In the year 2000, an 'Outreach Committee' was established.                                                                              Its mission is:

• To help repair and equip schools, daycare centres, facilities for the abandoned elderly, and to support indigenous programmes.
• To focus at least 60% of its activities in the poorest areas of the country.
• To give priority to projects that are being supported by Canadian Club members' volunteer involvement.
• To provide a support system for members who want to become involved as volunteers in community programmes
• To pursue opportunities for networking with other volunteer organizations, the Canadian Embassy, and the Canadian business community.

In support of  'The Canadian Club' and our fund-raising activities, the Canadian Embassy through CIDA's 'Canada Fund For Local Initiatives', donated more than one dollar for every dollar raised by the 'Canadian Club'                                                    

Since 2000, this partnership has resulted in donations to the Costa Rican community totalling  more than $240,000. US.

Here are some of the projects we have completed this past year:

Institutions funded by CIDA’s Canada Fund

• Escuela Linda Vista, La Union, Rio Azul,
  This public school of 360 children is located high up over the waste facility of Rio Azul. Last year we provided the material for the construction of a new septic tank and drainage tubes, and a second project to provide a safety/security fence and a tiled walkway. This year we provided 19 desks and chairs for their new computer room.
• Escuela Buenos Aires, Cañas, Guanacaste,
  This two room school was completely destroyed by a cyclone in January 2005. The children have been studying in the community center next door until their school can be rebuilt. We were asked to provide the glass for the windows in the classrooms
• Asociación Hogares Sagrada Familiar, Paraiso, Cartago
  These nuns care for abandoned old folks and disabled youth and require total support for their food and health. There is a visiting doctor who has to examine the residents in a hallway. Therefore they have asked for help to build and equip an infirmary. We have approved materials for the building of the infirmary.
• Asociación de Mujeres de Costa Rica
  CIDA agreed to support those students who were supported by Canada Fund last year by donating 16 scholarships of $200 each. In total, 39.5 scholarships were donated by individual Canadians and the Canada fund for deserving high school students with exceptional grades who otherwise would find it difficult to stay in school for economic reasons.
• Escuela Pacuare Abajo, Turrialba.
  This remote school of students made up mainly from the Jicotea Indian tribe, is situated on the banks of the Pacuare River. The river is popular for white water rafting and the children love to hang over the river banks to watch and wave at the rafters. A chain link fence was built to protect the students from falling by accident into the Pacuare River rapids adjacent to the playground.
• Colégio Setequi, Yorkin, Talamanca
  This is a high school in the remote mountains of Talamanca for the Bri-Bri tribe. They have had a larger enrollment then normal and requested 27 desks and chairs and two dining room tables with benches. We were able to have these made in San Jose and shipped to Bri-Bri at no cost in an empty truck used to carrying plantain to the Central Valley.
   

Institutions funded by donations to ACCR from        the Canadian Community in Costa Rica

• Asociación Club de Mujeres de Costa Rica.
  Canadian Club donors provided 23.5 scholarships to high school children with very high grades but limited resources to stay in school. $4700
• Escuela José Maria Cañas, Piedra Blanca de Mora, Tarbacia                                                                                        This is a poor school accommodating 150 students, ages 5 to 13 years. In 2004-2005 we provided materials for a water tank, a window in the kitchen, dishes, textbooks, and paint for the blackboard. This we we undertook a second project to provide materials for a bodega to store school and kitchen supplies.
• Escuela Enrique Riba Morella, Pilas, San Isidro, Alajuela
  A second project to provide zinc for a roof over their new play area over a septic tank that we built last year.
• Escuela El Brujo, El Brujo, Rio Negro, Pérez Zeledon.
  This is a poor school of between 25-40 students, in a marginalized community of 30 families south west of San Isidro de General. It did not have the resources for replacing utensils for cooking and plates and cups and cutlery for the children. The situation with unsanitary kitchen conditions and very old utensils, posed a health risk
• Liceo Edgar Cervantes Villata, Hatillo, San José
  This institution in a very poor part of San José, has over the years developed a reputation for its music school made up of a choral group, guitar band and some woodwinds. These students are kept occupied and off the streets through these musical activities. We had the pleasure of hearing them play at our Canada Day picnic, June 29, 2005 where they showed off their new electric guitar, drums and amplifying system that were bought from 'ACCR' funds.
• Asociación para la Innovación Social, San Raphael Abajo, Desamparados
  This is a local community development organization serving a poor to middle income community of 22,000 people, with all the problems of unemployment, truancy, drugs, alcoholism and and family violence. This community, which includes a public and high school, has neither a park, playground nor sports facility to help the youth stay off the streets and provide healthy outlets, both physical and mental. We provided 90% of the funding for an outdoor cement floor that will serve as a multipurpose court (i.e.; for basketball and volleyball) as well as an area for the whole community to use for fairs and festivals. This is the first phase of a three project to ultimately build a covered sports facility with stands. We have not committed to help beyond Phase 1.
• Escuela Excelencia Fatima, Heredia
  This school was unable to use some areas because of unsafe conditions due to exposed wires and leaky ceilings. We were able to help by supplying materials for new wiring, roofs, and ceilings. The director was able to organize the community to provide the labour.
• Escuela Aruba, San Juan de Dios, Desamaprados
  This school of over 350 children, many of them from immigrant families, is growing out of its premises. It has only three classrooms, no space or bathrooms for the teachers, and all the storage of supplies and materials is in the Director’s office. The kitchen consists of a rice-pot and microwave in a hall way. We were able to project-manage the construction of a private office for the Director, a teachers’ room with bathroom and storage, and the enlargement of the kitchen area. We paid for the labour and some materials and the municipality helped with the rest. Next year we hope to be able raise enough money to build three new classrooms and more bathrooms.
• Escuela Barrio el Carmen, Tres Rios
  This is a large school in the very poor Rio Azul area. It had closed three classrooms due to unsafe conditions and exposed wiring. We provided the materials for roofing, wiring, ceilings, safety bars on the windows, new toilets, and doors on the bathrooms.
• Escuela 15 Agosto, Tirrases de Curridabat
  This is a school of 79 staff and 1350 students that was badly in need of washrooms and repair to the cafeteria ceiling on which a tree fell.

The funds for these projects are raised through activities such as garage sales, dinners, our National 'Canada Day' celebration, picnics and private donations. A new emphasis this year was to focus our efforts on institutions and communities that were also prepared to contribute to the project. As a result, we saw examples where poor communities ran community 'bingos' to help raise money, or parents  provided the labour on school projects during weekends and holidays.

Outreach Committee

The Outreach Committee develops and makes recommendations to the Canadian Club Board of Directors for all charitable contributions to the Costa Rican community.

New Volunteers

New Committee members and project volunteers are always welcome. For more information contact:

• Lyn Statten:
• outreach@canadianclubcr.com

Members of the Outreach Committee

• Lyn Statten (chairperson)
• Vicky Lindsey
• Carmen Muñoz
• Colette Wust
• Noreen Liptak
• Ginette Fournier
• Ellen Moltz