Save the Children Voices from the Field

Save the Children Mini-Marathon Supports Early Education Program

Claire Garmirian – Communications Intern, Save the Children

Westport, CT

May 22, 2013

Cheers from family and friends greeted runners who, undeterred by rain, sprinted through the finish line at Tod’s Point in Greenwich, Conn., on Sunday. More meaningful than the medals received and the fast times recorded was the reason for running.

Children, teens and adults begin to run, walk and stroll 2.62 miles at Tod’s Point to raise funds for Save the Children’s Early Steps to School Success program. The fifth annual Save the Children Mini-Marathon saw children, teens, adults and even strollers covering 2.62 miles to raise funds for Save the Children’s Early Steps to School Success program. Participants raced the clock to support literacy and early education programs for children living in poverty throughout the United States.

The event was held by Save the Children’s Greenwich Leadership Council and the Greenwich Track Club, along with corporate and family sponsors.

Event co-chairs Marilyn Roos and Luz Agrest of the Greenwich Leadership Council began the Mini-Marathon in 2009 to involve the Greenwich community with an organization they cared about.

“It was a time when races were becoming more popular and people were interested in racing for causes, and we felt Save the Children was a very good cause,” said Roos.

 U.S. Sen. Richard Blumethal, D-Conn., himself a supporter of Save the Children for more than 25 years, opened the event by presenting a proclamation from Greenwich First Selectman Peter Tesei that declared May 19 “Save the Children’s Day.”

 “I feel a lot of love from the community,” Roos said. “I feel like people have embraced this cause.”

Sunday’s race was truly a community event. It was a day when children were empowered to help children. One young participant, upon crossing the finish line with a friend, said, “We’ve done it! We’ve saved children.”

Teen involvement, in particular, was crucial for the success of the Mini-Marathon. In the months leading to the race, members of the Greenwich Teen Council publicized the event. After-school hours were dedicated to utilizing social media, sending postcards to local businesses and residents, and putting up posters. On the day of the race, the teenagers were some of the first volunteers at the site, arriving at 7:30 a.m. to sort T-shirts, refreshments and goody bags for the runners they later helped to register. Much of what motivated young members like Lauren Lang, Kate Webster, Sage White and Teen Council President Selby White to volunteer was a sense of closeness to the cause.

“This [cause] is really close to us because it has to do with education and children…and also it’s domestic, so it’s people within our country,” said Selby White.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., second from left, with Save the Children Mini-Marathon organizers, from left, Luz Agrest, Bill Bogardus and Marilyn Roos.

Many at the race voiced a personal connection to early education. Bill Bogardus, director of the Greenwich Track Club, has acted as race director every year of the Mini-Marathon.

“I am a teacher, and I have two little children in preschool, so it just kind of all blends together and just makes sense,” said Bogardus, referring to this year’s Mini-Marathon designating funding to Save the Children’s Early Steps to School Success program. “I mean, research shows that the more kids are getting involved in education, that if they have an early kind of jumpstart program, they’ll be better once they get to kindergarten. And it’s all about giving them the tools and resources to learn and experience different things at a very early age.”

The rainy weather Sunday did not distract Roos from the reason she and so many others put this event together every year.

“It’s raining, but everybody is still very much in the game here, and they’re enthusiastic and they have really had a great day and enjoyed it,” she said. “I just hope this race continues to be an integral part of the spring in Greenwich.”
Members of the Greenwich Leadership Council’s teen group, from left, Sage White, Kate Webster and Selby White, register incoming participants in the May 19 Save the Children Mini-Marathon in Greenwich.

Hopes Written Down

José Tobar, Sponsorship Officer

El Salvador

May 13, 2013

Having the chance to work on translating letters between children and sponsors is kind of like witnessing a journey between two worlds. On one hand, we have a person who’s usually writing from a developed country.

“Hello Emerson, it is great to be your sponsor. My name is Michelle, and I hope we get to know each other and that you reply to this letter soon. I live in California with my two children and my little cat. We live near the San Diego beach. How is it where you live? What are your hobbies? What do you want to be when you grow up? ”

On the other side there is child who lives miles away from them. What bonds these two? Some may say it is the will to lend a hand from one person to another whose needs are greater, but I think it’s more than that. It’s a set of hopes shared by them both; one hoping to see a change in this world and willing to do something to make that happen and another who is just starting to live and might still not fully understand his or her reality, just a heart full of wishes, aspirations and goals. The basic mind of a child who knows what he or she wants to become without considering all the obstacles that may arise.

