I am reminded of the words of one of my favorite authors, Charles Swindol. His simple statement speaks volumes… “Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children.”
Recent news about more than 200 kidnapped young Nigerian girls while attending school by known terrorists and the news of thousands of children traveling alone from Central America to the USA under very dangerous conditions is very disturbing. Children fleeing Central American are not safe and it is reported that many of them are kidnapped, raped, and even killed before reaching our USA borders. And those children kidnapped in Nigeria face a very uncertain future as well. It is obvious children are becoming more and more the focal point of war and politics.
When I heard children from Central America were arriving at the USA borders, I immediately thought of Costa Rica and more specifically, the children of Copey. I was relieved these reports excluded children from Costa Rica.
The memory bank deposits for all these young children mentioned reflects a staggering contrast of life in Nigeria and areas in Central America compared to the life of a small child in Copey. These are not good memory bank deposits for those in harms way.
The memory bank deposits for children in Copey are very different. The courage and vision of the founder of the Learning Center and the wisdom of the community to establish and maintain the Learning Center is life changing for children in Copey. The founder saw the need to help children and did not wait on a government program or some outside agency to act. Instead, the founder and the Copey community decided to take charge to help the future of their own children. The daily deposits into the memory banks of their children involves caring parents, teachers, a community and the awareness that many friends outside of Copey are very interested in them.
In the Learning Center, children are having positive life experiences, achieving educational objectives, and enjoying the pride and support of their parents…not the fears of political and military conflict. I pray for a better day and future for all of these young children.
The most recent report on current operations at the Learning Center indicates things are moving along very smoothly. A new volunteer recently arrived at the Learning Center to begin her work. Bethany Sullivan, from Texas is on board to teach during the summer. She attended the University of North Texas and has taught Pre-K and 3rd grade and will return to teaching 5th grade in Dallas when she completes her volunteer service in Copey. Bethany is already making memory bank deposits and the “friends of Copey” wish her well.