and hygienists assembled by Claire Silk, herself a volunteer hygienist and EDM resident, are determined to affect change in the dental health of Barron’s youth. We have already seen a reduction in the number of cavities according to the ongoing comparative study that runs concurrently with the clinic. The study will run for five years and at that time, significant results are expected. Our dental health workers know that they can make a difference but they need facts to bolster their quest for future grant monies. They fully intend to make a significant difference over in Barron and they are willing to donate not only their professional time but their airfare. Their efforts to raise money to support their vision speaks to their dedication to the cause. But, in Mexico, it’s doubly hard to realize a vision due to all the red tape. So that’s where FOB CANAM steps in: We handle the logistics. We also manage the remaining financial support in the form of cash, translators, facility management and lodging. It’s not hard. It just takes dedication and donated time…… and money!

Internet Comes to Barron Primary School

The students attending the Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez primary school in Barron have some things that they have never had before: computers and Internet.  The new Internet connection is tantalizingly close to reality. The tower is built, the radio connection tested and ready. The Mazatlan School District has comitted to pay for the monthly costs of the server. We wait solely upon an administrative detail to be ironed out. As is typical in Mexico, the devil is in the details. We await an address to which to send the monthly bill.

Meanwhile, back in Vancouver, Scotia Bank’s executive and EDM resident, Joe Oviatt has secured another 25 laptop computers for the school. As soon as we can figure out a way to transport them from Vancouver to Calgary, Dale Lyster will load them on a flight to Mazatlan and we’ll be ready to open up a whole new world for the students of Barron. What an achievement!  Many thanks go to Joe for rounding up these laptops, to Dale and Marilyn Jarvis for handling the logistics of transport and to West Jet Airlines for offering to fly them to Mazatlan for free. It does take a village.

2014 -2015 Scholarship Student Showcase

Seven new students have been selected to enter the FOB CANAM preparatory school scholarship program for the 2014-2015 school year. These students were selected on the basis of their academic achievement and the quality of their application form. In total, forty students are benefitting from FOB CANAM scholarships. Please click on the “Our Student Scholars” tab at the top of the page to review the status of these students as it has changed. The scholarship program has a few changes as well this academic year. Due to the strength of the US dollar vs the Mexican peso, the cost to support a Barron prep school student this academic year is $700 USD. That is less than $20 a week. For $20, you can enable a student to attend grades 10, 11 & 12 and graduate, many the first in their family to do so. Historically, a significant percentage of scholarship students who complete three years of prep school in our program continue on to University studies. Right now, all three of our University scholarship students from last academic year have successfully competed their first year of study and are still enrolled due to the continuing support of their sponsors. Seven additional University applications are being considered, four of whom are prep school scholarship recipient graduates. Depending upon support from people like you, scholarships will be awarded. Details of their applications will become available after the selection process is complete. The cost to sustain a University student varies from $700 to $1200 USD depending upon their curriculum, approximately 50% of the total cost of education. To be sure, FOB CANAM is the conduit through which those who feel a need to give back to disadvantaged neighbors can achieve their goal. Together, the students’ families and the EDM residents and friends are making a difference in the student’s lives. All for $20 a week. Please consider sponsoring one or more of these deserving kids. They are:

Carolina

Carolina

Carolina – Carolina is 15 years old and a resident of Mazatlan. She has an excellent academic record with an average of 9.43 and completed her last year of secondary school where she  studied Spanish, English, Math, Science, Technology, History, Civics, Education and Art. Her goal is to become proficient in English. Carolina is Aida Alvarado’s niece and has already found a sponsor in Rene Carlson. In her essay she writes, “I want my family to be proud and to benefit from the career that I have chosen in life and in the kind of work I will ultimately do. My ultimate goal is to help my family progress towards a secure future and to become an independent woman. I want to be able to live my life without having to depend on anyone else. My goal is to become an accountant and a good businesswoman. I’d like to have my own firm and be able to manage the finances of that firm.”

