"Sunrise is a rare animal for international giving: locally-led and locally-focused change you can believe (and INVEST) in." March 3, 2014 In This Issue Saludos de Camoapa, Friend of Sunrise, Tried and True Innovation Happy Anniversary Sunrise, and Hogar Luceros del Amanecer! We celebrated 10 years of building better lives with Camoapa children and families in February. Sunrise Program Infographic Where has 10 years brought us? In this issue we go both broad and deep. An infographic attempts to give the big picture on a page, followed by a couple articles focused on our "wrap-around" education-social work with kids. A teen profile (first in our new Teen Sponsorship Program) and the history of Sunrise founder Rachel Greenwood round out the stories. GRACIAS for your Friendship (click), every dollar matters more than you can imagine. ED Corner: Tried and True Innovation We live in an era that prizes innovation. In the business world, it takes constant innovation to make more money. In the energy world, it's all about innovative technology and business models. Even in government, somehow efficiency and integrity aren't enough, we need INNOVATION. The development world appears to be caught in the same frenzy, but just what does everyone mean by innovation? Are You Just a School? Peer Playgroups at the Hogar Our First Teen Sponsor Opportunity Meet Rachel Greenwood WHY YOU? Because 85% of our funding comes from individual donors LIKE YOU. And 95% of those dollars are spent right here in Camoapa, Nicaragua. CONTRIBUTE NOW Sunrise Programs on a Page Another Infographic, we know they're everyone's favorite. This one is an overview of current Sunrise programming, and supplements the financials infographic we presented in our last newsletter. There's no way to represent 10 years of program evolution on a page, especially the deep community roots we've built, but it's a start. Are You a School? Have you ever had trouble explaining to people "what you do" in your work without serious oversimplification? We sure do, so in this and the following piece we're digging just a bit deeper into what we actually do at the Hogar Luceros del Amanecer, our center in Camoapa. Peer Playgroups at the Hogar, by Carole Lapidus This story begins four years ago on one of my annual visits to Camoapa and the Hogar and Crecer programs. Many of the children's troubles were mostly related to emigration from farm to town with few or no skills and the marginal economic and social status of most of the families. continued Thank You BUFFALO! We would like to send a big shout-out to the eye care brigade that recently visited Camoapa from Buffalo NY. Organized by the Lions Clubs of Buffalo and Camoapa, and Hopeful Ways, Inc., this group of 30 professionals and local interpreters (including many Peace Corps Volunteers) provided evaluations, eyeglasses and 81 surgeries to over 2,600 Camoapeños, including kids and parents of Sunrise families. Read more in this guest blog, and THANK YOU TO ALL! Please ... (lots of them!) Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up to keep in touch! Didn't see our December newsletter? Check it out here Meet Delvin Jose Vanegas Perez, by Hogar Social Worker Aleyda Rios Herrera On March 8, 2006, walking in the neighborhood we found this 10-year-old boy in his small house weaving a seat cover. We learned he had gone to school for three years without advancing, the teachers couldn't understand his speech, the other kids made fun of him ... read this amazing story of a young man who is still very much a part of the Sunrise family. Delvin is the first in our Teen Sponsorship Program: are you interested? Board Corner: Founder Rachel Greenwood After ten years, we all owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to our founding board member, Rachel Greenwood. Enjoy this brief history of Rachel, her involvement in Nicaragua, and Sunrise. We hope this issue has helped give you a greater understanding of the breadth and depth of Sunrise work in Camoapa. As we say (repeatedly), the vast bulk of our funding comes from individual donors. We're expanding the opportunities for support, including:     straight, unrestricted donation (easiest all round) "Friends of Sunrise" chapters Teen Sponsorship and coming soon, Volunteer Management Yes, we'll be offering volunteer opportunities as a way for individuals and possibly groups to contribute both time and financially. Stay tuned: more on this in the next newsletter, but if you simply can't wait, get in touch with me. Sincerely, Andy Johnson Camoapa, Boaco, Nicaragua [email protected] The Sunrise Foundation | | http://www.thesunrisefoundation.org | Contribute Copyright © 2013. All Rights Reserved. Forward this email This email was sent to [email protected] by [email protected] | Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. The Sunrise Foundation | P. O. Box 210 | Williamsburg | MA | 01096