1st and 2nd Quarters 2010

30 years of loving children.
1st and 2nd Quarters 2010
Flood Relief in Baja!
Devastaing Flood in Central Baja Brings COTA Crews and Materials to Help
Heavy and relentless rains created flash flooding in the rural areas near Vicente
Guererro in central Baja, especially in and around the town of Camalu. Thanks to
many wonderful donors and their gifts, COTA was able to send a crew down to the
Vicente Guerrero area [about 200 miles south of the border] with over 120 blankets,
tarps, rope, clothing, warm stocking caps and mittens and jackets, mattresses, misc.
necessities, and importantly, well over 2 tons/4,000pounds of food, some of which
was purchased in bulk in
Mexico. Here's a short
account from Sharon
Harris, one of our crew:
Christina Harris and a new friend having a moment
"What we witnessed yester- while bringing materials and food to flood victims.
day in the
Camalu
area outside
School Supplies and Food to Needy Kids at Jefferson Elementary
Vincente
Although Children of The Americas has been primarily working
Guererro
with children in Mexico for most of our history, our mission has
was heartalways been
One of the devastated homes in Camalu. Piles of mud breaking.
understood to be
in front yard as clothing and bedding is hung out to dry-- The famihemispherical,
lies that we
tarps attempting to water seal the roof.
and we’ve been
saw
very excited
seemed to be torn between shellabout our
shock and despair as they led us
increasing reach
into their humble little shacks to
to U.S. kids here
show us the mud and havoc that
in Southern CA,
came two weeks ago....many said
northern New
that water just rushed in suddenly
Mexico, and in
and was knee-high or up to their
other areas.
waists in some instances....and most
people sleep on the floor with a
We’ve informal- Students at Jefferson Elementary School in
bare mattress at best! We just didn't
ly adopted, with Santa Ana, CA receiving school supplies.
know what to say or how we could
the school’s permission, Jefferson Elementary School in Santa Ana,
help but we are forever grateful to
CA--a school located in a primarily Hispanic area with many underour COTA donors because we were
served students and families. Last year, we brought school supplies
able to give them food, blankets and
in the fall and toys for Christmas, and this year, we were able to
tarps, which they were very thankful
bring food for students’ families having a particularly difficult time
for. I can't express enough how
and school supplies for both student and their classrooms. In CA,
Norm Kremiller and helper
grateful we were for all that food...to
unloading food for flood victims. devastated by budget shortfalls, teachers and their classrooms are
have been in the position of walking
struggling to get the materials they need to teach and be competitive
away from those people and leaving them
Reaching Out to U.S. Kids
(Continued on Page 2)
(Continued on Page 5)
Children of The Americas | 67 Gingham St. | Trabuco Canyon, CA 92679
949-709-0673 TEL | 949-709-0674 FAX | [email protected] EMAIL | www.americaschildren.org WEB
Flood Relief in Baja
(Continued from Page 1)
empty-handed would have been too
much....we couldn't have gone there
had we not had something to give."
Amazingly, with our vehicles filled
to the rafters, front to back and side
to side, the crew was stopped only
momentarily at the border and let go
through. Our Norm Kremiller was
joined by Sharon Harris, her daughter Christina, and Tony Salas, who
shot most of these images.
Matthew Pack working to load food and materials.
The crew teamed up with Erma
Tony Salas loading banana boxes of food into waiting
Fennel, director of her own founda- vehicles for transport to central Baja.
tion based in VG, which was the
staging area for distribution. At her
facility, the bulk food was divided up
into family-sized portions, "dispensas," and routes were planned to outlying villages that were hardest hit
by the storms and floods.
Scott Komie loading food and over 120 disaster
blankets donated by the 1st Southern Baptist
Church of Buena Park.
The crew left Wednesday, Feb 3, at
5AM and arrived in the early afternoon. The rest of the day was spent
prepping and then distributing.
Spending Wednesday night at the
Fennel Foundation facility, the crew Lots of activity in Baja between COTA crew and local
help as food is unpacked and portioned for families.
got up early Thursday morning to
continue distributing before heading home.
Local volunteers helping unload the COTA trucks.
With the immediate, life-preserving
necessities delivered to these families
first, a second crew left Friday, Feb.
12, and stayed through Sunday, Feb
14 to distribute the tools and other
materials needed to dig out and
reestablish their homes. Our second
crew worked to set up a co-op
between the families through which
they committed to work together to
dig out of the mud--one house every
day starting with the most devastated.
Christina Harris portioning rice and other staples into the Once again, we’re fully indebted to
“dispensas,” family-sized survival packs.
Ultra-warm disaster blankets coming off the truck.
our many donors who made this
essential relief effort possible. A family in Camalu getting food and supplies.
