CHARITY/Volunteering
IF YOU COULD HELP CHANGE SOMEONE’S LIFE FOREVER… WOULD YOU?
“Did I Love, Did I Live, Did I Matter” Brendon Burchard
We can put more life in our lives while putting more life in the lives of others
The goal of the Charity Committee is to provide financial or other assistance to individuals or organizations with a demonstrated need. This assistance may be on a one-time basis or a continuing basis, depending upon circumstances.
Volunteering is a way you can provide comfort and encouragement to those who are struggling. You can help change someone’s life forever. Consider becoming a volunteer today. Let us know your talents and gifts, i.e., English/Spanish teacher, arts/crafts teacher, handyman, computer expert, coaching, motivational speaker, etc.
Giving back to the Community — Investing in lives with your time, talent and treasures.
Those who volunteered found it very rewarding and thought that they benefited as much as the people they were helping.
Please contact the Charity Committee sending an email to American.society.panama@gmail.com or calling 6527-8906 TO VOLUNTEER!
The American Society of Panama
Charity Program
IF YOU COULD HELP CHANGE SOMEONE’S LIFE FOREVER… WOULD YOU?
CASA PROVIDENCIA-Panama’s first Special Needs Orphanage and Therapy Center: This orphanage is the only special needs orphanage in Panamá. Because there are no special needs orphanages, children with special needs are put in regular orphanages where they do not receive appropriate care. The normal orphanage in Panamá does not have the facilities and resources to provide for these children, causing them to tie them to their beds, not out of cruelty, but simply because they do not have enough staff to give them the attention they need. Casa Providencia provides a place for the special needs orphans that has the individual care, attention, and resources they need to not only improve but to live healthy lives. Itzel de Devaney, Mike Hewitt, Michael Pierce and Charlotte Pierce attended the opening ceremony March 17, 2018. We donated $5,000.00 in 2018 for kitchen and cafeteria needs. This is our first year of donating to Casa providencia.
NOTE: Casa Providencia is a Project of the Heart’s Cry Ministry Foundation, a non-profit organization.
info@hccministry.org, Office: +011-507-393-9115 United States: +1-919 926-1332
https://www.heartscrychildren.com/casa-providencia http://www.clamordelcorazon.com/
https://vimeo.com/247241313?from=outro-embed increíble video
Donny Husted, Clamor del Corazón – Ministerio a los Niños Ancón, Ciudad de Panamá, Panamá
507-6949-1740 celular, 507-393-9127 oficina. Recommended by Carson Dolan.
Aid for Aids: A non-profit organization founded in 2007, committed to empowering communities at risk to HIV and the general population, developing skills and abilities in comprehensive prevention and leadership through access to treatment, public advocacy, training and education, to improve the quality of life and reduce stigma and discrimination.
Comprehensive care for children and adolescents with HIV: This program, unique in Panama, aims to provide guidance, emotional, and psycho social support for children and adolescents with HIV and their families. It is carried out from the premises of the Center for Comprehensive Care for children and adolescents with HIV, located inside the Hospital of the Child and at their Center in Clayton. We met with the Director Trina Maria, Roa, and Raiza Erlenbaugh at the Hospital Del Niño. We saw first-hand the amazing program they proudly administer for the children with aids. The program for the families is equally impressive. We admire their dedication. They are bringing hope to so many people. The children were making Valentine Day cards and it was very special when they presented one to Sharene Smoot and me during our visit. In 2016 we presented Trina Maria and Rita Bauns with a $1,000.00 check to contract for a driver for their new 2017 mini bus to transport children, adolescents, and families to various learning centers and recreational areas for workshops and running daily activities. Aid for Aids initiatives focus on the social, emotional, and spiritual development for the population they serve. In 2017 we donated $1,000.00 so they could buy a commercial copying machine and in 2018 we donated $1,100.00 for two new laptop computers. We have donated to Aid for Aids for three years.
Volunteers: English volunteers to be give aids prevention to English speaking schools.
Trina María Aguais, Director de Latinoamérica y el Caribe TAguais@aidforaids.org
https://aidforaids.org/panama Clayton 317-1583. Recommended by Carson Dolan
Calicanto: Calicanto is located in Casco Viejo transforming lives of children, youth, women and men. They are opened a new center in Colon February 16, 2017. We were the first ones to visit the Colon center on February 17th. What Calicanto has accomplished within a few years will have a lasting and powerful impact on the community. In additional to financial support, our members could volunteer their time and talent. Below are brief descriptions of their various programs.