“Hello Michelle, This is Emerson and we are very happy to meet you. I also live near the beach! I am going to first grade and I love riding bicycle with my friends. I want to become a doctor when I grow up and I live with my mother and grandmother. I thank God for letting me meet you and I hope that I can meet you personally some day. Take care, Emerson.”

Interested in joining our community of sponsors? Click here to learn more.

The Words that Changed a Little Girl’s Life: “You Have a Bright Future”

The words that inspired Elizabeth to imagine a future beyond her family’s limited means and expectations, and empowered her to fulfill her dream of becoming a doctor, were written by her sponsor. Save the Children’s Dr. Elizabeth Bocaletti was once a sponsored child. This is her story.

Elizabeth as a little girl in Guatemala (second from right)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elizabeth grew up in a large family of modest means in rural Guatemala. She was a good student, but opportunities were limited, especially for girls. And yet, Elizabeth dreamed of becoming a doctor. In fact, she was determined to do so. Elizabeth attributes her high aspirations to the letters she received from her sponsor.

Elizabeth leads a community children activity in El Alto, Bolivia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“These letters said things like, ‘You are a great girl, a good student. You will go far. You will have a bright future,’” Elizabeth remembers, “And I know that these words influenced my life – the way I understood my future. They opened my mind to new possibilities. They gave me a certain determination to make an impact on the world.”

Launching of the Neonatal Strategy at the Panamerican Health Organization with Charlie McCormack, former Save the Children President and CEO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elizabeth did fulfill her dream, earning her MD in Pediatrics, and then a Master’s degree in Public Health. Today, Elizabeth works for Save the Children as an Advisor on our work helping children survive and thrive throughout Latin America, where she continues to make an impact on the world every day. The dream even lives on in her own children, both of whom are studying to become doctors.

Working with Save the Children staff in Dominican Republic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elizabeth will always treasure her sponsor’s words of inspiration and empowerment – and we thank her for sharing them, and her story, with all of us.

Introducing the Regional Neonatal Strategy in Washington, D.C.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Never underestimate the power of your words

on the life of a child.”

 – Elizabeth Bocaletti, MD, MPH,

Save the Children Advisor, and former sponsored child

Visiting Save the Children programs in Sinaloa, Mexico

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brighten your sponsored child’s day – and future – by writing a letter today.

If you are not already a sponsor, become one today.

Cyclone Mahasen Moves Toward Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar Districts of Bangladesh

Khaza Uddin – Communications Manager, Save the Children

Bangladesh

May 16, 2013

Cyclone Mahasen hit the coast of Bangladesh near the southern district of Patulkhai early Thursday and is now situated 130 miles from the ports of Chittagong and Cow’s Bazar. Warning signals have risen to seven out of a possible 10 and one person has already been reported dead.

Damage from Tropical Storm Mahasen in Kalapara Sadar Upazila , Patuakhali district Thursday morning. Trees were uprooted and homes significantly damaged. Photo by Save the Children.Communication and transportation have been disrupted, cutting off several communities in the south of the country. At least 25 villages in Patuakhali District were flooded on Wednesday due to a storm surge that washed away the flood control dams built to protect the people behind them. This storm surge was reported to be at least five feet height damaging 500 houses in its wake. In another southern district, Jhalokathi, heavy rainfall is ongoing as water levels of most of the rivers continue to rise. Cyclone shelters are packed with vast numbers of people and it is feared current dry food supplies are insufficient to meet demand.  

The Government of Bangladesh has ordered 1 million people in a total of 15 coastal districts to take shelter in safe places including cyclone shelters. However, the number of shelters available is not believed to be adequate enough to accommodate all the evacuees.

It is predicted that at least 8 million people will be affected during the course of cyclone Mahasen, 4.1 million in Bangladesh. Save the Children have already initiated our response targeting the districts of Barisal, Patuakhai, Barguna, Khulna & Bagherhat, Satkhira, Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar in partnership with 8 coastal based implementing partners. We have mobilized 1,500 ready to use food packs and 500 lifesaving non-food items, 5,000 Disaster Risk Reduction trained youth volunteers and 700 Village Disaster Management Committees who are all ready to respond. Damage assessment teams are also ready and will start work alongside national and international NGOs. Save the Children also has on standby four speedboats ready to respond to the needs of the communities - and particularly children  -in each sub-district affected by the storm surges and flooding.

 

How You Can Help

Children affected by Cyclone Mahasen need caring people to support our relief efforts. Please give generously to the Cyclone Mahasen Children in Emergency Fund. Donate now. 

