Project Amigo - Board of
Directors
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- Catherine
Munson
- Will
Haymaker
- Joyce Palmer
- Harry
Johnson
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- Bruce Powell
- Sarah Ferris
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Project Amigo - Staff
Members
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- Carlos Alberto
Sanchez
- Ana Luisa
Mendoza
- Jorge Torres
- Lety Valle
- Diego
Martinez
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- Juana Diaz
Pena
- Tita
Arrellano
- Graciella
Trujillo
- Alma
Anguiano
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Project Amigo - About
Us
History
Project Amigo has a long history in Colima, Mexico. When Ted Rose
first visited the state of Colima, back in 1984, he went to hike on
a volcano. But, instead, he took the wrong bus and found himself in
a little poverty-stricken village. That mistake, and a few other
fortuitous events, led to his decision a couple of years later to
trade his comfortable life as the owner of an office machine company
for a life surrounded by wonderful, and very poor, children who
appeared to need a helping hand if they were ever to break out of
poverty.
In December of 1984, he and his wife Susan Hill went to Colima to
hold a Christmas party and beach trip for the 50 disadvantaged rural
poor children that Ted had met a few months earlier. The children
lived in an albergue (a room and board facility provided by the
State Education Department to help families send up to three of
their children to primary school).
In 1986 Ted and Susan moved to Mexico and set up a small typing
school at the rural albergue. Boys and girls in fifth and sixth
grades learned to type, and discovered that a skill like that could
help them find better employment in the future.
Project Amigo's involvement with the other three albergues in
the state began in 1990, bringing educational materials, access to
dental care and cavity-prevention programs, and stimulating field
trips to nearly 200 children each year. These programs were (and
still are) intended to keep children motivated to stay in school to
finish their primary school education. As support from friends,
Rotarians and Rotary Clubs grew, Project Amigo expanded its mission
and its programs.
Efforts to improve education and health standards at the migrant
labor camp in Queseria began in 1997. Over the years, Project Amigo
has built two classrooms, a kitchen, children's bathrooms, and
hired two teachers. Playground equipment, a protective fence around
the school grounds, and a roof over the veranda of the school have
been added with funds from Rotary Foundation matching grants and
donations from individuals and Rotary Clubs.
The State-run albergues were closed in 1999. Project Amigo continues
to offer incentive programs to needy 4th, 5th and 6th graders in
rural communities throughout the State of Colima.
The scholarship program in place today had its humble beginnings in
1996. It has grown from offering seven junior high school
scholarships to providing 100 scholarships a year for junior high,
high school and university.
Mission
To enable the poor children of Colima, Mexico, to achieve their
highest potential by providing educational opportunities, material
support, enrichment activities and medical and dental services.
To provide opportunities for volunteers from developed countries to
help and become friends with disadvantaged children in Mexico.
To foster friendship and understanding between Rotarians from
developed countries and from Mexico.
Current programs and activities
- Enrichment programs - offered to poor rural primary
school students to encourage them to remain in school. Programs
include: annual Christmas fiesta with gifts of new clothing and
shoes, day trip to the beach, and an outing to local ruins or
museums. Mini-libraries and books of one's own (consisting of
Spanish language fun children's books) are part of our effort
to promote a love of reading in young students. Project Amigo
links Rotary Clubs in the US and Canada with Rotary Clubs in
Colima, Mexico to obtain grants from The Rotary Foundation. These
grants provide mini-libraries and books of one's own that are
distributed to dozens of schools and over 1,000 poor rural
students each year.
- Scholarship programs - scholarships to students who
maintain an 8.5 (out of 10) grade point average, maintain good
citizenship at school and perform community service activities
each month. Scholarships provide school registration fees,
uniforms and shoes, school supplies, transportation to school,
school lunches, and in some cases room and board. Each year, 100
deserving students receive scholarships to attend junior high,
high school and University. Nine college students to date have
graduated from the University of Colima. All of them are now
employed in their fields and leading their families to better
lives.
