“I shall be telling this with a sigh, Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” By Robert Frost
Welcome back! My short departure from my routine has been a very busy time with community service projects. Most are now behind me and I am trying to regain my normal focus and cadence which includes working with the Copey Learning Center.
Copey Learning Center Guests
Things are happening fast as I write this Post. One of our most devoted and generous supporters landed in Costa Rica late Wednesday.
This is so special to have a local friend actually go visit Copey. Cyndy Sharer and I met in 2016 when “Hidden Figures” was showing in the theaters. Her local church group had seen the movie and asked my sister and me to visit her church group to discuss the movie in greater detail. Following the movie discussion, we were treated with coffee and cake. This is when Cyndy and I ventured off into our conversation about Copey. Her sister resides near San Jose.
Today, Cyndy and her sister Tami will be greeted by staff and Copey community. A great time will be had by all! Main Street Copey shown.
Another Katherine Johnson Connection
Visiting with Cyndy was not the last time a conversation about Katherine Johnson resulted in something very special for the Copey Learning Center.
In 2018, Principal Carolyn Johnson and three of her educational colleagues from Lehi, Utah traveled to Copey to personally deliver 400 pounds of school supplies.
This extraordinary act of kindness and generosity all started months earlier with conversation about Aunt Katherine on a flight to Atlanta.
I was sitting next to Tamarie McMullin (second from left). She was watching “Hidden Figures” while in flight. When the movie ended, she and I began talking about the movie and Aunt Katherine. This conversation somehow jumped over to the Copey Learning Center. Tamarie took an interest in Copey and is credited with initiating Principal Johnson’s interest to help the Copey Learning Center. Tamarie traveled with the team to deliver the school supplies to the Copey Learning Center.
Another Local “Friend“
In June, Genna MacFarlan will travel to Copey to work for the summer at the Copey Learning Center. She and her parents also reside in my hometown area and have been long-time “Friends” and supporters of Copey.
Genna is graduating very soon from the University of California at Berkely and is very excited about her opportunity to work at the Copey Learning Center. She is very eager to spend time in Copey and experience the culture and people. Her mother Cynthia is also making plans to travel to Costa Rica to spend a few days with her daughter.
The Pathway Project…!
We are in a nervous phase of the “Pathway Project”. The Copey students selected to travel to the United States, have a date with the government officials regarding their visa applications. Their appointment is early June but we are not certain when the final decision will be made or what the outcome may be. (2019 Pathway Project students)
“Friends of Copey” always covers the airfare and other travel expenses for the students and chaperones.
We are reluctant at this time to generate or commit funds for airfare and other travel costs without first knowing the outcome of the visa requests. There is only a two or three week window between the visa decisions to late June when the students will need to be in the United States and on campus for the college camp they are scheduled to attend.
When do we begin to start the fundraising effort? The uncertainty of the timing of the visa approvals along with increasing airfare prices will be an ongoing concern.
Final Comments…
There are some additional staff at the Copey Learning Center now assisting with the education and helping make the center more useful for students. Thanks to Anyela and others who are still trying to get things back to normal.
, one of the
Tomorrow is Genna’s last final at Berkeley before summer break when she will travel home for a few weeks before going to Costa Rica. I am so happy to have her study abroad experience be in Copey at the Learning Center. She is looking forward to helping anyway she can to foster the growth of the programs there while dusting off her Spanish skills she developed in the first Dual language Program here in Pasco, WA. I hope to be able to join her for a week during their break if a airline ticket is still possible.