CAPTA is a training and personal development program for at risk women living in marginalized areas. The program consists of a five-week fundamental cycle that provides life skills with a series of workshops of emotional intelligence, communication, self-esteem, health, conflict resolution and personal finances. The process is accompanied by psychological support and is followed by a two-week certification to work in the hotel industry, achieving great personal and economic satisfaction. The program has graduated approximately 1500 women since 2005, of which 86 % currently work in hotels and other industries. We started donating to them 2015 to support their graduation ceremonies. Members of the Charity committee have attended 5 graduation ceremonies. In May 2018, Calicanto presented The American Society of Panama with a very nice plaque for our support. Other Calicanto programs Esperanza is Calicanto’s gang intervention and integration program. The gang members are now giving tours to tourists. We have donated to Calicanto for four years.
VOLUNTEERS: Calicanto needs volunteers to teach English in the CAPTA program for women. There are 20 classes over a 5 week period. They will work with the volunteer to accommodate their schedule so it is very flexible. It will be between Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM. They do not open their centers on weekends. The volunteers could work in San Felipe or in Colon.
Stephanie Lezcano Directora Ejecutiva de Fundación Calicanto, slezcano@fundacioncalicanto.org
www.fundacioncalicanto.org Recommended by Mrs. Terry Farrar wife of Ambassador Jonathan Farrar.
THE YMCA – Panama: Their mission is to promote creativity, values, good manners, and further develop the skills and talents of at-risk youth from the communities of Curundú through culture, sports, music, art, and the practice of ethical and moral values. There are 70-80 participants per trimester. Ages range from 7-15. The Program, which is free, was founded in 2013 and is conducted on Saturdays from March until December. During school vacation the program is from Monday – Thursday. The program is free and includes classes, snacks, physical activity, and transportation. We donated $2,500.00 in 2018 for this year-round program.
Volunteers: To help with the youth with their classes on Saturdays and during the week during school vacation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMc03KgqsWE&t=43s This is an excellent video.
Social Program Coordinator Jonathan Valdivieso. voluntariado@ymcapanama.org www.ymcapanama.org Recommended by Carson Dolan
MUCEC, a non-profit organization, began in 1987 with efforts to help some of the poorest of Colon’s impoverished women and their children with little or no income. MUCEC seeks a permanent solution rather than a temporary fix of the problem. At MUCEC each woman is treated according to her various levels of need. Weekly meetings deal with relevant themes suggested by the women themselves: mental and physical health, hygiene, family relations, domestic violence, political and human rights issues, as well as monthly Faith and Reality Sessions. Skill development workshops create both economic possibilities and also a sense of accomplishment previously unknown to most of these oppressed and battered women. Skills are implemented with an emphasis on unity. Sister Barbara has been a favorite person of ours for many years. Her work with the MUCEC is commendable – she is Panama’s Mother Teresa.
Itzel de DeVaney, Mike Hewitt and Charlotte Pierce have made several trips to MUCEC in Colon to visit with Sister Barbara and Sister Dina. The tireless support they give to the women and children in Colon is amazing. We were able to donate an industrial stove, CD/USB players, 25 folding chairs, and four computers. We collect dry food for her at our Thanksgiving event. We have proudly supported MUCEC for several years.
Sister Barbara barbara@mucec.org Sister Dina Altamiranda dina@mucec.org www.mucec.org
Oir es Vivir is a non-profit foundation dedicated to providing hearing health to people of limited resources in Panama. Oir es Vivir raises awareness, educates, identifies and monitors children, youth and adults with hearing loss. Their program of early identification of hearing loss has been carried out in schools, and orphanages, and at present more than 10,000 hearing screenings have been completed. At the level of occupational health they are carrying out screenings in companies where the level of noise and its consequence of hearing loss is at risk for workers. The Foundation trains teachers to expand knowledge on how to include students with hearing loss in the educational process. The Foundation gives motivating and educational talks to the community for free. Part of the donations were to support two boys, Juan and Johan, from the interior get hearing aids. We also donated snacks and drinks for their visit to a school in La Pintada to examine 159 children. We have donated to Oir es Vivir for four years.
Volunteers to participate on their visits to schools to examine the children.