Doesn’t take much to coax a smile.
Corn flakes and pancake mix--staples.
Page 2
Help Us Keep it Going for Christmas!
It’s already
Christmas time
again...time to
think of making our
children’s lives
sparkle during the holidays. Our food
keeps them warm and healthy all year
and our school supplies keep them on
track to self-sustenance later in life, but
our gifts at Christmas really speak to the
child right in front of us.
This year, as you’ve no doubt heard
over and over, our faltering economy
has depressed giving all across the nonprofit world--we’re feeling it too, of
course. Our major toy donor has only
been able to give us about a third of the
toys they have in years past. So again,
we need your help to bring Christmas to
children in Mexico and here in the U.S.
who would otherwise have no gifts to
brighten this time of year.
Please consider sending us toys or a
cash donation that we can turn into
toys for kids--with our wholesale connections, we can make a dollar really
stretch. It won’t that take much from just
a few of us to make this year’s Caravan
really work.
And if you’re here in Southern CA, consider coming with us to deliver the toys
to kids in Mexico on January 8, 2011.
It’s an amazing day you’ll never forget,
and we’ll never forget any support you
can give us for our kids right now!
Backpacks to Central Baja
More Children Receiving Supplies
In the fall of 2009, we had major problems getting school supplies across
the border to our kids in Mexico. As a
result, hundreds of backpacks full of
school supplies were rerouted to kids
in the U.S. We had packs going to
students at Jefferson Elementary in
Santa Ana, CA, and others going to
children of
deployed
Marines at
Camp
Pendleton.
As you can see, the children were no less
deserving and in their
remote locations, see
much less support than
other areas.
We were thrilled to finally
get these packs across,
but still disappointed
we couldn’t
get more
A group of ninos at Rancho San Francisco, central Baja with
packs to
our kids in their brand new backpacks full of supplies.
But once the
Mexico
dust had setoverall.
tled, we were
Fortunateable to get
ly, with a
another load
record
of backpacks
number of
across the
packs
border after
assembled
all through an One family taken care of in Rancho San
this year,
alternate
Francisco, all together with their supplies.
and some
crossing.
creative border crossing
These packs were delivered to chiltechniques, we got hundren in the agricultural areas around
dreds of packs to our
Vicente Guerrero in Central Baja--to
kids in Mexico in 2010. Another big group of chldren outside the little church at Nueva
Rancho San Francisco and Nueva
That story next issue. Era near Vicente Guerrero with their new packs.
Era.
Page 3
Baseball is a Universal Language in Baja
COTA Provides Sophisticated
Baseball Equipment to Baja Teams
It’s really impossible to predict how
people in our lives may end up connecting in ways we never would have
imagined. Two of Norm Kremiller’s
friends--one old and one new made
just such a connection this year.
Norm met Lorenzo, the sports director
of Guerrero Negro in central Baja
when both of them were working with
hurricane victims in the southern Baja
town of Mulege last October. On their
return trip, Lorenzo and his wife invited Norm to stay with them overnight.
During their conversations,
Norm learned of their need
for sports equipment for the
youth teams in their community of about 10,000
people.
Coach Lorenzo, sports director of Guerrero Negro, and Norm in front of
some of the baseball equipment donated to COTA for the community.
When Norm got back to the
States, he contacted his
decades-long friend,
Bob Zamora, baseball coach
at Capo Valley High
School, who was more than
happy to help. Bob was able
to donate equipment no
longer being used at the
high school including: ball
gloves, batting helmets, bats, uniforms, shoes, and even batting
machines and over 200 used baseballs in good condition.
Someday you may be hearing about a
professional ballplayer from Guererro
Negro-thanks to old
and new
friends who
care about
children and
respond to
their needs.
Specific
thanks to
Bob Z and
Capo Valley
High School
in Mission
Viejo, CA. Coach Lorenzo looking
over baseball equipment
donated through COTA
to be used by youth teams throughout Guerrero Negro.
Page 4
Early Christmas Angels
As we mentioned
just a page earlier,
we’re in great need
of toys for kids on
Christmas.
We hope that many
more of you will
take a cue from
Charise Medeiros, a
licensed marriage
and family therapist
who donated many
toys and children’s
furniture from her
practice in San Juan
Capistrano, CA.
Thanks, Charise-we’re looking for a
few more angels in Charise Medeiros, MFT, with some of the
the coming weeks. toys and kid’s furniture she donated to
our kids through her therapy practice.
Helping U.S. Children
supplies and had the happy task of
working with the teachers and kids
that day. (Continued from Page 1)
both statewide and nationally.
