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In this Issue:
- From the President
- Sustainability Team
- Program Updates
- Alliance Updates
- Helpful Links
- Other Info
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Events and Activities
- CAA Monthly Mixer
- Thursday Coffee
- English Conversation
- Spanish Conversation
- From Our Members
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It’s May, the rain has greened up the region, birds and even insects are busy as the season continues to change. The first Tope (parade of horses, riders, carts, and oxen) has occurred. Costa Ricans are ready and willing to get out and get active again.
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Across CAA we see growing interest and engagement coming from our members and the broader expat community. This is exciting and shows the increasing impact those of us who decide to live here can and do for the community of San Ramon. A couple of examples include; the growth of the student scholarship program and expanding support for the students in numbers of ways at school and at their homes. You will read about the powerful history of this program below. The question is what is next in the future?
We have the expansion of the English conversation courses by our ECC group. They expanded into online programs and will keep this while adding back in-person courses. There are day trip travel opportunities scheduled now, yeah! We are looking at some future park outdoor get togethers for the membership to get to meet and reconnect prior to our end-of year December annual membership meeting.
We see member activities like line dancing and thai chi on the sabana. There are ideas for local partnering to set up CPR training opportunities in the fall. Health of course is important to us all, all ages. Being active is one of the wonderful known benefits and outcomes of coming to live and engage in Cost Rica.
Thank you to all who are members and readers/fans of CAA. The members are the core of our abilities, activities, and support. The more we are, the more we do. Join us!
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This month, we welcome our newest CAA member, Marcia Sprague, and give a huge THANKS! to those of you who have renewed your membership.
CAA members are connected to a rich network of friendship, support, and opportunities to participate in the life of our community AND they help improve the quality of life for others in the greater San Ramón area. It’s easy to join! Just follow this link for payment options: https://www.actionalliancecr.com/join-caa.html
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Have a Question?
Many of our friends, members, and neighbors are reading this from afar or perhaps from a forwarded copy. Please reach out to any Board member (email addresses at the end of this newsletter) if you have questions about specific programs or CAA in general or have suggestions for improving our organization. We love to hear from you!
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Looking to the Future of CAA
Recently we formed a Sustainability Team to focus on helping create long-term success for CAA. Though there are many components to that activity, development (creating and enhancing relationships) and fundraising (income generation) activities are key components to achieving the goal. If you have questions about what we are doing, please contact Mary Lou Hofmann, even.sleeves@gmail.com, phone & WhatsApp 8319 9314 
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Did you Know?
Any CAA member can attend Board meetings, which are held on the second Tuesday of each month at 2pm at Coopenae. If you plan to attend and observe your Board in action, please email Terry at president@caacr.org so we set up enough chairs. Please discuss any items you would like added to the agenda with Terry at least a week before the meeting.
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ere are some highlights from our May meeting.
CAA will be represented at the International Living Conference in July by Terry Handler and Janice Summers, at minimal cost (less than $20).
We are continuing discussions with Faithful Servant Mission (sponsors of Tamale Christmas) on how we might add value to their current and proposed community education projects. These include, but are not limited to
- Having volunteers come to practice English with students;
- Volunteer-led classes on subjects like woodworking, computers, sewing, and gardening;
- Donating clothing, toys, etc. that are sold at a bargain price to help those in the neighborhood who have very limited income;
The FSM-Bajo Tejares mission works in two tracks—serving both spiritual and educational/vocational/humanitarian needs.
A subcommittee is looking at ways to respond quickly to emergency financial needs that arise in the organizations with which we already partner, such as Arbol de Esperanza.
Our scholarship program staff is working with families of students who have needs above what we are already providing. They will start vetting new students in late July.
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Our English Conversation Club subcommittee is looking into a grant opportunity for cultural exchange, and several other ways to expand the program internationally.
The Spanish Conversation subcommittee is looking at ways to reconfigure itself in order to add more value to what is already offered.
The Sustainability subcommittee is looking at ways to organize and offer online giving.
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CAA’s Day Away Program is Back!
The CAA Day Away Program offers monthly social activities within a short drive from San Ramon. Gather your friends and have some fun! Contact Martin dayaway@caacr.org with any questions or to RSVP.
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Tortuga Island, Thursday, June 23
This is a don’t-miss day! Meet at the ferry dock in Puntarenas and be transported by boat out to Tortuga Island (about a one-hour ride across the Gulf of Nicoya) for a day of snorkeling (equipment provided), swimming, sunbathing, and relaxing with friends. A wonderful lunch is included. $75/person. If we get 15 people to sign up, we can hire a small bus and driver from and to San Ramon for just $5 more.
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May Mixer!
Quite a few folks turned out for our April mixer at Felipon.