Naydelin

Naydelin

Naydelin – Naydelin is 14 years old and is a Barron resident. She loves to play soccer when she is not in class. She aspires to attend University and pursue her interest in psychology. The only thing preventing her attendance is finances. She is a 9.2 average student and finds her classes easy, with the exception of her English class. Her father works as a farmer and fisherman. Her mother is only able to find work a few months a year. Naydelin needs a sponsor to help her defray the costs of attending school.

 

Amairany

Amairany – Amairany is 15 years old and likes soccer and volleyball. She wants to be a dentist and aspires to one day help her parents and her community “like FOB does”. She has a perfect 10 GPA. In her essay Amairany writes that “the only way for me to succeed and achieve my objectives is to get a good education. I consider myself a kind, sensitive and responsible daughter. I always try to be one of the best students. My family of five is poor. My parents work as farmers but can only work when there is work. My parents only completed primary school. My brother is in 5th grade and another brother is in 3rd year prep school at UAS. This puts a real strain on the finances of the family.” With the burden of supporting her older brother at UAS, Amairany’s parents need help to send her to school also.

Luis Fernando

Luis Fernando

Luis Fernando – Luis Fernando is 15 and likes baseball, riding bicycles, listening to music with his family and helping out his grandmother. He has a GPA of 9.9, one of the highest of the group applying this year. He also has 2 older brothers. He is very close to his grandfather and works with him every day. He considers his grandfather his “true father” because his father left when Luis was 3 years old to live with another woman. He writes in his essay, “My examples in life are my grandparents. My mother has worked hard over the past 12 years to keep the family together. My mother and grandparents have instilled in me the importance of education from the beginning. I would like to become a computer science major in college.” The FOB scholarship would really help Luis to pay for his daily transportation costs into Mazatlan.

Briseida

Briseida

Briseida – Briseida lives in Barron and is 14 years old. Her grades are straight “10s” except for English (6) and Math (7). Her essay was very well written. Her parents have encouraged her from a young age to pursue her dreams. She likes to help people with their problems. In her essay she writes,”I am very proud of my parents because they have worked very hard so I can continue my studies. My parents work as farmers and many times don’t earn enough to pay for my schooling.” She has 2 brothers and wants to be a marine biologist because she loves the sea.

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Fatima

Fatima – Fatima is 14 years old, a Barron resident and a straight “A” student. She writes in her essay, “I am a very responsible person in almost everything I do. I am a good worker and I have been able to perform well in almost everything I have dedicated myself to, including my studies. I want to finish secondary school with good grades to make my parents and grandmother proud of me and so I can be proud of myself. If I get this scholarship, I promise to get good grades and to finish prep school. The problem with attending prep school in Mazatlan is that it’s a difficult proposition from an economic point of view, especially the daily transportation costs to and from Mazatlan. This scholarship will help greatly in relieving my family of some of the economic burden of continuing my studies, ” She would like to be a teacher or a nurse and to use her education to contribute to her community.

Jesus Idelphonso

Jesus Idelfonso

Jesus Idelfonso – Jesus is 15 years old and loves soccer. He has an “A” average after graduating from secondary school in Barron.  He will attend prep school at CETMAR, the prep school for marine related studies. In his essay he writes, “I am a very energetic and enthusiastic teenager. I do well in school and I want to continue my studies but my parents don’t have the resources to help me advance my studies. I want to go to University and become a professional in naval engineering so I can show my parents that I can make something of myself and make them proud. Thank god there are people like you, FOB, to help kids like me achieve my dreams. I think this is the best career for me. I’ll be able to find a decent job and help my parents and people who are less fortunate than me. I understand that in my chosen career, the studies are very difficult. But I don’t think anything is impossible. I think with my enthusiasm I can come out ahead in anything I want to do, achieve anything I want to achieve.”

Again, please also review the biographies of our older students by clicking on the “Our Student Scholars” tab at the top of the page. Most sponsors from last year have chosen to continue their support but a very few have not found it possible this year. Their students need new sponsors in order to continue in the program.

Medical Clinic Successful !

