Christmas 2010 Distribution...I mean, celebration!

December 25th, 2010

The 2010 Christmas Distribution in El Talon has been one of the most successful events I have ever organized.  Not only did Beyond the Wall help the needy with clothes, shoes, and toys, it also had a celebration for everyone, including the children and adults.  I had the honor to have Miss Colombia 2010, Natalia Navarro Galvis ("one of the fifteen most beautiful women in the universe"), Miss Turbaco 2010, Nadia Milena, the Colombian National Police of Turbaco, and the official journalist of the Beyond the Wall Campaign in Colombia, Samuel Alvarez of Cartagena's main newspaper, El Universal.  I also had the pleasure of introducing my family to the residents of El Talon.

The preparation for the distribution event began at 8:00 AM at the kiosk I have always used for my distributions.  I had volunteers and family members in charge of specific areas of the distribution; some were in charge of decorations, others in charge of the food, and the rest were in charge of the donations and the transportation of the sound system with the chorus.  While everyone was helping with the preparations, I was in charge of picking up Miss Turbaco 2010, Nadia Milena, journalist Samuel Alvarez, and meeting up with Miss Colombia 2010, Natalia Navarro.  Luckily, I had the support of the Colombian National Police in Turbaco, who have always helped me since my campaign began.

Finally, after two hours of rushing, everything was ready in El Talon at 10 AM.  When I arrived with my special guests, we were greeted with a live chorus singing "villancicos" (Spanish Christmas carols), as well as a cheering crowd.  It was very exciting because Miss Colombia took presents for the children, and everyone was very happy.  After the guests spoke, we decided to raffle the presents that Miss Colombia had taken to the children.  After the raffle, we decided to have somewhat of a dance competition for the adults, and the music they danced to was Champeta (Afro-Colombian music of Cartagena), Salsa (from Cali, Colombia), and Cumbia (folkloric dance from the Caribbean coast of Colombia).  The adults were so excited, that even some members of the Police asked my father to dance Salsa.  All in all, the environment of the distribution was so happy, that I didn't see anyone not enjoying themselves.  Later on, I presented my parents and sister to the residents of El Talon, which was very exciting since nobody in that town had ever seen them (except my father a couple of days before during the census).

During the actual distribution, everyone received their donations calmly and in an organized manner.  The chorus continued singing their Christmas carols in order to maintain a good mood among the residents of El Talon.  Towards the end, we continued to raffle toys for all the children, which was a success as well.

After the distribution, my guests and I all went to my family's house and had lunch, which was excellent because we had the opportunity to reflect on our successful project.  The 2010 Christmas distribution was not only perfect for my standards, but it was also beneficial for my parents and sister to see all of my social work in Colombia.  Most importantly, the people of El Talon had a very good Christmas, because even during difficult times such as Christmas, Beyond the Wall will always be there to support and help them.  I am very proud of all of my family and friends for all their hard work and patience to help me...since I do have a short temper.  I will defintely be returning to El Talon in 2011!  Thanks to all my followers, supporters, and volunteers both in the United States and Colombia!

 

December 2010 Census

December 21st, 2010

The year's last distribution in El Talon has been somewhat difficult to plan out due to the bad rainy season affecting Colombia.  There are thousands of people that have lost their homes in the country, and Colombia is in a state of emergency.  I flew to Cartagena on December 17th, 2010, and it was the day that it suddenly stopped raining in the city.  In fact, during my whole stay in Colombia, it did not rain at all.  However, since El Talon does not have a road, mud was everywhere, and it was very uncomfortable trying to plan out a successful distribution knowing that it was difficult to even enter the town.  Unfortunately, the local government has not done anything to help El Talon improve its living conditions.  The day my family, volunteers, and I went to El Talon for the census, we were all impacted by the way the town looked after all the rain.  In fact, we could not enter El Talon that day because it was so muddy, so we had to return the next day.  It was my father's first time visiting El Talon, and he was very shocked to see how people live there.  Even though the poverty is still very bad, I felt very happy to be there because everyone seemed excited to know that Beyond the Wall was going to complete a Christmas distribution!  I met some new residents of El Talon...most of them were displaced due to the rain.  Many of the homes were sinking due to the muddy conditions, and I do not know if the residents with sinking homes will be there the next time I return in 2011.  Lucikily, we completed the census in about two hours, and we found ways to enter the town successfully.  I want to thank my family and volunteers for all their help!

