San Pancho – April 2007
By: Elvia & Geno Lamphiear – April 2007
Hola!
 Elvia and I thought that this month we would expand “our territory” outside of San Pancho just a little bit to share with you a WONDERFUL project some friends of ours started in the nearby pueblo of Lo de Marcos!
In January, 2005, Cameron, Lauren, Matt and Kailee were killed in an automobile accident in northern California, just two weeks before coming to Mexico. In loving memory of the young family lost so tragically, the Spencer-Martinez Memorial Fund was established as a means of continuing to share the love of their parents, friends and relatives.
La Casa de los Niños is dedicated to Cameron, Lauren, Matt and Kailee and is proud to be able to help the children of Lo de Marcos through them, to be able to continue its work because of contributions made to the Spencer-Martinez Memorial Fund. The founders of La Casa de los Niños would like to thank the many loving and caring people who keep Cameron, Lauren, Matt and Kailee in their thoughts, their hearts and their prayers.
Whether you are six or ten or 16, Lo de Marcos doesn't offer much in the way of scholastic opportunities: there are no libraries, no cultural or student resource centers. More than 30% of the adults are illiterate so many parents aren't able to help their children with their studies. Very few homes have a place available where kids can study, let alone have books, computers or other research tools. Let's say for a moment  you are 10 years old. Bright, interested in everything, wanting to know more, study more, learn more... The local primary school, although it has very dedicated teachers, also has extremely limited resources. Blackboards for classrooms were just obtained last year! Where can you go to get more information? Where can you go, for that matter, just to study or get help with your homework? This was the situation that spurred some mighty fine folks living in Lo de Marcos to found La Casa de los Niños.
La Casa de los Niños is a scholastic resource center open to any student from the Lo de Marcos area, but directed specifically towards the necessities of children in primary grades one through six.
La Casa de los Niños is a place where students can learn by playing. It has reading and study areas, computers, library, television, tape player, educational games and diverse materials to help develop the creativity of the children, such as water paints, coloring books, play dough and colored pencils and paper.
 The founders of La Casa de los Niños hope to establish a site where children of the community who are interested in expanding their education can come to study, obtain tutoring for their homework, have computers to use, take English classes and get other types of educational help.
Their principle objective is to help the children of Lo de Marcos in their educational development by offering, without cost, the following:
- An adequate environment for study.
- Help with their homework.
- Resources necessary to increase their educational level, such as a library and computer access.
- Basic study of English.
- Educational speakers from state, federal and municipal agencies who will present talks on personal health, protection of the environment and other topics of general interest.
Strategies for reaching their goals:
- Locate an adequate site that can be used as classroom, study hall and library.
- Enlist the aid of secondary or higher-level students who can help tutor the younger students.
- Invite adult volunteers from the local community and from other areas to coordinate the activities of the site.
- Seek help from federal, state, local and private institutions.
- Establish links with US universities with the objective of inviting students of Spanish to spend time in Lo de Marcos as voluntary English teachers.
Solicit donations of furnishings and educational materials adequate for the proper functioning of the site.
 These mighty fine folks decided they could help and maybe make a difference in these kids' lives. They started talking with the kids and discovered there was a tremendous amount of interest in having someplace they could go to study, get help with their homework, maybe take English classes, learn about their own culture and the environment. So, they started to work. They found a centrally-located house for rent that looked like it could be fixed up to be used as a kids' center. They met several times to outline our goals and strategies; they contacted friends, acquaintances and relatives to ask for donations of books and materials.
The response was immediate and gratifying. Even people they didn't know came forward to volunteer, to donate books to our small library; a Canadian university donated four computers; individuals in Oregon and California took it upon themselves to establish collection centers and then send donations with people coming to the area on vacation. During the first week they received a television, bilingual dictionaries, buckets of paint, a ceiling fan; others promised help with the electrical installations and the plumbing; others brought children's books, crayons, pencils and games; students from the high school offered to be tutors; natives of the United States and Canada volunteered to teach English .
Everyone was so enthusiastic! More than a dozen people showed up to help clean and paint the house and even before they had opened the doors, 94 kids had registered to take English classes!
Well, now La Casa de los Niños really has a home, but there is so much yet to do... The cause is more than worthy – and the need is more that great…
Wouldn't you like to help?
How can you help?
Sponsors and Patrons. Can you or your group commit to helping on an on-going basis? Become a Sponsor or Patron so that La Casa de los Niños can continue to help these wonderful kids here in Lo de Marcos. If you can help with the expenses for a month or more, they would like to include you or your group in our list of Sponsors, or become a Patron by paying for a year's worth of expenses.
Things needed on an on-going basis
 Materials. Bilingual or Spanish books for children, DVDs, pencils and pens, crayons, flashcards, colored paper, white paste, stickers, glitter, stick glue, ribbon, colored pipe cleaners, beads, feathers, stencils, construction paper and other craft materials, used magazines--anything you think might be useful or of interest in a class of young people. Please stop by La Casa de los Niños if you're heading this way on vacation, meet some of the kids and teachers and drop off that package you have for La Casa de los Niños, or you can send it to their mailing address: Aptdo. Postal #97, La Peñita de Jaltemba, Nayarit, 63726 Mexico.
- English Instructors. Coming down south for a month or more? Want to have something to do that is both fun and rewarding? Volunteer to teach conversational English two or four hours per week. Experience helpful, but not necessary. They will train. You don't have to speak Spanish!
- Professionals and Journeymen. Do you have some specialized skill or trade? Could you spare a few hours? Once you arrive and get settled in, contact La Casa de los Niños. They're sure to have something you can help them out with!
- Adults. Don't have any special skills but want to become involved? There is a need for responsible adult volunteers to serve as mentors, monitors and advisors for La Casa de los Niños.
- University Spanish Students. Trade an hour of English instruction for an hour of Spanish, interact with the kids and adult learners. Improve your own language skills while helping the kids! Check with your advisor for possible credits.
Operating funds. Any cash donation is very welcome. La Casa de los Niños does not need much - just enough to cover rent and utilities and a few supplies (all of the people at La Casa de los Niños are volunteers and neither receive nor expect remuneration).
Contact Information:
Street Address:
San Marcos Nº 62,
Lo de Marcos, Nayarit, Mexico
Mail Address:
Aptdo. Postal No. 97
La Peñita de Jaltemba, Nayarit 63726 Mexico |
Email: lcdln@hotmail.com
Website: http://lacasadelosninos.org
Phone: 011 52 (327) 275-0315 |
Until Next time.
Geno & Elvia
E-mail: genolamphiear@hotmail.com
* This information is provided by María Elvia Garcia Palomera & Geno Lamphiear, owners of Calandria Realty in San Francisco (San Pancho), Nayarit, Mexico
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