Giovanna Troncoso, President, perlagiovanna@gmail.com
Gabriela Mejía, Administrativa Director, 317-0562 gmejiam2219@gmail.com Via Fernando de Córdoba, Plaza Córdoba Piso 1 Oficina 8, www.fundacionoiresvivir.org Recomendad by Ed Prout
Vision For Hope Panama is a project designed to provide careers in jewelry making for the blind, visually impaired and disabled people of Panama and now has been asked to duplicate this program in Ireland. Teaching jewelry tasks to sightless men and women is a challenge Vernon Wilson and Ted Hinter decided could be done. Vernon is an internationally acclaimed jewelry designer. Ted developed the number one used computer program in the world that allows the blind to be able to use the computer. Ted is blind himself. Vernon developed equipment that helps a sightless person be able to “feel” holes in beads or pearls to be able to string them into beautiful necklaces and bracelets. The visually impaired and disabled people are able cut the shapes of gemstones while the blind can do the finishing and polishing of the local gemstones into cabochons to be set into jewelry that is specially designed to allow them to do the setting of the stones also. Having a career and being a productive member of society is what fills our lives. Vision For Hope Panama provides the means to help so many enjoy being productive and earning a living that otherwise might not be able to enjoy the feeling of being a productive person in this society.
We donated funds to buy a computer and chairs. We have donated to Vision of Hope for two years.
Vernon Wilson vernongwilson2002@gmail.com Bldg 245, Clayton, Panama
https://visionofhopepanama.mydagsite.com/the_story
Caravana: Carson Dolan at 6480-4832 DolanCM@state.gov or Rita Sosa 6617-0077 email ritassosa@gmail.com We have been donating $500.00 to Caravana for three years to help defray the costs of setting up their booth and prepare for Caravana.
Marine Toys for tots: Carson Dolan at 6480-4832 DolanCM@state.gov Carson works with the Marines to have a Christmas party, including gifts, to very needy children who otherwise might not have anything. We have donated $200.00 to Toy for Tots since 2016.
Libre de Basura, Litter Free of Coronado and Gorgona. They are changing the environment and educating the community and schools. Their goal is to reduce and eventually eradicate litter in the beaches area with outreach to the entire country of Panama. They are publishing a book written by Roberto Diaz Tapiero to be used in the schools and community. This is the first year, 2018, we have donated to Libre de Basura. ($500.00)
Contact info: Steven Hensel and Patrick Jennings Co-founders of Libre de Basura Litter Free T: 507 6432 8900 Email: steven@henseldesignstudios.com
Techo Panamá: Builds homes to improve the quality of life for vulnerable families living in poverty and exclusion in Panamá. This is a combined project with Techo Panamá, the families who also participate, and other volunteers. This is the first year, 2018, we have donated to Techo Panama. ($500.00)
Contact: Andrea Carolina Serrut, Fundraising Director, TECHO – Panamá (+507) 2641770 – (+507) 62128488, Skype: andreaserrut Ciudad del Saber, Local 150B, Clayton, Ciudad de Panamá andrea.serrut@techo.org
SpayPanama: They are committed in helping the less fortunate animals through an intensive sterilization program to control the over population and avoid the unnecessary misery and death of homeless animals. Spay Panama is neither a clinic nor a shelter. SpayPanama is an all-volunteer non-profit registered in Panama and the United States. They have spayed/neutered over 149 thousand animals in Panama, avoiding millions of unwanted births. Their cause was recognized as the Hero for Panama 2017. This is the first year, 2018, we donated to SpayPanama ($200.00)
Patricia Chan is the founder of SpayPanama and current director. pchan@spaypanama.org
Theater Guild Ancon: TGA is a non-profit community theater, run by the community for the community. Their mission is to stimulate an interest in dramatics and associated arts by the study, practice, and production of plays in the English language, for and by our members and the public at large. Their Vision is to redefine the spirit of community theatre in Panama, while maintaining the actor as artisan tradition; promote the performing arts, provide a stage for performers to present their works in any language, and to instill the principles of excellence in all actors, directors and technical personnel in Panama. They support students who have won a scholarship to study in the States by paying for their visa, passports or airfare. This is the first year, 2018, we have supported the Theater Guild Ancon with $600.00.
Theater Guild Ancon’s marketing program for Cabaret Calicante promoted The American Society on social media reaching 20,483 people on Facebook with 7,009 engagement, Instagram, Twitter, Mailchimp posts to 3,017 subscribers with 19% open rate, and the Gerry D Cool Radio show. Our logo was included in press releases in The Visitor, Embassy Newsletter, Metro Libre, La Estrella, Newsroom Panama, and the Panama America.
Contact info: Ingrid MacCartney ingridmac@gmail.com http://anconguild.com/