“I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy.” —Charles R. Swindoll
We are now moving into the final trimester at the Copey Learning Center (CLC). This year’s graduation is scheduled in late November. In the USA the kids are busy returning to school. Football is in the air and the cool air of Fall is beginning to be felt in some places. Well, some places for sure but not in eastern Washington. This first week of September we have high 90’s predicted. And of course, no rain is in sight. But we do have football and schools starting.
In less than three months, the CLC will graduate another group of students and complete another year of educational service. My current plans to travel to Copey to attend the graduation are not finalized at this time. I do hope to visit many wonderful friends who have shared this adventure as “Friends of Copey.” My last visit was in 2017 and it will be very interesting to see high school students I met when they were elementary age students. Possibly even more exciting will be to see the older students who were in high school and came to the USA on the Pathway Project as far back as 2016.
Are you looking to do something a little different this Thanksgiving? Let’s go to Costa Rica.
Tara the Terrific..!
Tara is also heading into her final semester at the Copey Learning Center. She has stayed the course and we cannot be more grateful
for her service and commitment. It is not a small matter for someone to voluntarily devote a year of their personal life to service to others. The sacrifice is enormous. The
work and living conditions relating to her service in Copey is vastly different from her home in Canada.
As with anything there are the challenges and not everyone can meet these challenges with great success. Tara has and we are all grateful. Tara sent me several photos of her students and their classwork.
These young students are all future candidates for the Pathway Project. I can find early photos of those who have come to the USA and feel a strong sense of pride and admiration for the journey these young students make over the years. One day, we will may meet them in person at the annual reception. Thank you Tara.
Another Tara Highlight…!
Tara is helping facilitate correspondence between six grade students in Copey with a six grader (Aileana) living in Richmond,
Virginia. Short letters have been exchanged between the students offering the wonderful opportunity for the exchange of cultures and information. I am sharing only a portion of the correspondence to help you see the context of the exchange.
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“Hi Aileana, I am Valentina. I want to tell you why my favorite hobby is reading. I read a book named “Diary of Nikki.” I love reading, it is very entertaining. I like fiction, mystery and popular books. I like books that have many pages, to enjoy a fulfilling story.
“Diary of Nikki” is a story that talks about a girl suffering because of bullying in her high school. Everybody gets bullied sometimes and this story describes different situations and her feelings about it.” Valentina
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“Hi! My name is Antony. I live in Copey. I am 12 years old. My favorite animals are dogs and cats. My favorite subjects are Science and Music. I have 7 pets: 4 dogs, 2 cats and 1 rabbit. I am in 6th grade. My family is so little. I have my parents and one older sister.
I love to go to the beach. I have 2 best friends that I go to the Learning Centre with. My favorite holiday is Christmas.”
Annual Friends of Copey Presentation Scheduled..!
Each year I am invited to provide an annual “Friends of Copey” presentation to my wonderful Kiwanis Club. This club is fantastic in providing essential support to this project. The Pathway Project would not work so well without the accounting support we receive. Also, various members donate financially to support the project.
The presentation is scheduled for Friday and I have invited the Copey Learning Center to join me again via Zoom during the presentation. Kiwanis members have the rare opportunity to visit with the center and the students in real time. I am grateful and honored to represent all of the many “Friends of Copey” as I share the ongoing success of this project.