 

The preparation begins!

December 19th, 2010

The last 2010 Beyond the Wall distribution will take place this week in El Talon!  I am currently in Cartagena, Colombia preparing for the distribution this Thursday, December 23rd, 2010.  There will be many special supporters, including Priest Dionisio from Spain, ex Miss Colombia, Natalia Navarro, among others.  I am pleased to announce the continuing support of the Colombian Civil Defense and National Police, who have supported me since my first distribution in July 2009.  I also have the pleasure to count on the support of the local press, including the newspaper "El Universal" with journalist Samuel Alvarez.  Thanks to all the supporters in Colombia!

Successful distribution in downtown Orlando!

November 24th, 2010

A successful distribution took place yesterday (November 23rd) in downtown Orlando with the students of Castle Creek Elementary School.  As announced, the distribution included handing out chips, juice, and sandwiches prepared by the students for the homeless.  We met at 8:30 AM at Lake Eola Park, and by noon, we were already done with the distribution.  After the activity, we all ate pizza, and the children played at the park for awhile.  The purpose of the distribution was so the students can learn to appreciate what they have, and so they can also begin working in social projects.  These type of activities also motivate the children to become more involved with the community in a safe and beneficial way.  I want to thank Daniel, Gabriel, Christine, Eli, Rachel, J-Lene, Jose, Selena, Eddie, Mrs. Burgos, Marcos, and the parents of the students for supporting my cause during this Thanksgiving.  Happy holidays!

Homeless distribution this Tuesday

November 22nd, 2010

This Tuesday, November 23rd, the students of Castle Creek Elementary will have the chance to participate in Beyond the Wall's homeless distribution in Downtown Orlando's Lake Eola Park.   In order to maintain the food fresh (peanut butter and jelly sandwiches), it will all be prepared on Monday, November 22nd by the students, and the distribution will be held the following day at 8:30 AM with two school employees supervising the activity.  This distribution will be done to celebrate Thanksgiving Day, and so the students can continue learning about the poverty that exists in this country.  Thanks a lot to everyone that continues to support my campaign here in Orlando!

Thank you, Natalia Navarro Galvis

November 16th, 2010

Yesterday, Natalia Navarro Galvis, Miss Colombia 2009-2010, turned in her crown as queen of the Colombians.  I met Natalia as Miss Bolivar 2009, and ever since, she has really supported Beyond the Wall.  I want to thank her (as I always do when I have contact with her) for absolutely all the support she has offered me, and I hope that all of the plans she has after this experience are beneficial for her and the people she calls family. I hope that I can continue with her support!

Colombia bound!

November 15th, 2010

The donations that will be distributed in El Talon this Christmas were sent to Colombia this afternoon.  Previously, the donations were sent via Tampa Cargo in Miami, but it was very uncomfortable simply because Miami is four hours away from Orlando.  I used to rent a truck, take everything to Miami, and pick up the donations in Barranquilla, where I always had an inconvenience.  If I lived in Miami, I wouldn't think twice about sending the donations through Tampa Cargo, but since that is not the case, I have had to look for another alternative.

Now, I have the fortune of being able to send everything to Colombia from Orlando with "Via al Exito;" this company sends packages to Colombia via Zai Cargo.  The best part about it is that the donations go straight to the home where I stay at in Colombia (Cartagena), and I don't have to go to Barranquilla to pick them up.  The donations will arrive in approximately a week and a half, and I will avoid many issues.  Today, I rented a truck to simply take the donations to the "Via al Exito" facility, and I managed to turn everything in successfully and easily.  I am scheduled to go to Cartagena de Indias (Colombia) on December 17th, and my distribution is scheduled for December 23rd in El Talon.  Thanks a lot to the staff of "Via al Exito" that helped me out! 

