Second Board Meeting

July 11th, 2011

Children of El Talon

On July 6th, 2011, our second board meeting was held, and we finally began making many more decisions that will become noticeable during the next couple of months.  As a group, we decided on the following:

• Clubs representing Beyond the Wall will be created at Timber Creek High School and at the University of Central Florida.  The purpose of these clubs is to raise awareness about the campaign and to get more followers in the central Florida community.
• Our official website will become BTWCampaign.com, which will begin to function very soon.
• Drop boxes will be set around Timber Creek High School, University of Central Florida, Valencia College, and at a main location in Orlando.
• Our image will change; our aim is to attract more young adults.
• Presentations will be done at various locations throughout central Florida.  A presentation in Bogota, Colombia is also being planned; however, more information regarding that presentation will be posted soon.
• A car wash will also be organized to help raise funds for our distribution in Colombia.
• We will have a "packing week" during August to start organizing the donations that will be sent to Colombia later this year.

Much more information will be posted as we continue to settle our thoughts and decisions.  Thanks to everyone for the support…

We invite you to follow us on Facebook (Beyond the Wall Campaign-Colombia) and through Twitter (@BeyondTheWallCO).

Donation Update

June 25th, 2011

Throughout 2011, even though there have been many changes to the campaign, we have still received many of the much needed donations for the residents of El Talon.  So many donations have been received, that we are now going to need to store them at another facility that will be announced soon.  A special thanks goes out to everyone that has donated, such as Edison Gomez, Vickie Pacheco, Lilliana Correa Pinzon, Jan Henderson, Christine Kreutzer, Amy Lerman, Kevin Williams, and many more.

The donations are scheduled to be distributed during the December 23rd, 2011 celebration in El Talon, Colombia.

We invite you to follow us on Facebook (Beyond the Wall Campaign-Colombia) and through Twitter (@BeyondTheWallCO).

Official presentation of the Board of Directors

June 6th, 2011


As it was previously mentioned, Beyond the Wall now has a new board of directors.  On June 5th, 2011, the first board meeting was successfully completed after it was postponed one day.  Finally, the presentation of the Beyond the Wall board of directors:

Fernando Nuñez Esquiaqui- Director

Adriane Norman- Marketing Volunteer Manager

Juan Esteban Cajigas- Human Resource Manager

We are still in the process of organizing our ideas, but we are confirming the following: 

• Distribution in El Talon is scheduled to take place on December 23rd, 2011.
• The Beyond the Wall board will travel to Colombia to participate in this event.
• A children's park called "Park of the Future" will inaugurate on the same day of the distribution.

Due to the fact that we are still organizing ourselves as a group, more changes will be announced next month, after our second board meeting. 

We invite you to follow us on Facebook (Beyond the Wall Campaign-Colombia) and through Twitter (@BeyondTheWallCO).

Two months full of future!

May 28th, 2011

After over two months of not posting anything, I have the pleasure to announce that I have spent this time changing the format of Beyond the Wall.  Since March until the beginning of May, I had guidance regarding the future of this campaign.  Rebecca Matos, who is part of the administration at the University of Central Florida, gave me all the much needed advice so Beyond the Wall can continue to grow.  One of the most obvious changes that will be made to my campaign is the creation of a board of directors.  It was a very difficult decision since it is complicated to trust people.  It took me approximately a month and a half to think of and organize a group of candidates to become part of Beyond the Wall.  Luckily, I finally thought of two young students that are perfect for this job.  During the beginning of May, I interviewed them, and I finally chose them.  The new members of the Beyond the Wall board of directors are:

• Adriane Norman, born in Toledo, Ohio (of Iranian descent), and student at the University of Central Florida.
• Juan Esteban Cajigas, born in Bogota, Colombia and Junior at Timber Creek High School.

On Saturday, June 4th, we will have our first board meeting, where we will discuss our positions and the future of Beyond the Wall.  As of that date, every decision regarding Beyond the Wall will be done as a group.

I will soon publish more information regarding the date of our future distribution in Colombia, when we will build a children's park in El Talon, and more.  These months have been filled with progress, and I want to thank Mrs. Matos for all the help.  I also want to welcome Adriane Norman and Juan Esteban Cajigas to Beyond the Wall!

I invite you to follow me on Facebook (Beyond the Wall Campaign-Colombia) and through Twitter (@BeyondTheWallCO).

Homeless distribution at Lake Eola Park- Orlando

March 8, 2011

In an effort to continue teaching American children about the needs of some people in our society, I have organized another distribution of lunch for the homeless at Lake Eola Park in Downtown Orlando, Florida.  The project consists of fourth and fifth graders preparing lunch (peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with juice and chips) at Castle Creek Elementary School during their "Extended Day" after-school program.  The children and I prepared over 40 lunch bags for the homeless on Friday, March 4th, 2011, and distributed them the following day.  The distribution was excellent, and the children all continued to learn about the homeless in Orlando.  "The homeless people were cool.  They were nice and religious.  They're not like you'd expect them to be..." said one fourth grade student after the distribution.  I feel very proud to continue having this partnership with Castle Creek Elementary School's Extended Day program, since it teaches children to appreciate what they have.  It is also clear that Beyond the Wall will help everyone it can...not just the needy in Colombia.  I would like to thank Michelle Senquis, Christine Kreutzer, Verna Williford, the parents of the students that attended the distribution, and of course, all the children that participated in this project. 

A good start for 2011

February 22, 2011

After spending the holiday season travelling to Colombia for my distribution in El Talon and later spending the new year in Los Angeles, I have returned to Orlando with the luck of receiving many donations during the first couple of weeks of the year. I have had so much success, that I even had to pick up a box of donations in Los Angeles during the month of February. Furthermore, I also recieved 30 boxes of donations from Edinson Gomez, an Orlando resident that also takes donations to many countries in Latin America. Overall, the donations keep on coming, which means that 2011 will be a year of success for the residents of El Talon. I want to thank everyone that has and continues to donate for the needy in Colombia! I also want to thank all the volunteers that have helped me with my campaign.

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!