- Volunteer activities - more than one hundred fifty
volunteers (mostly from the USA and Canada) visit Project Amigo
each year, providing dental and vision services, reading and
enrichment programs, and physical labor in projects that allow
the visitors to interact with and make friends with the children
Project Amigo serves, and with the local Colima area Rotarians.
Work weeks provide opportunities for meaningful service vacations
that make a difference in children's lives.
Project Amigo - Board of
Directors
Project Amigo is a non-profit corporation incorporated in the State
of California. It is governed by a Board of Directors, who serve
staggered 3-year terms. During the 2006-07 year, the Board consists
of:
Catherine Munson
President of the Project Amigo Board, lives in Lucas Valley,
California. She is a real estate broker with her own company, LVP
MARIN REALTORS in Novato, CA which she has owned for 40 years. She
has served with passion and great interest on the PA board since
l992. Catherine joined Rotary at the Ignacio Rotary Club in l987 and
has been an enthusiastic member?especially in the international
area. Her other activities include the following board memberships:
The Buck Institute for Age Research, Marin Symphony Association,
Atlantic Pacific Bank and Frank Lloyd Wright Civic Center
Conservancy. She is also manager of the McInnis Park Golf Center and
The Club Restaurant.
Will Haymaker
Serves on the Board as Project Amigo?s Treasurer. He is a real
estate broker for Will Haymaker & Associates,
Brokers/Consultants in Santa Rosa. Will is Past-President of the
Rotary Club of Santa Rosa, and is Chairman of the Endowment
Committee of St. Patrick?s Episcopal Church. Before his ?retirement?
he was President of Dataguard, Inc., a marketing consulting
company.
Joyce Palmer
Since retiring as a teacher of Math, Joyce has continued being
active in many community activities in Novato, CA. She is Program
Chairman for the local association of American University Women. She
is an alto in the Novato Music Association and still appears on
stage. Joyce has spent 40 years singing and touring with the
Winifred Baker/San Francisco Chorale (including several concerts at
Carnegie Hall). She enjoys the game of bridge, plays at tournament
level, and currently is a bronze life master. After the death of her
husband Clark in 2005, Joyce has carried on his work on the
Endowment and World Service committees of the Novato Rotary Club.
Her late husband was charter president of the Novato Rotary Club and
was also a charter member of the Board of Directors of Project
Amigo, and was a past president of the Board. "I am continuing
my enthusiasm for this outstanding project!" Joyce served as
Secretary of the Board for many years.
Harry Johnson
Director, is a Rotary Past District Governor, and member of the
Arcata Sunrise Rotary Club. He is a practicing dentist who is
largely responsible for the dental clinic at Project Amigo's
site in Cofradia. He and his wife, Sheryl, have purchased a home in
Cofradia which they generously share with volunteers who come on
Project Amigo's winter work weeks.
Bruce Powell
Director, sold his contracting business in 2002 in order to dedicate
more time to international service. Since then he has traveled
extensively throughout Central and South America with various Rotary
or Rotary-related projects. In addition to serving as a Director for
Project Amigo, he serves on the Executive Board for YouthLINC and is
the Chairman of the Board for the Hope Alliance. He has twice been
president of the Centerville/ Farmington Rotary Club, was Group
Study Exchange leader for District 5420 (to Mexico), and has been
Chairman of the matching grants committee for the same District
since 2004. Additionally, he has served his community as a planning
commissioner for three terms and served as a Bishop in the LDS
Church.
Sarah Ferris
Retired from Chevron Oil after a 30-year career, Sarah started as a
chemist in the Perth Amboy, New Jersey Refinery and held jobs of
increasing responsibility, traveling extensively and living abroad.
She retired as Vice President of Marketing for Fuel and Marine
Marketing, a division of Chevron. While with Chevron, she
participated in Junior Achievement and local school activities. She
is currently active with and on the Council of the Presidio Golf
Club in San Francisco. Sarah serves the Board as its Secretary.