  
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OUR NEXT MIXER is Thursday, May 19, from 3-6 pm at Mi Rancho. We hope to see you there!
https://www.facebook.com/miranchooriginal
Directions: https://g.page/miranchooriginal?share
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CAA’s Education Committee Celebrates a Decade of Service to San Ramon’s Students
Friday afternoon, May 13th, (yes, we know Friday, 13th is supposedly jinxed) a majority of CAA’s Education Committee resumed in-person committee meetings after a pandemic hiatus of nearly two years when all our business was handled via emails and phone exchanges, thanks to our structure of university social-work students working as Administrative Interns. As we gather again as a committee of volunteers (masked, of course), it is fitting that we look back on our past, lessons learned, and define a longer term, attainable vision for future services.
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A bit of history.
A decade ago, in 2012, the Education Committee, under the leadership of Dave Scott, began to develop the structure for the CAA Scholarship Program, and by January of 2013, seven elementary students were identified, enrolled, and received scholarship vouchers for uniforms, shoes and supplies. We thank Dave for his leadership, and to his wife, Doris, who helped immensely as an MEP teacher in those early scholarship program years. Special thanks also go to Johanna Fernandez G., licensed CR social worker, for her insight on program design.
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The English Conversation Club program had been in operation for years before Dave brought his conversational English initiative, and focus on education, into the newly organized CAA in 2012. Dave recruited a core of education supportive volunteers to the Committee; and we helped sponsor the multiple years of Book Sales at the Museo Regional de UCR. In May 2014, Dave had to hand off leadership of the committee to make time for other interests. It was sink or swim, and thankfully we are still swimming!
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Fast forward to May 2022, the CAA Scholarship Program is now celebrating the end of its first decade of service to San Ramon’s students and their education. A few highlights:
- This year, twenty-nine Colegio students, and one university scholarship program administrative intern participate in the program.
- By the end of this tenth year, CAA will have invested almost $100,000 to support the education of San Ramon area students, and to build additional reserve funds to shield against abrupt funding disruptions.
- Over this decade, eleven students have graduated high school while still in the scholarship program; others benefitted for one or more years of participation and then gained a government beca and left the CAA program; a few more students/families moved from the San Ramon area; and a handful just gave up on their education after graduating elementary school or failing in 7th/8th grade when the academic demands hit them too hard.
- All told, the CAA program has assisted about 50-55 students/families in these ten years. Not a big number in the scheme of poverty in San Ramon, but for the scholarship participants, being one of the fortunate students, is a really big deal!
Where can the CAA Educational Scholarship Program go from here?
- Do we try to raise more funds to scale up the program to reach and support more students each year? More students will require more student social worker Intern support and more licensed social workers to supervise those Interns.
- Do we expand our focus to offer more support to university or trade/INA students after high school graduation?
- Do we specialize our student recruitment to encourage STEM subjects and careers in high school and beyond?
- Do we specialize recruitment on nursing or support university nursing students?
- Do we continue largely at our present size/scope and concentrate on the funding side of the program – building endowment funds to yield funds in perpetuity for the program? How can we sustain this legacy of service after the current committee members are gone—how to resource a succession plan for continuity, growth?
- How are we positioned to support the English Conversation Club, and the Spanish Conversation Group? These language programs are also integral parts of CAA’s educational support in San Ramon; they enjoy solid leadership with ECC run by Dustin Dresser and Ricardo Elizondo, and SCG run by one of our board members. The Committee provides support and financial control through our three sub-committee structure.
Although these questions and many more are under discussion in search of paths forward, we know that within CAA’s membership, current and future, there should be sufficient talent and commitment to education to sustain or expand these existing services, or to establish new ways to promote education. Until then, the Committee will do what we have done over the past 10-12 years: We will continue to help families through education, one student at a time!
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Dedicated to the CAA Education Committee - Dave Scott (founder), Doris Guzman (Scott), Johanna Fernandez G., Dustin Dresser, Andrea Carter, Lynette Lewis, Marian Latham, Linda McAnally, Linda Dwyer, Fernanda Rojas R., Ricardo Elizondo G., Alisson Esquivel M., Laura Handler, Susan Knab, Keven Murphy (May 2022 roster).
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With gratitude, in celebration of the CAA Scholarship Program’s Tenth Year of Service.
By Scott McAnally
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English Conversation Club
ECC is a program that gives ticos who already speak intermediate English an opportunity to practice their English and gringos the chance to ask their questions about living in Costa Rica. The sessions are NOT classes as such; they are a space to practice the level of oral English, together with people of the same level (in groups of 5 to 7 people maximum per leader).
Groups meet for 5 weeks for 2 hours per week and a donation of 10,000 colones (or 15,000 colones for two schedules) is required to support the Community Action Alliance scholarship program.
If YOU would like to lead a group session, we'd LOVE to add you to our database of available leaders. At the moment we are mostly online, however pandemic permitting we'll add in-person throughout the year.