We need to thank Casey McCartin and Rosa
Cejas, two of Jefferson’s teachers, along
with principal Anita Ford for setting up the
logistics for our delivery on 3/10/10 and
identifying the most needy families to
receive the food and other aid. Our staffer
David Rust and his crew put together a near
metric ton of food as well as bulk school
Everyone’s helping unload the vans.
It’s easy work with many hands....
Food and supplies coming into the classrooms.
Rosa Cejas, one of Jefferson’s teachers
and our logistical angel.
Our David Rust taking time to pose with the kids.
Casey McCartin sorting food and having fun.
Principal Anita Ford looking over new backpacks.
VG Faces
A few more shots of faces and moments
in Camalu after the floods. Page 5
Land for Building
Coming Next Issue
Our next issue will be jam packed with news of year
end programs and events. Here are some teasers...
School Backpack Drive
Standing on our new land: Sharon Harris, Gene
Spann, Dave Brisbin, Norm Kremiller. Below, Leti
Garcia, our nutrition manager, walks through.
Visa
MasterCard
Amex
Packs were delivered to kids in northern and central
Baja, Southern CA schools, NM schools, and children of deployed Marines at Camp Pendleton.
Trinity Lutheran Food
Trinity Lutheran Church in Manhattan Beach, CA
brings another fat metric ton of food to our kids.
Toys and Christmas Caravan
The whole saga of the Christmas Caravan unfolds
from gathering toys to assemble stockings to delivery in Mexico.
Dave signing the deed to the land as Olivia, Leti,
and Sixto’s daughter (L) look on.
For greater security, we now
need the 3-digit ID code from
the back of your card. Thanks!
Car Donation Program
Card Number
Gift Amount $
Name
(Please Print)
Signed:
Expiration
Don’t miss this issue coming early next year.
ID Code
No credit card fees are deducted
for Visa and MasterCard gifts.
You can click on this
icon on our website
or call the toll-free
number, and a towtruck will be there
before you can say
Food for Kids!
Our work began in Santa Teresita Orphanage in Tijuana,
Mexico on March 31, 1974. Paul Weiss and his friends
founded an interfaith organization, Los Ninos, to help the
girls of Santa Teresita. The work and the dream grew and
by January, 1984, a new structure was needed. Children of
The Americas was created to match the work with the
expanding dream to reach children throughout our hemisphere, but especially kids in the US and Mexico. Help us
continue to create hope, one child at a time.
Card Type
School Packs to U.S. and Mexico Kids
Board of Trustees
Rev. Dave Brisbin (Pres), Marian Brisbin (Secy),
Eugene Spann (Treas), Dona Shono, Frances Haynes,
Bill Frey, Tony Salas, Paul Weiss (emeritus chair)
Credit Card Gift Authorization
New Mexico Connection
We have a new sister organization in the
Albuquerque area of NM operating as a division of
COTA. Led by Laura Burnett, this group assembled
over 200 backpacks for kids in northern NM.
A local resident, Mr. Sixto Herrera Ysidro, who
owns property immediately adjacent to the
school, donated two parcels to Children of The
Americas with a total of approx 4,000 sf. We
signed documents for the land on 6/18/10 for
the purpose of building a new two story facility
of approx 3,000 sf comprising a dining room
and storage facility downstairs and a child care
facility upstairs. Our nutrition manager, Leti
Garcia along with our staff coordinator, Olivia
Morentin, will manage day to day operations
once the facility is built. The community is
really excited about the project, of course.
We’re estimating about $20k is needed for
materials--skilled labor is already lined up to
volunteer for construction. If you can help fund
or procure building materials, please let us
know. We’re on the hunt. COTA hit a new high in 2010, gathering supplies
and assembling over 860 backpacks full of school
supplies for U.S. and Mexico kids.
Administration
67 Gingham Street, Trabuco Canyon, CA 92679
949.709.0673 TEL | 949.709.0674 FAX
[email protected] EMAIL
www.americaschildren.org WEB
Land Donated To COTA for New Center
As our nutrition program has grown at the
ejido, the need for a larger, free-standing dining
room has grown as well. In addition, there is a
great need for a day care center. Many women
living in the ejido work in factories in the nearby La Gloria area and have no one to help with
child care during school hours. Having a child
care facility next to the school would provide
an ideally located facility for mothers to leave
small children as they walk to work.
Please Join us at 7AM every morning for two minutes of prayer for all children.
Give a man a fish,
and you feed him
for a day. Teach
him to fish, and you
feed him for a lifetime. With your
help, we’ve been
teaching children to
fish for 30 years.
That’s a lot of fish!
One Child is the quarterly newsletter of Children of The Americas.
Address Service Requested
67 Gingham St. I Trabuco Canyon, CA 92679
949-709-0673 TEL | 949-709-0674 FAX
Children of The Americas
Permit No. 1181
Mission Viejo, CA
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