Project Amigo -
Staff
Ted Rose
Project Amigo's founder and executive director, Ted Rose, was
born and raised in Los Angeles. After serving in the US Air
Force, he moved to Eureka, California where he owned an office
equipment business for fifteen years. He sold his business in
1986 to move to Colima. In 2000 Ted, a member of the Rotary Club
of Colima, Mexico, won Rotary's prestigious Service Above
Self Award for his work with Project Amigo. Ted oversees Project
Amigo and is the liaison for Project Amigo with Rotary Clubs in
Mexico, the US and other countries. You may e-mail Ted at
ted@projectamigo.org.
Susan Hill
Ted's wife, Susan Hill, is a native Californian who grew up
in Palo Alto. Before moving to Colima her past career life
includes office manager of a Plastic Surgery medical practice,
serving as Ted's office manager, and underwriter of medical
professional liability insurance. Susan is responsible for
organizing the annual fund-raising tours and providing logistical
support for all Project Amigo programs. She is a member of the
Rotary Club of Colima.
Beto Sanchez
Carlos Alberto Sanchez is Project Amigo's Administrator and
Director. A member and Past-President of the Coquimatlan Rotary
Club, Beto brings to the project his expertise as business
owner/administrator, and his leadership skills. He is responsible
for increasing community involvement with Project Amigo's
programs and services, coordinating volunteer efforts in Colima,
and supervising Project Amigo staff. Beto lives in Coquimatlan
with his wife, Ita, and their daughters Paulina and MariFer.
Ana Luisa Mendoza
Anilú is Project Amigo's Director of Community
Relations and Administrative Assistant. She has a degree from the
Technological Institute in Colima in Business Administration,
Tourism. Anilú has worked for Project Amigo since August
of 1998. Her responsibilities include: liaison with communities
and families who are recipients of Project Amigo services; with
Mexican government agencies; translating documents and letters;
and assisting in the administration of Project Amigo's
programs. She lives in Colima with her husband and two little
girls, Anilu and Paulina.
Jorge Torres
Jorge lives in the town of Comala with his wife, Lupita, and
their two sons Hector and Jorge. He received his degree in Social
Work from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).
Jorge is responsible for Casa Amiga administration and is
Director of Children's Programs. He oversees all the homework
clubs. Jorge coordinates the annual Service Retreat Weekend for
University scholarship recipients.
Lety Valle
Lety Valle came to Project Amigo as a University scholarship
recipient. After graduating from the University of Colima in 2007
with a degree in Business Administration and Human Resources, she
came to work for Project Amigo as Jorge Torres' assistant.
She leads the homework clubs at Cofradia, Suchitlán,
Colonia Rotaria and Queseria.
Diego Martinez
Diego was born and raised in Cofradía de Suchitlán
and was a professional bus driver for eighteen years on the
Colima-Cofradía line before coming to work for Project
Amigo. He now drives our AmigoBus, maintains Project Amigo's
other vehicles, and accompanies the children on all their
outings. He is Director of Operations and also serves as cashier.
Diego lives in Cofradia with his wife Neli, and their two
children, Bismarck and Michelle.
Juana Diaz Pena
Juanis was born and raised in the village of Cofradía. As
a child Juanis was in the Project Amigo program, then became a
Project Amigo scholarship student when she entered junior high
school. After graduating from high school, Juanis came to work
for Project Amigo and now manages our Computer Center in
Cofradía. She lives in Cofradia with her husband,
Alejandro, and their two daughters, Emily and Susan.
Tita Arrellano
Tita teaches kindergarten in Project Amigo's school at the
Quesería labor camp. She manages the Queseria homework
club and coordinates Project Amigo activities at the camp. Tita
also organizes the families for such community activities as
taking care of the orchard and keeping the public spaces clean.
Tita, who is bi-lingual in Spanish and Nahuatl, lives in the town
of Quesería with her husband and two children.
