Shhh! I’m reading By Linda Lowery, Photos by Camie Sands and Saba Boctor, July 28, 2006, We want to know what’s cooking! By Sally Reid, Midday Rotary Club receives grant, New university partnerships between the US and Mexico From the US Embassy, Mexico Ci

Shhh! I’m reading
By Linda Lowery, Photos by Camie Sands and Saba Boctor, July 28, 2006

“I’m sorry, but I can’t listen,” a boy told an author who was presenting at the Biblioteca Pública´s Books & Becas Benefit last Wednesday. “I’m reading.”
Those words were music to the ears of Richard Keep, Pat Perrin, Lucina Kathmann, Wim Coleman, Victor Sahuatoba, and Linda Lowery—local authors at the event who read excerpts from their children’s books, chatted with visitors about writing and illustrating, and autographed copies for young readers, parents and grandparents.

Writers were delighted to see that kids found far corners for cozying up with their treasured new books.

This would not have been surprising at a quiet book event. But all around those intently reading children was the happy buzz of storytelling, art projects, chocolates, pizza, raffles, award presentations and a surprise puppet show.

The bilingual event celebrated the 54-year-old library’s evergreen focus: children and community. “The goodwill we generated is priceless,” said Ali Zerriffi, president of the Biblioteca’s board, who was astounded by the number of guests offering to join the library’s volunteer corps. The organizer of the event and the board’s assistant treasurer, Ken Rowland, reported that more than 300 people from the Mexican and foreign communities participated, 50 volunteers helped, and US$8,000 was raised.

The money will go to purchase children’s books and to fund scholarships for students from the ranchos.

The main stage was set up by engineer Norberto Godinez, a former Biblioteca beca recipient who talked about the impact his scholarship made on his now-successful business with 30 employees.

When Laura Shermer of the Becas Committee hugged a student who had just been awarded a beca to help with medical school, there were tears all around.

For Library Director Miguel Kegel, one of the highlights was Maria Luisa Moreno, who told traditional stories in Spanish and in English. “She is dedicated to bringing the indigenous soul to the kids,” he said, “to put pride back into the idea of what it means to be ‘Indio.’” Librarian Elia Nava Rangel brought a surprise to the event: a puppet show she had worked on for weeks with five children who created the puppets, the story, and even the theater.

At the entrance to the children’s room, there is now a new work of art to commemorate the event—a collection of 100 paper torches created and signed by the children.

Called “Turn on the Torch and Read,” it was the brainchild of local artists Lisa Simms and Heidi Levasseur, whose table was busy all evening with young artisans cutting, signing and gluing their “reading” torches onto canvas.

For those who missed all the excitement, not to worry. By popular demand, the next Books & Becas Benefit is already being planned for February 2007.

Thanks to all the Authors and Artists
Wim Coleman, Gumersindo Olivares España, Lucina Kathman, Richard Keep, Heidi Levasseur, Linda Lowery, Maria Luisa Moreno, Pat Perrin, Victor Sahuatoba, Blanca Estela Gomez Santiago.

And a Big “Thank You” to Our Sponsors
Antares Pastelería, Atención San Miguel, Bacco, Bagel Café, Bar Berlin, Casa de la Cuesta, Comida Casera, El Buen Café, El Pegaso Restaurant/Bar, El Rinconcito Restaurante, Harry’s New Orleans Café & Oyster Bar, Hecho En Mexico, Je T’aime Fusion Bakery, Johfrej Chocolatiers, José Marín, La Buena Vida, La Carpa, Lisa Simms Studio, Mama Mia, Maxi Vino, Nirvana, Olé Olé, Petit Tour, Restaurante Bella Italia, The Night Kitchen Caterers.

We want to know what’s cooking!
By Sally Reid

Casa Hogar Don Bosco, located at Sollano 14, is the home for up to 32 teenage girls. These are girls who have been orphaned or abandoned, physically and/or sexually abused, and often left to live in poverty-stricken conditions.

Our goal is to care for them in a homelike atmosphere where their education and overall growth are based on family values. Special emphasis is placed on self-esteem.

We are now getting ready to launch our new web page in the coming week at www.casahogardonboscosanmiguel.com. This site will enable us to reach many new friends and supporters. We are also investigating avenues through which we can sell items that will increase proceeds to our girls for schooling and lead to an improved life.

