Summer Fundraisers Update

We have two Brat Fries coming up this summer! Both will be located at the Oshkosh Pick ‘n Save on Jackson Street. The first will take place July 14-15 from 10am to 5pm. The second Brat Fry will be August 11-12 also from 10am to 5pm. Mark your calendars and help support education in Caneille, Haiti!

Year in Review – 2011

This will be the first of two ‘year-in-review’ updates that I will be writing from overseas. As most of you may already know, Rebecca and I joined the US Peace Corps in June and have been assigned to serve for two years at a rural, primary school in Swaziland. Our time here has been great and as we continue to learn, we are eager to apply what we have learned to be more effective partners with the people of Caneille.

In preparation for our departure, our board of directors grew to include several long-time supporters who have done a great job managing the day-to-day operations. Thanks to their hard work, our usual fundraising activities have continued, including holiday cookie sales, alternative giving fairs, craft sales, and much more. So be sure you keep checking back for information on upcoming fundraisers and information-or enter your e-mail in the subscription box to the right of this page.

Besides the organizational changes in the U.S., this has been an exciting year in Caneille. Ecole de la Grace de Caneille completed its 5th year and graduated its second class. We continue to see tremendous results from our students and teachers as demonstrated by overwhelming successes on the national examination for graduating 6th graders.

In addition, we have continued to make progress towards the goal of permanent classrooms for all grade-levels. This past March, we led a group which officially began construction of a new, three-classroom bloc which we hope complete in the coming months. This is not only required by the terms of our accreditation, but also provides the students and teachers a distraction-free environment to conduct lessons.

For the sixth time, our tuition-free primary school opened its doors in the fall. This year, Ecole de la Grace de Caneille welcomed over 200 students (98 boys and 104 girls) to benefit from a free, quality education. Our six teachers (2 new this year and 4 returning) and academic director work hard to ensure that our students receive the best education possible. Thanks to the collaboration between the Caneille Regional Development Fund and our partners, these students will not only receive this education tuition-free, but they have all been provided with uniforms, books, and a daily meal.

Today, I am looking back, not only on this past 12 months, but on what has been a nearly 6 year journey. At the beginning of this journey was an idea. An idea that a small group of individuals could help the parents of Caneille achieve their dream–to give their children a better life than they had. Beyond all of our secondary efforts, the key to new opportunities for this community comes through quality education. Thanks to your support, Ecole de la Grace de Caneille has grown from three grade levels in 2006 to a complete primary school which continues to provide education to children free-of-charge. To those of you who have been with us from the beginning, and those that have joined since–Thank you!

I would also like to take a moment and thank our partners in Haiti and the other organizations working alongside. Our partners on the ground make this all possible. They work hard to ensure we recruit high-quality teachers, register students, construct buildings, and ensure the smooth implementation of our projects. They have dedicated their lives to this community and our shared vision.

Together, we will all see a day where being born in Caneille does not mean a life of illiteracy and perpetual poverty. If you would like more information or want to find out how you can become more involved, please feel free to contact me at CRDFund@gmail.com.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Oliver Zornow CRDF – Founder/President

Lawrence University’s Alternative Giving Fair

Hosted by SWAHP (Students Working Against Hunger and Poverty)

When: Sunday, November 13th

Time: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Where: Lawrence University, Warch Campus Center (2nd floor Esch room)

Description: Alternative Gift Markets are non-profit shopping events that provide life-saving resources to others in need through the coordinated and charitable inspiration of individuals and communities. Lawrence’s Alternative Giving Fair allows people to express their compassion through the purchase of Alternative Gifts for birthday or holiday presents for their loved ones. These Gifts support humanitarian and environmental causes. The event will also include a tangible gifts section in which hand-made crafts from Sierra Leone will be for sale as well as fair trade items from Appleton’s downtown shop Globally Sound.

This is a perfect opportunity to buy a meaningful gift for someone you care about!

Support the CRDF at the Fall Craft Bazaar and Beyond Event

CRDF will be selling Haitian crafts and handmade baskets at the Fall Craft Bazaar and Beyond Event sponsored by the Salvation Army. The event will be held on October 15, 2011 from 9-2 at 1525 Appleton Road, Menasha. Hope to see you there.

Upcoming Benefit Concert – October 1st

What: Musica Latina: a Benefit Concert of Latin American and Spanish Music

Where: Fox Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 2600 Philip Lane, Appleton, WI 54915

When: Saturday, October 1, 1-3:30PM

Admission: half of free-will donations will be given to the Caneille Regional Development Fund

Former Tucson Symphony Cellist Tom Clowes and pianist Ji-Young Kim, group piano professor at the University of Arizona, present “Musica Latina,” a concert of Spanish songs, Argentine tango, Argentine cowboy music, and Brazilian-classical fusion by Manuel De Falla, Astor Piazzolla, Alberto Ginastera, and Heitor Villa-Lobos. Half of donations collected at Friday’s concert will be given to the Caneille Regional Development Fund, which provides education, emergency medical transport, and economic development programs to Caneille, Haiti.

The concert will include Villa-Lobos’ Second Sonata for Cello and Piano, Ginastera’s Pampeana #2, Piazzolla’s Le Grand Tango, and Suite Populaire by De Falla. Villa Lobos’ sonata is a nearly unknown work by a composer influenced by French impressionism and Brazilian indigenous and folk music. Pampeana #2 is music for the gauchos, or cowboys, of the pampas, or Brazilian countryside. Le Grand Tango is also a product of musical fusion, mixing elements of Baroque, classical, jazz, and tango music. Suite Populaire Espagnole by De Falla is made up of six Spanish flamenco love songs and lullabies, originally for voice and piano.

Tom Clowes, Lawrence class of ’01, was a member of the Tucson Symphony and Tucson Pops Orchestras before leaving for Chicago to study with international cello soloist Wendy Warner. Ji-Young Kim has performed at the Boston Symphony’s Tanglewood Festival, as a concerto soloist at the Rocky Ridge Music Festival and the Lawrence Conservatory of Music, and in master classes with Richard Goode, Robert McDonald, and Anne-Marie McDermott. Clowes and Kim have been performing as a duo and in a trio for over five years, including performances broadcast on Tucson’s classical KUAT-FM.

The concert is presented in partnership with The Caneille Regional Development Fund, and organization begun by recent Lawrence graduates Oliver and Rebecca Zornow. The project grew out of Oliver’s senior thesis project at Appleton’s Valley New School. Since inception, the project has funded the establishment of a tuition-free primary school serving over 190 students in the first through sixth grade, emergency medical transport, and variety of other projects including a school meal program and community seed distribution.

Preview: Clowes-Kim Duo: Song of the Black Swan (Youtube)