The measure of a life, after all, is not its duration, but its donation. Corrie Ten Boom
Ok…I am really really pumped up now! The Anne G. Broady Scholarship Fund (AGB) donors just received their official notification from Angela (executive director of the Learning Center) informing the donors of their student scholarship recipient. So I am celebrating!
These notifications provide each AGB donor the name and a special photo of their assigned student with both personal and educational information. I have seen all of the student photos and have read the individual and personal information on each…and it is very heartwarming and gratifying. You donors know what I am talking about as you have hopefully viewed and read the information Angela has sent you.
Reading these individualized reports on each student makes it easy to understand how meaningful our involvement is and how much we contribute to the overall success of the Learning Center. It is not as though we need more evidence or proof that “Friends” play an important role. A number of the 2015 AGB donors are repeat donors from 2014 and have already determined the scholarship fund is making a significant difference. Several 2015 AGB donors have sent personal notes to both Angela and me expressing their appreciation for the job Angela is doing and thanking her for the information. Angela enjoys hearing from you and I encourage each donor to send a short note of thanks to her for taking on the tremendous educational challenge with very limited resources to work with in rural Costa Rica. It means a great deal to her to know that “Friends” stands with her in her efforts to meet these challenges. You can contact her at tribusang@gmail.com.
I do not want to leave out the non-donor “Friends”. Your prayers along with your positive thoughts and expectations all help bring about our overall success. For you, I am providing a photo of one AGB student recipient assigned to one of our donors. It is unspeakable joy to see the student, to hear how well she is doing, and to know this group of “Friends” is responsible for this student and about 15 or more other students enrolled at the Learning Center. 
Because of privacy concerns, the name of this student has been removed…but you get the picture. According to Angela’s report on this student, she is very sweet, quiet, and meticulous in her work. Her handwriting is beautiful and tidy and she does everything with great care.
A new process is in place this year that allows a portion of our donations to also be used to provide mini-grants to incentivize and reward students who attend school regularly. As a result, additional families are benefiting from this added use of part of the scholarship funds we are providing.
I close this with a note Angela has placed in each notification to the donors. She states, “Your donations have made all of this possible; without Friends of Copey, the Center simply wouldn’t exist. Thanks to you, Costa Rican students with scarce resources are able to learn English, experience new adventures, prepare for a brighter future, and work together for the good of the whole community.
Thank you for your generosity and support of this life-changing project.” Angela Ramos
“Friends” please consider this very important point. With very little time, effort, and money, we are causing positive changes in young lives in a remote community on the very southeast edge of the North American continent. How astounding is that? If anyone wishes to become an AGB Scholarship Fund donor, a variety of options and opportunities are available. Send me a note at atbroady@aol.com to discuss.
While on the subject of donations (living the givin back life -see the April 3, 2014 Post), there are others who stepped up to help us achieve success with the “Big Parking Lot Sale” project in April. There were many who donated items to sell and those who did the heavy lifting and moving of items. Others help make things happen by moving a few mountains in our way. We truly live by the code “When many will do just a little…A lot will get done.” You warriors have not been forgotten and you can expect to hear soon from Angela.
NASCAR UPDATE
The results of today’s race ended with Gordon finishing 14th…failing to make it into the top 10 unfortunately. Looking at the overall standings, he slipped from 9th to 10th. I am beginning to wonder if this final year for Gordon is going to be a memorable one. In fact, this week his car was not even recognizable with a very different paint scheme. Not for the #24 on the side of the car, I would not have identified him on the track. What’s up with that? Would you not want to keep your old colors, logos, and the rest as you make your final rounds? As a longtime fan, this is not making much sense to me…but let’s try again next week.
I very much enjoyed getting my letter from Angela, and I look forward to more correspondence with her and her students in the coming year. Pen pals make a difference for all students. Thanks for helping to make this possible, Scrapper. Best wishes, Lisa B.
“You” are a major reason for our SUCCESS! Next year will be another great experience for all of us. Thank you for your outstanding support and for being an AGB Scholarship Fund donor.