Written by Barry Munro
Tuesday, 14 June 2011 11:42
In May, I got a phone call from a teacher at one of the Bucerias “Jardin de Niños” or “Kindergartens”, as we extranjeros know them, where we have stationed one of our recycling baskets. The teacher wanted to take her class on a field trip to the Bucerias Recycling Center to teach them about the importance of taking care of our environment.
She arrived on Thursday morning, June 2nd with her class and some class mothers all piled into a pickup truck. We had a nice group of recycling volunteers working at the lot so there was a lot to watch and lots to see. We spent a few minutes showing the kids what we do and why we do it. We answered questions and we talked about the importance of keeping our streets, beaches and town clean and beautiful, as well as how harmful the plastic can be to the birds, fish and other animals that live in our area. We asked if they would help us and the answer was a resounding “Si”! I asked how many children were going to bring a plastic bottle to put into the recycling basket at their school the next day…all raised their hands. Our volunteers gave them a big “Muchas gracias niños” and they responded with a very cute little “group cheer” for us. After we passed out lollipops to all the children and helpers they piled back into the pickup and went returned to their school. IS THIS THE END OF THE STORY???
NOT BY A LONG SHOT! On Friday the 3rd I received another call from the teacher at the Kinder School. “Please come and pick up our plastic Mr. Barry we have a lot!” Maestra Yocelin came to the front gate and said that she was glad to see me because they had so much plastic. I looked at the half-empty recycling basket and she said “No, over there”! On the other side of her class room door were about eight big bags of plastic bottles waiting for me. Wow! “Did the whole school collect all of this plastic” I asked? No, it was just her class of 25 very small children. As of Saturday, June 11th, we have been back to the school four times to pick up more and more and more plastic. At least eight bags each time, not to mention a full recycling basket 3 times this week. Absolutely amazing!
Also absolutely amazing is Maestra Yocelin. She has motivated these children (and their parents as well) by setting up a score board with each child’s name and how many bottles each child brings in. They count each morning as the children bring the plastic. She has the children making toys and crafts out of recycled material. She showed me her teaching plan, page after handwritten page of details on how she is using recycling and the environmental education to help teach other skills such as shapes, colors, mathematics, team work, etc. Now here is the part that got to me. One of the parents, whose child attends the Jardin de Niños Cuauhtemoc, told me that this school is one of the poorest in all of the Bahia de Banderas. The school struggles to stay open each year and just recently they lost their playground equipment. The equipment was old and not in very good condition and one of the children was unfortunately injured in an accident on the equipment and the State, of course, had it all removed. Thankfully the child has recovered fully but now the school is left with an empty playground and no funding coming their way.
Maestra Yocelin has asked me if the RECYCLERS of BUCERIAS and our friends might be able to help them get some new equipment for their playground. Well what do you think I was going to say to that? YES! Absolutely yes! So here is the deal: we think that a good quality set up like the one at Mano de Amor’s Casa Hogar will cost between $15,000.00 to $20,000.00 pesos. We are asking the school to decide what they need and where we can get it and also asking them to be responsible for the installation of the equipment. We would like to fund this project and get it installed before the end of school this year or by the beginning of next year’s session at the latest.
The RECYCLERS OF BUCERIAS and The Amigos de Bucerias are asking all of our friends, their friends and neighbors for just $200.00 pesos per household. Friends, that is only about $20 USD. Of course we would be grateful for any amount (large or small). Hopefully we can raise these funds muy pronto. If we have any funds left from the purchase of the playground equipment it will go towards buying some much needed school supplies for Jardin de Niños Cuauhtemoc.
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If you are in Bucerias you can give your donation by contacting Barry of the RECYCLERS of BUCERIAS 322.158.6101 OR Noble Dunson president of the Amigos de Bucerias at: www.amigosdebucerias.com
If you are currently in the U. S. or Canada, you can still be a part of this wonderful project, by using PayPal. Contact Karen Knapp at kwschopf@msn.com for instructions. Our community needs to protect our precious resources, our children, their wonderful teachers, and their schools. These children are our future! PLEASE HELP US HELP THEM!
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IMPORTANT UPDATE: As of June 24, 2011, we are almost halfway to our goal. It's not too late to give! Either call Barry Munro at 322-158-6101, or if you are not in Bucerias right now, you can email Karen Knapp at kwschopf@msn.com to find out how you can contribute through PayPal.
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The RECYCLERS of BUCERIAS is a not for profit, volunteer public service organization dedicated to cleaning and conserving our local environment. We collect and recycle only plastic bottles and aluminium and tin cans. You can drop off your recycling at the Bucerias Recycling Center at the corner of Calle Encino and Calle Invierno in Bucerias or use one of our recycling baskets which are place around the streets of Bucerias. All of our proceeds are invested back into the Bucerias community. We are a totally volunteer powered organization and this is a great opportunity for you to give back to our community. "RECICLADORES DE BUCERIAS". WHO WE ARE, WHAT WE DO and WHY http://es-es.facebook.com/pages/Recicladores-de-Bucerias/117068995047033 | |
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