The Secret Gardener's avatarLas Lagunitas eBulletin Board

Danielle Neuberth(PA), Bonnie McGuire (MD), Rachel Jenner(RN), Eric Victorin (EMT) (aka Clarke Kent), Rod Kaasa (MD), Stephanie Morency (RN), Ben Kaasa(MD), Veronica Stanton(RN), Alwyn and Teri Kaasa Danielle (PA), Bonnie (MD), Rachel (RN), Clark (EMT), Rod (MD), Stephanie (RN), Ben (MD), Veronica (RN), Alwyn and Teri on their way to work
Here they are!! Heroes all, at least to the good folks of Barron. This medical team was ably assisted by a team of translators including Dave & Lindy Marvin, Aida Alvarado, Marie Pedrero, Miriam Ayala and her brother Manuel and sister, Karla. Along with Dick and I and, of course, Barron’s Godfather, Dale Lyster, we processed 287 people through the converted Comisariado Ejidal in Barron.

Before.... Before…. The before and after pictures tell the story. Each of three examination rooms were necessarily equipped (but not much more). Patients needing a more thorough exam were able to use a real examination table shared among the three practioners. We had three medical history stations and a reception desk outside. Kris, Dick and Teri manned the reception desk. From there…

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Sponsor-Student Picnic

Last Saturday, the EDM residents who have sponsored high school students who live in Barron got together for a picnic in the primary school courtyard. Three students’ mothers prepared delicious machaca, chicken & poblano tacos and fried fish with fresh fruit and beans & rice. Our scholarship donors were able to get to know their scholarship students and their families as they enjoyed lunch. Each exchanged email addresses to ensure continuation of personal correspondence into the future.

Ron & Jayne Rupe with Daniela.

Ron & Jayne Rupe with Daniela.

Ron & Joyce Pogue with Jorge and his grandfather.  Jorge is in high school.

Ron & Joyce Pogue with Jorge and his grandfather. Jorge is in high school.

Dale Lyster with his high school scholarship students Aldo and Cecelia.

Dale Lyster with his high school scholarship students Aldo and Cecelia.

Marcia Pratt and Kenia. Linda Raaseveld, a co-sponsor for Kenia, was unable to attend the picnic.

Marcia Pratt and Kenia. Linda Raaseveld, a co-sponsor, was unable to attend the picnic.

Rod & Terri Kaasa with their student Kassandra and her mother.

Rod & Terri Kaasa with their student Kassandra and her mother.

Dale Lyster, Ana Cruz Soliz with the mothers who did the cooking.

Dale Lyster, Ana Cruz Soliz with the mothers who did the cooking.

Cliff & Barb du Fresne with twins Treisy & Greisy, both high school scholarship students.

Cliff & Barb du Fresne with twins Treisy & Greisy, both high school scholarship students.

Dick & Kris with high school student Maria Guadalupe

Dick & Kris with high school student Maria Guadalupe

Teresita, a high school student adopted by Jim & Susan Baillon.

Teresita, a high school student adopted by Jim & Susan Baillon.

Iris, a second student sponsored by Jim & Susan Baillon.

Iris, a second student sponsored by Jim & Susan Baillon.

Dick & Kris McGure with university scholarship winner Kathia. Kathia is studying to be a chef.

Dick & Kris McGure with university scholarship winner Kathia. Kathia is studying to be a chef.

Pilot Medical Clinic

FOB Canam is sponsoring a free medical clinic for the residents of Barron, March 17 through March 21, 2014. This pilot medical clinic program, much like the pilot dental clinic staged by FOB in September for the primary school will be free to Barron residents. Dr Bonnie McGuire, an Emergency Department physician from Connecticut has volunteered to organize and lead the clinic. Dr. McGuire has so far recruited two nurses and two Physician’s Assistants as volunteers. But, in order to serve the community more effectively, we need more volunteer doctors, nurses and other medical professionals. If you are a medical professional and are available during these dates to volunteer some of your time, please contact Dr McGuire (bwreschner@gmail.com) oe Richard McGuire (richardmcg@aol.com). Volunteers who are not EDM residents will be offered free housing during the clinic at an EDM facility.