Preparing the donations for Colombia

October 31st, 2010

After many months of collecting clothes throughout central Florida, I've managed to collect all the necessary amount of donations to have a successful Christmas distribution in Colombia.  Luckily, I have a variety of clothes, toys, and shoes for all the residents of El Talon.  I want to thank everyone that helped me in central Florida, including the students of Timber Creek High School, Valencia Community College, and Castle Creek Elementary School.

I used to dislike the idea of having people help me pack the donations because I thought that it would only make the process slower and unorganized; however, this time, I decided to accept the help.  As I've mentioned in previous posts, I work in an elementary school, and one of my students is Gabriel Pluguez.  This fifth grader has shown a lot of interest in Beyond the Wall, and is also in a band with his cousins called Kyrus.  One day, he and his mother asked me if they could help me out with anything, and I finally told them that I needed help packing the donations for Colombia.  They immediately called the rest of the band Gabriel is a part of, and they all thought it would be a great idea to go to my home to help me pack.

On Saturday, October 30th, every Kyrus band member arrived at my home early in the morning to help me pack with the presence of their mothers.  The interesting part of this activity is that they are all children, and I must admit that I thought it would take them hours to pack everything...but they only took an hour!  When I used to pack everything with my mother, it used to take us hours (sometimes days) to pack, but now I realize that I will never do that again!  After their work, we all ate pizza and had a pleasant morning.  I really want to thank Kyrus for all their help and support!  I would also like to point out that Gabriel, a child of only 11 years of age, promotes Beyond the Wall at his school, among his friends, and he even wants to go to El Talon to help out with this campaign.  Publicly, I want to thank him for all the support he always offers me!

Everything is now packed, and in two weeks, everything will be sent to Colombia!

Success in Orlando!

October 2nd, 2010

After postponing the homeless distribution with the fifth grade students of Castle Creek Elementary, I was finally given approval to complete my project on Friday, October 1st, 2010 with the students making the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  The process was actually very fast, which was completely unexpected.  We had a total of eleven fifth graders packing all the donations in about 30 minutes.  I divided the students up by stations; some put the peanut butter and jelly on the bread, some packed the sandwiches in bags, and the last couple of students stored the sandwiches in the lunch bags, along with chips and a juice.  I was very excited to know that we prepared 45 lunch bags for the homeless.  After their hard work, we played soccer and tennis to relax before our distribution the next day.

On Saturday, October 2nd, selected students, some parents, some volunteers, and I went to Downtown Orlando's Lake Eola Park with all of our donations.  As mentioned in a previous post, this park has a lot of homeless people with very interesting stories.  I understand that there are places with more homeless people, but I believe this park was a perfect environment for the children.  We handed out clothes that has been donated to the Beyond the Wall Campaign, as well as the lunch bags that were prepared by the children of Extended Day at Castle Creek Elementary School.  The children also had an opportunity to speak to the homeless, which was very important.  They met people with mental illness, veterans, and some that have been affected by the recession.  An interesting (and sad) event was when they saw a homeless man being kicked out of the park by the Orlando Police Department for sleeping on the grass.  They met a woman that admitted she slept below a 408 expressway bridge.  They also met a homeless man that was so religious, that he even prayed with the children.  After the social work was completed, the children had an opportunity to play at the playground, which they really enjoyed.  We ended the morning by having pizza at the park. 

The event was a complete success!  The students really enjoyed their morning at the park, they learned about the homeless, and they made a difference.  I am very proud that I was able to direct this project with the kids, and that the alliance that the Beyond the Wall Campaign has with Castle Creek Elementary School is working out well.  I want to thank the staff of Castle Creek Elementary School, the students that participated in this project, the parents that allowed their children to help out, and of course, everyone that has followed this campaign.