To be a leader the requirements are:
- Native English speaker
- Talkative and outgoing
- Internet access with computer capable of audio and video transmission over Google Meet (virtual groups)
- Tech savvy enough to handle video conferencing (virtual groups)
- Have a gmail account (virtual groups)
- Available to host two 1-hour sessions per week for 5 weeks (1-2 hours during the week and/or two hour Saturday mornings)
- You do not need to speak Spanish to participate
Now that ECC is both in person and online, leaders and students are welcome from all over. We need YOU to share this opportunity as we are not known outside the zona occidente and our advertising is limited to word of mouth and social media posts. Thanks to everyone for their support of this program! Registration for next groups begins June 10 - 18 and sessions run from June 20 - July 30 (No meetings week of July 4).
Please direct interested students to bit.ly/eccvirtual
If you are interested in leading a group, please contact Dustin or Ricardo at info.eccsr@gmail.com
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Spanish Conversation Groups
Groups are currently in session. Watch the newsletter and our Facebook page for dates of future group sessions. Learn more at https://www.actionalliancecr.com/spanish-conversation.html
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Donations Needed
One of our alliances, Árbol de Esperanza, is appealing to our members for donations of non-perishable food, diapers, and personal hygiene items. You can drop off the items (or a donation) Monday through Thursday from 11am-4pm. The office is located 50 meters east of Banco Popular. Phone: 8788-7921 or 4034-2340.
Árbol de Esperanza (Tree of Hope) currently has 30 participants in its Empowerment Program (up from 20 last year), and has identified fthree families that have economic, health, food, and housing needs that they cannot meet due to the socioeconomic situation they face. Learn more about the work of Árbol de Esperanza here: https://en.arboldeesperanza.org/
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Hogarcito Birthday Buddies
With donations from our members and friends, Jane Smith and Linda Dwyer provide each of the 20 children at the Hogarcito (San Ramón’s orphanage) with a birthday party on their special day.
Debbie Rudd also donates profits from her jewelry sales at El Gato Marrón. Each party costs approximately 20,000 colones ($31 US).
Go to https://www.actionalliancecr.com/birthday-buddy.html for more information or to donate. THANK YOU to those who have generously donated through the giving envelopes at the mixers. Every colón helps!
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Blankets for Babies
This ongoing program always needs monetary donations, terry cloth for burpies, soft material/flannel for blankets and sheets for blanket backing, T-shirt material for mask filters, soft wool for knitted/crocheted baby hats, plastic matting for ground/changing pads, and a soft cotton fabric to make stuffed toys.
THANK YOU to those who have generously donated through the giving envelopes at the mixers. Every colón counts!
For more information about Blankets for Babies San Ramón or to contact us, please visit the Blankets for Babies page https://www.actionalliancecr.com/blankets-for-babies on CAA’s website.
~Linda Dwyer and Angie Thorne
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Landscapes
This month, we’re focusing on some of the breathtaking views we enjoy from San Ramón and nearby barrios such as San Isidro, Santiago, Berlín, and Rio Jesús. Photos by Janice Summers. (More landscape photos on the gallery page of our website: https://www.actionalliancecr.com/gallery.html )
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Women’s Getaway
Four of our members enjoyed soaking in the natural hot springs in the forest at Termales del Bosque near Ciudad Colon during our women’s getaway in April. The overnight stay, at reasonable prices, made for a great mini-vacation. There is an easy walk through the woods to the hot springs (about 400 mts) but once you get there, there are bathrooms/changing rooms, a bar, plenty of hot springs to choose from located by a cool small stream for dipping if needed. Not at all full of tourists like those in La Fortuna. Very comfortable rooms—not fancy but they did have hot water and AC—in a beautiful setting. The dining room is in a nice area and the food is good. The group stopped off at Lands in Love restaurant for a great vegetarian lunch before heading back to San Ramón. We are looking forward to planning more getaways. If you enjoy talk, laughter, and lounging in the woods, join us for our next adventure, TBA.
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Helpful Links for
San Ramón
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Expat Focused
Organizations
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Dave's Workshop - Woodworking
El gato marrón - Café and Gallery
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CAA’s MISSION STATEMENT
The Community Action Alliance of Costa Rica (CAA) is an organization of expats and costarricenses in the greater San Ramon area volunteering together for community and individual enrichment. CAA aligns with organizations in the community, creating relationships and providing resources for community betterment and development initiatives. CAA provides its members opportunities for community integration, networking and socialization.
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CAA is an organization composed of individuals with diverse religious, political, and personal beliefs and, as such, does not support or promote any particular ideology either in its publications or at its events.
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Board Members (boardofdirectors@caacr.org)
- Terry Handler, President
- Janice Brown, Vice-President
- Martin Rojas, Secretary
- Jeff Barnes, Treasurer
- Wagner Galo, Fiscal
- Scott McAnally, Vocal and Chair of Education Committee (education@caacr.org)
- Mary Lou Hofmann Vocal
- Vocal 3
CAA Web Page and inquiries: https://www.actionalliancecr.com
CAA Facebook Page: Community Action Alliance of Costa Rica
CAA Email: caacrorg@gmail.com
CAA Communications Team: info@caacr.org
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