Graciella Trujillo
Doña Chela, as Mrs Trujillo is called, is the housemother
at Casa Amiga, Project Amigo's boarding facility for its
University scholarship young women. She dispenses lots of
motherly love and advice to the twenty scholars who live there,
as well as preparing three nutritious meals a day for them. A
widow with grown children of her own, Doña Chela took the
job because she "wanted to feel useful."
Volunteers in
Colima
Eduardo Rubalcava and Elena Govea
Eduardo is a retired mechanical and electrical engineer and his
wife, Elena, is a child psychologist. They live in Cofradia near
Project Amigo's headquarters. Both Eduardo and Elena
regularly tutor scholarship recipients, and Elena also counsels
the students when they have personal problems. Eduardo is an
expert birder and birding guide. You can e-mail Eduardo at
eduardo@projectamigo.org.
Francy Rubin and Tom Brown
Esta es tu casa!” is a phrase that is often heard in
Mexico. When guests arrive at a Mexican home, the host and
hostess often greet them with this phrase; it means “this
is your house”. The Project Amigo Innkeepers for the
2009-2010 Work Week season, Francy Rubin and Tom Brown, have
adopted this philosophy. During your work week they want you to
think of Project Amigo’s hacienda as “your
house”.
Francy and Tom are returning to Project Amigo after a five-year
absence. From 1999 to 2004, Francy and Tom, along with their son
Troy, lived in Colima and filled a variety of needs at Project
Amigo, including serving as medical liaison between students and
health care professionals, and alternate Amigo Bus drivers. Tom
was instrumental in the establishment of Casa Amiga.
In 2004 Francy, Tom, and Troy returned to the USA so Troy could
attend high school. They settled in Lynchburg, Virginia where
Francy worked as a Physical Therapist and Tom ran his small
consulting business. Francy and Tom are now mostly retired
(although they prefer the term “repurposed”), and
with Troy living on campus (Radford University), they once again
have the time to return to Project Amigo.
Francy and Tom look forward to meeting all of Project
Amigo’s volunteers and helping them to have an
unforgettable service experience. When you walk into the Hacienda
for the first time, don’t be surprised if they say to you,
“Esta es tu casa!”
Other Volunteers
Project Amigo is blessed with the help and support of many other
volunteers. Some, like the Colima Rotary wives, primarily help
with specific annual events, such as the Christmas Fiesta or the
Day at the Beach. Others are Americans or Mexicans living in
Colima.
Project Amigo is also temporary home to volunteers from the U.S.
or Canada who come for one to six months at a time. See our
Volunteer Opportunities page if you are interested in becoming a
long-term Project Amigo volunteer.
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Catherine Munson
Board Chairperson Catherine Munson, of Novato, California.
Joyce Palmer
Board Member Joyce Palmer, of Novato, California, listens
intently to a boy at the Queseria migrant labor camp.
Bruce Powell
Board member Bruce Powell (Centerville-Farmington Rotary Club)
reviews patient history card prior to beginning distant vision
check at the Vision Clinic.
Sarah Ferris
Sarah Ferris visits with kindergarten students at the Queseria
migrant labor camp.
Ted Rose and Susan Hill
Ted and Susan are the founders of Project Amigo.
Anilu Mendoza
Anilu Mendoza, Project Amigo's Director of Community
Relations.
Jorge Torres
Jorge Torres, Director of Children's Services.
Diego Martinez
Diego Martinez drives the AmigoBus, maintains all the Project
Amigo vehicles, chaperones children, maintains the Project Amigo
facilities and gardens, and does a little bit of everything
else.
Juana Diaz Pena
Juana Diaz Pena (rear) runs the Project Amigo Internet
café, teaching students to use computers and helping them
with their homework.
Maria Orencia Arrellano "Tita"
Maria Orencia Arrellano "Tita" teaches the Project
Amigo kindergarten at the Queseria migrant labor camp.
Beto
Beto is the Project Amigo Director. He oversees all of the
others.
Tom Brown and Francy Rubin
Francy and Tom are returning to Project Amigo after a five-year
absence.
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