— from Betsy Amy-Vogt
It’s Nearly Time for Summer Camp!
That’s right; we’re already gearing up for our Curso de Verano 2018! This year’s theme is “The Art and Culture of Mexico”, and we’re busy organizing a fun and educational four weeks. But we need your help!
Can you afford $300 MX (approx. $15 USD) to sponsor a child to attend our summer day camp? Donate HERE noting ‘summer camp sponsorship’ on the form, and a child will attend camp thanks to you! We will allocate sponsorships on a needs basis, so you can be sure it will go to a deserving child. Remember, the link is Donate!
If you’d rather donate supplies, we are very short on art and school supplies. One of the things we do for each child at the end of summer is gift them a new backpack filled with supplies for the new school year. This is not just a fun gift for the child (there’s some pretty cool stuff out there!) but also takes the time and money burden of purchasing school supplies off the parents. Come visit us at the library any day between 10am and 6pm to drop off your gift. Thank you!
What about donating yourself?! If you are in Akumal this summer, please consider spending a day or two with us as a volunteer during summer camp. What do you love doing? Sports, arts and crafts, nature, a life experience, or an unusual career … Please join us and share your passion!
Summer camp will be held from Monday 16th of July through Friday the 10th of August. All local children are welcome; please contact Kaori for more information or to enroll your children.
Our School Time Weekly Activities
Too much time has passed since our last blog, and we have been working hard but always making time to play! We have classes every week day afternoon from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Monday and Thursday are for homework help and practical skills classes. On these days Kaori teaches a variety of subjects including mathematics, reading, cooking, English, and Japanese.
Tuesday’s are nature classes with Elizabeth, who is teaching the children how to care for the earth by recycling, planting an organic garden, and learning about local plants and wildlife.
Wednesday is Global Volunteers International (GVI) day, on which the young adults volunteering with GVI here in Akumal come and teach the children. Every week the subject is different, and once they even performed a puppet show, which was a big hit!
Friday is the day that talented local artist Rory Eade comes to teach art. If you follow us on our Facebook page you’ll know that the artwork the children create with Rory is amazing.
And Saturday, of course, is BEACH DAY! The children walk just down the road to beautiful Akumal Bay for two hours building sandcastles, learning to swim, and having fun in the sun! (With proper protection of course!)
Spring Cleanup
We took advantage of the last of the cool weather to give our property a much needed spring cleaning! Volunteers from the community, local snorkel cooperatives, GVI, and of course our regular library crew all joined forces in a massive effort in which we:
- Rebuilt the entranceway
- Created a garden along the entrance path
- Cleared the parking lot
- Spread gravel on our entrance path
- Cleared all the trash that had been dumped in the jungle behind the library
- Moved rocks and leaves and cleared the boundaries of the library’s lot
- Re-secured the fence and closed off the area behind the building …
- … and lots more!
Thank you to ….
A shout out to super volunteers Eileen McCormick, Rozanne Quintero, Lisa Picardi, and all the amazing Hekab Be family of volunteers, staff and children who worked so hard to make this day happen. And of course, a big HOORAH to the super generous Akumal business community who donated materials and/or employees to help us out. You rock!
- El Sanctuario de la Diosa Ixcel
- Hotel Akumal Caribe and LolHa restaurant
- GVI (Global Volunteers International, Akumal)
- Secrets Akumal
- Akumal Geographic
- Akventures
- Maravillas de Akumal
- Paseos Akumal
- Akumal Dive Shop
- and the Eco-Bahia
Please visit and support all the local businesses when you are in Akumal, as most of them are long-time Hekab Be supporters and are always on our thank you list.
Children’s Day and Mother’s Day Celebrations
Día del Niño is always a BIG holiday in Mexico (and why not?) This year we had TWO celebrations – we took a trip to the ruins of Tulum, where we had a guided tour of the site and enjoyed a picnic. Then we had a big party at Hekab Be, with gifts, dancing, piñatas to bash, and a wonderful cake from Jen at Turtle Bay Cafe.
Just a few weeks later it was time to celebrate our mothers. Mother’s Day is always the 10th of May in Mexico, and that afternoon we invited all the families to join their children at the library for a party. We had more fun, games, and cake, and the children all gave their mothers a handmade gift.
NOTE: Due to low attendance last month, our community Mercado is on hold until after the summer. Check back with us in October or November!
Just sent $15 by Paypal for summer camp. Awesome job you are doing for the children.