 

Save the Children Supporters Draw Community Together in Annual Sale

Byron Kittle, Save the Children Intern

Westport, CT

May 14, 2013

Every inch of the Daum family’s lawn and driveway in Larchmont, N.Y., was stacked with a treasure-trove of clothes, electronics, furniture and books this past Sunday. At first glance, the tag sale may seem like any other large sale of its kind – well-stocked and well organized – but the numbers tell a different story, one of commitment and community.

The family has held the tag sale every year since 2000, and its proceeds, which were nearing $145,000 as of Sunday, have all gone to Save the Children. The family tradition stems from a bat mitzvah donation.

“We first became involved with Save the Children when my eldest daughter Carly chose to donate her bat mitzvah gifts to Save the Children’s education programming in rural Appalachia,” said Michelle Daum. “Afterward, Carly and my husband Fred traveled to Appalachia to visit the programs. They were both so moved by that trip and the work of Save the Children, that my husband suggested we find a way to keep giving. And the tag sale was born.”

Their first tag sale was held the next year, raising $3,000. And over the years, with the introduction of fundraising tools like an online donation page and silent auctions on more expensive items, the proceeds and involvement have gone up steadily.

This year, donations from around 800 families helped keep the sale stocked, and the combination of sales and donations were approaching $20,000 on Sunday, with all proceeds going to Save the Children’s emergency relief programming in the U.S.

Michelle Daum and her husband Fred, center, with daughters Carly, left, and Justine. Their charitable tag sale has become a community “institution” in Larchmont, N.Y., according to attendees.Photo by Byron Kittle.On Sunday, Michelle Daum took some time away from being manager of the day’s events, to talk about what makes her family’s tag sale such a resounding success year after year. The recipe for tag sale success, she indicated, is one of good sale items, community support and a good cause.

“It’s completely a community effort … you see this outpouring of both helpers and buyers,” Daum said. “Everyone loves looking around, and most everyone finds something they want. Donors like to know that their donated items will be cherished by others.”

The tag sale has a simple formula – the Larchmont community bands together to accumulate enough merchandise to draw a crowd, and the shoppers get to save money on an eclectic assortment of items and support Save the Child at the same time. That doesn’t mean the job is easy by any stretch.

“It’s a very difficult juggling act,” Daum said, to “move the merchandise” at bargain prices but also conduct an effective fundraising effort.

The tag sale also seems resilient to setbacks and delays, with this year’s rain date not putting a dent in attendance.

“This is the first year we had a rain date, and yet the turnout has been tremendous,” Daum said. “We had people here helping this morning at 6 o’clock, which I’m so grateful for. The buyers have clearly come back.”

Daum said some people come from as far away as Hudson, N.Y. (an almost 3 hour drive), to participate in the sale. One shopper, a woman named Chris, said she’s been coming to the sale since its inception because of Save the Children’s mission.

“I’m in education, and have been for 42 years,” she said. “And children are probably the most important resource we have in the world, so that’s why I’m here.”

That sentiment was echoed by a number of other attendees. Betty Comerford is a Larchmont native who has been helping the Daums and Save the Children for well over a decade.

Around 1400 families were asked to donate to the Daum family’s annual tag sale in Larchmont, N.Y. This year’s proceeds will go to Save the Children’s emergency relief programming in the U.S. Photo by Byron Kittle.“It’s such a great sale and such a great cause – it really rallies the community,” she said. “It’s like an institution in Larchmont now – ‘the Daum’s Save the Children Sale’ – so people keep coming back year after year because they know it’s going to a good cause.”

Another regular is Jennifer Hayward from White Plains, N.Y.

“I am thrilled to come here each year because, A, I get great things; and, B, [Save the Children] really helps,” she said. “They’re helping kids all over – I got a great price and I gave a few bucks extra because it’s going to a great cause.”

One of the sale’s first-time volunteers this year was Gina Cantelmo, who also works for Save the Children.

“It’s a well-oiled machine – the Daum family has this down to a science, and we’re thankful that they have chosen us to be the beneficiaries of this event every year,” Cantelmo said. “I’m so thankful that everyone is willing to give up part of their Mother’s Day to support this worthwhile cause.”

And the community plays a huge part in the sale’s success. According to Michelle Daum, around 18 volunteers arrived before dawn on Sunday to help her organize the merchandise and prepare for the day’s activities.

“All the goods you saw were in boxes and bags on our driveway until 6 a.m. Sunday morning,” she said. “It was a huge community effort to get all that out and displayed.”