VERMONT HONDURAS PARTNERS OF THE AMERICAS
August 22, 2000
6:00-9:00PM
Dowe’s Camp
Present: Dan Baker, Chigee Cloninger, Michele Cranwell, Carolyn and Don Cruikshank, Betty Anne and Tom Dowe, Ann Geroski, Bill Kelly, Janet Patterson, Rick Peyser.
Meeting called to order at 6:30 by President, Bill Kelly
Bill Kelly made a motion to approve the minutes for the Board of Trustees Meetings on 6/29/00. This motion was seconded to approve as distributed.
Betty Anne Dowe distributed a Treasurer’s Report, which is attached to the official minutes.
A. Bill Kelly announced that there have been changes in POA Leadership. Kate Raftery has resigned to take a job with Peace corps. Norm Brown, President and CEO of POA will retire effective October 31, 2000. A search has begun to find a new president/CEO.
B. Bill Kelly announced the Middlebury College’s Sixth Annual Non-Profit Organization Fair, Friday, September 29, 2000. However the VT Chapter of POA does not have any projects or internships currently available. The suggestion is made to make an informational poster board and provide information on the Honduran Girls Project, the Coffee Project, and the Sugar Cane Project.
C. Bill Kelly announced that some funding is still available for Education and Cultural Travel Grants and Small Project Grants. These are the same areas indicated on the POA Resources Sheet passed around at the previous meeting. Chigee Cloninger and Sue Yappa expressed interest in the grant for Education, Culture and Citizen Participation Program.
D. Bill Kelly announced that The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed 2001 as the International Year of volunteers. This 12-month celebration is an opportunity for increased awareness, and recognition and promotion of volunteering. The U.S. steering committee offers tools to help individuals, groups, organization, and corporations participate in strengthening volunteerism.
E. Bill Kelly announced the Farmer to Farmer U.S. Workshop and asked if any one had expressed interest in attending. Persons should contact Fred Schimdt.
F. Bill Kelly discussed Youth for Understanding and asked if anyone was interested in providing a homestay for a visiting student. Some interest was expressed, however people felt that youth should stay with families who have children their same age. Persons discussed the need to continue to pursue in-state tuition for Honduran undergraduates to attend schools in Vermont. Middlebury college was given as an example of a school who may offer this.
Anne is from UVM’s counseling program. Anne, Kevin, and their two children spent six months in Honduras working on Direct Services and Development work. They lived with a family of a nurse in a clinic.
· Kevin worked at the Ministry of Health and the pre-natal clinic. He held an extensive Mid-Wife training for 19 persons. They shipped a car for transport and used the vehicle as an ambulance.
· They volunteered in a school to build a library and purchase books for the library. Parents donated chairs and materials to the construction. They are looking to buy books from Borders.
· Developed a Girls Club in town. Twenty-one teenage girls got together to play soccer three days a week for three weeks. The last week was spent discussing educational and life issues. Women’s sports catalog donated shirts and shorts to sponsor their team. The girls will be in their catalog. They are looking for cleats. They have received donations for this and would like to funnel money through POA for a non-profit status.
· They announced that $1,000 available donated by a woman in Maine. The suggestion in made to pass this money on to the Honduran Girls project. A letter needs to be sent to the donator, so she may review and approve of the use of funds on the project.
Chigee announced that there will be a Latino Art show at the Dall Anstadt Gallery.
· Teen clubs have been developed in Honduras, Belize, and Guatemala to discuss community needs for teens. This is a way to prevent pregnancy by discussing life issues and problem solving. Teens are taught how to run a meeting, officers are designated, and teens work to design their own projects.
· Walter from Vermont held workshops to assist teens in setting up small businesses, make cheese, tortillas, baby sitting, and creating tourists items. They youth want to attend the youth Entrepreneur Conference in Tegucigalpa. They are holding a soccer tournament on September 9th and 10th to recruit more teens to be involved in the project.
· Chigee discussed how Renee and Norma provided trainings for teachers in Honduras on basic counseling skills.
No other new business was discussed. Small discussions continued and pictures of Anne’s trip were shown during dinner.
Adjournment: The Board of Trustees meeting was adjourned at
9:00pm.
**Minutes prepared by Michele Cranwell. Please direct changes to Michele via email at
mcranwel@zoo.uvm.edu" or 656-0256 (w).