EP Rotary helps Guatemala kids learn

Posted by Brad Rosenbaum 
 
 
ImageGrowing up in rural parts of Guatemala is a challenge -- particularly if you’re a child in search of an education.  Jack Vaughan of the Rotary Club of Estes Park says consider some basics: “First, they’re not very literate and they’re awful poor.  Of all the kids who start in the first grade in elementary school, two-thirds of them have dropped out by the sixth grade.”  It’s not that way in the cities, but it is in rural Guatemala.
That’s where the Rotary Club works to make a difference in the lives of thousands of youngsters.
The Guatemala Literacy Project is one of four programs that will benefit from a fundraiser Sept. 18th at 6:30pm by the Rocky Mountain Opry at the National Park Village Playhouse, 900 Moraine Ave. (Highway 36). Proceeds from this special extended version of the Opry’s rock ’n’ roll show will all go for learning programs for kids in Guatemala and Estes Park.  Seating is limited and reservations are required for the show.  Tickets are $30 and can be purchased at the Opry’s Box Office at the National Park Village Playhouse entrance or by calling 970-577-8000.  Call soon because tickets are going fast.
“The teachers in Guatemala don’t have more than a high school education themselves,” explains Vaughan.  “That’s one thing. The other thing is most of these rural kids spend their time having kids as soon as they’re old enough.  So they grow up in large families that need a lot of help caring for their siblings. A lot of times they’re encouraged to drop out of school by the parents to stay home and help.”Image
Very few children in elementary and middle school in Guatemala have textbooks.  That’s why 350 Rotary clubs are partnering with the Cooperative for Education, a charitable group, which has been placing textbooks in Guatemalan schools for 15 years.  School by school, year by year, they’ve helped more than 29,000 children and have 128,000 textbooks in more than 190 rural schools. The project has cut the dropout rate by 46%.  Studies have shown that by simply staying in school, young people in Guatemala can improve their earning potential by as much as 50% over their lifetimes.
“The Rotary club is thrilled that the Rocky Mountain Opry is donating all of the proceeds of the show to this fundraiser,” said club president Pete Sumey. “They put on an amazing show and they are committing extra effort to make sure this show will be different from any of the others they stage at the Opry. We also want to thank Scott Webermeier for donating the use of the theater that night for the show.”
The fundraising show will start an hour earlier than usual and will feature a 50s-60s clothing contest, a trivia contest, more songs, and a vintage car show by members of the Estes Park Car Club. The Estes Park Museum is also supplying photos of the town in the 50s and 60s as part of the decorations for the show.
Image It’s musical variety that fuels the performers on stage. “We did eight different shows here this summer,” show producer George Staerkel explained, “and in 56 shows to have eight different ones that’s a lot of variety.  There’re a couple of reasons for that: one, we don’t want to get bored playing the same thing night after night after night. By doing eight different shows over three months, that keeps it fun for us.”
It also keeps people coming back for more.  “We see them walk through the door every week,” said Barbara Barleen. “Some of them two or three times a week.  The loyalty is tremendous.”
“We’re not really playing for ourselves,” added Staerkel. “We’re playing for them, so we have to keep trying to think of new things to do to keep those regulars coming back.”
     “When I put a show together, I’m putting what they want,” said Barleen. “We can tell by audience response.  We can tell by the looks on their faces. If we’re doing something up there they’re not responding to -- out it goes.”
In addition to helping kids in Guatemala, the Rotary club plans to use the money raised to purchase books for the summer reading program at the Estes Valley Library and for improvements to theImage outdoor reading area the Rotary club constructed earlier this year.  It already has proven to be very successful in attracting children and parents for a reading adventure outdoors.  The club also will use fundraising proceeds to purchase the books each program speaker signs and donates to the children’s library.
“When you consider the impact this club has in helping children in Guatemala learn how to read and in maintaining the reading proficiency of children in Estes Park, it makes this fundraising event a really big deal,” said Sumey. “Spending $30 for a ticket to the Sept. 18th show is not just a ticket to an evening of great fun and great music it’s also an investment in our kids and kids thousands of miles away.  For them, it’s a ticket to a brighter future.”