And here’s where you come in! We want to compile a small Mexican cookbook that will showcase the flavors of San Miguel de Allende. If you have a favorite Mexican recipe that you make or you are fortunate to have made for you, we would like for you to share it with us. Recipes may be submitted in English or Spanish. Please send your favorite recipe to lunacjp@aol.com or address it to Attention: Recipes, Casa Hogar Don Bosco, Sollano 14, Centro, San Miguel de Allende, GTO. 37700.

If it’s more convenient, please ring the bell at Sollano 14 and we will have a box there to collect the recipes. Please include the title of your recipe and your name as it should appear in the cookbook.

You may also include a little about yourself, such as why and how you found your way to San Miguel, how long you have been here and any personal information you would like to share. Candace Pohl, a volunteer at Casa Hogar Don Bosco, will compile and publish the cookbook.

This cookbook will be available for sale through the website. All monies generated will go directly to benefit the girls of Sollano 14. Although this home has adequate facilities and loving Dominican nuns to love and guide them, the girls still have many unmet needs. They need clothing/uniforms, school supplies and money to help pay for food, healthcare and dental and energy bills. Casa Hogar Don Bosco receives no funding from the Mexican government or the Catholic Church—all support comes through the generosity of benefactors.

Cooking has been on our minds for the past year. Sollano 14 makes their money by selling food at Atotonilco when there are pilgrimages there. At many times of year, the girls of Casa Hogar prepare food and sell it to the very poor who come to spend the week at the sanctuary.

Often they prepare food and drive to Atotonilco three times a day. All the madres and girls work at this life-supporting work, in addition to school and all it demands. The profits are small and the work is hard. We have had the help of a grant from the Mill Valley Rotary Club, California, to purchase a more efficient stove to aid in this work, and we have been able to add new, large cooking pots and heat extractors for the kitchen. Special thanks to Mike Shiavo who has been out purchasing these very needed items. Always nice to have a man in the kitchen—especially Mike!

We believe the proceeds from sales of the cookbook will be very beneficial to our goal of meeting the needs of the girls and madres at Casa Hogar Don Bosco. Your support of this important endeavor will be greatly appreciated.

Midday Rotary Club receives grant

The Rotary Club of San Miguel de Allende-Midday is proud to announce that they have received a US$1,000 grant from The Michael Paul Wein Charitable Foundation, Inc.

The mission statement of the Michael Paul Wein Charitable Foundation, Inc. is “to devote our resources and income to making gifts, grants, or contributions, and to providing financial and management assistance, to other charitable organizations which engage in activities such as the feeding of children, organizations which provide medical care to children, and other organizations or persons as the Board of Trustees may determine to be prudent.”

The Midday Club will use this gift to fund one of their local projects in San Miguel. Both the Midday Rotary Club and the MPWCF have agreed to further talks regarding additional annual grants in ever-increasing amounts.

New university partnerships between the US and Mexico
From the US Embassy, Mexico City

“Knowledge is one of the keys to long-term development, and universities stand at the heart of that enterprise,” said US Ambassador Tony Garza. “These partnerships will help strengthen trade and sustainable economic development in Mexico, improve the quality of life in indigenous communities, create new cadres of trained professionals and enhance cross-border relationships. The TIES partnerships are awarded to US and Mexican universities, but they have a positive effect on thousands of people who may never set foot on a university campus.”

The 10 new partnerships are a key component of the TIES (Training, Internships, Exchanges, and Scholarships) initiative, a central element of the US–Mexico Partnership for Prosperity launched in 2001 by Presidents Bush and Fox. The TIES partnerships are administered by the US Embassy’s Agency for International Development.

The new partnerships, awarded based on a competitive process, include the following Mexican institutions:

·Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Campus Monterrey
·Universidad Autónoma “Benito Juárez” de Oaxaca
·Universidad de Guadalajara
·Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara
·Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Campus Mexicali
·Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala
·Universidad Pedagógica Veracruzana & Benemérita Escuela Normal Veracruzana
·Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes
·Universidad Veracruzana
·Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro & Universidad Tecnológica de la Selva

These new partnerships consist of collaborative projects including research, scholarships and exchanges to address key development issues in the areas of natural resources management, legal education, small business development, teacher training and public health.

The US government will provide a total of US$35 million for TIES, and universities and the private sector will contribute an additional US$15 million to support more than 750 scholarships and 55 partnerships between Mexican and US universities.