Dear Friends:
With 2023 rushing towards its end, we wanted to take this moment before the Thanksgiving holiday to give you some quick updates.
You answered our call in our August bulletin to support the English Language Program and we are happy to report that we received sufficient donations to cover the ELP-Guatemala effort this December. Thank you! We wish all participating volunteers and Maya students a good and fruitful time in Antigua and thank Randhi Wilson for organizing that and the on-line English learning. Chances for better jobs in their country are higher when Maya students know English. In our last bulletin, you were able to hear the students in videos and quotes attesting to that. Mary Linares and Virginia Stout are two formidable ELP volunteers who have passed away. We will always remember them with gratitude and smiles for having known them.
During my recent trip with Norma Subuyuj, a MEF graduate from Guatemala, to see our friends at Weaving for Justice in New Mexico, I experienced the smiles, food offerings, music and celebrations on the Día de los Muertos and the many altars erected for remembering families’ loved ones, including pets, in Las Cruces and Mesilla, a special and hauntingly beautiful place. We were so impressed by the many hours Christine Eber and colleagues put in all year round to organize textile sales to raise funds for Maya students and also, separately, for weavers in Chiapas Mexico. For MEF, they have received Maya textiles from thus far 65 MEF donors whom we thank very much for their thoughtful gifting of such weavings. Weaving for Justice volunteers sort all of the items and label each one carefully with the donor’s name and the original provenance of where the item was made. They then store, transport, and set up racks and tables in large spaces to attractively present the weavings in sales to the public. It’s an overwhelming effort that benefits our Maya students. This is something Norma and I gratefully noted on behalf of all our students during our presentation of MEF. It was wonderful to see how people here care enough to work so hard for them, not even knowing them. It’s also gratifying to see that textiles woven by Maya mothers and grandmothers now end up providing MEF scholarships for Maya youth, with $45,000 plus raised so far by this small but powerful group in Las Cruces. We thank all Weaving for Justice volunteers for raising funds for MEF and for their great hospitality and kindness to us during this visit.
Our annual Newsletter, our largest MEF fundraising instrument, is now at the printers. If you want to see it early, here it is. We hope that you will remember us at year end in your giving decisions, and all year round by becoming a regular donor.
We will go forward with strength and courage because of you. Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving, we give thanks for you caring about our work for helping Maya students succeed.
Elisabeth S. Nicholson
Executive Director
Donating to MEF is easy, by check or by phone. For safe, online donations, one-time or recurring, please go to www.mayaedufound.org and click on the orange Donate Now. Our partner Network for Good will process your donations to MEF securely and quickly and give you an instant e-receipt. Consider becoming a recurring donor. Your regular, tax-deductible contributions to MEF, even modest amounts, will add up and make a difference in the lives of Maya students. And, remember that you can also donate stocks or IRA/401-K required distributions to MEF. Thank you.
