Dear Family and Friends,
Over the past three years, Cindy and I have supported a small local charity called the SOL (School of Life) Foundation. Visit SOL Foundation to view the web site. In a nutshell, the program is now providing almost 80 kids from West End and Sandy Bay with after school programs and sports activities, including organized baseball. These programs take place Monday through Saturday from 4:00 until 9:00 pm, keeping these kids occupied and out of trouble.
As donors to the program, Cindy and I were invited to join the local board of directors to try assist in managing the operation. One thing became obvious. SOL needs cash to continue to operate. Recurring donations add up to about $750.00 dollars a month. Not much to work with.
We have come up with an idea to try and raise some funds to help the program along and the idea is fairly simple. Friends of ours Terri and Eldon Bolton are raffling off a 7 night stay in their condominium at Infinity Bay. The tickets are $100.00 each and a maximum of 120 will be sold. For a description of the property, visit our website or email me. The unit is a two bedroom master, third building from the beach. If all goes well, we will be able to inject another $1000.00 a month to keep this project moving ahead. It does not sound like much, but it will be a huge boost to the foundation.
For example of what SOL does, they created a baseball field last year, and we started going to the games. The teams are a mixed bag of expatriate kids, but mostly local kids. During the season last year, I think we saw one parent in attendance at a single game. The kids are starving for attention. After consulting with David Elmore, the program manager here on Roatan, we have agreed that 100% of the money raised will dedicated to hiring counselors and coaches to work with the kids. They are all good kids in need of attention, discipline and direction. With the right people, we can meet those needs. The fact is it is a full time job and the people involved have to make a living. These funds will see to it.
The rules are simple: accommodations only (we can't afford your booze bill), 7 nights at Infinity Bay, $100.00 to enter, 120 chances maximum. All entries will be recorded on file cards of the same size. We will put them in a bucket, shake it up good and have some attractive person draw a name out. The condo will be available from September 1, 2009 until August 31, 2010. We prefer to black out Easter weekend and Christmas/New Years for obvious reasons, but if that is a deal breaker, we can work it out.
To enter go to make a donation on the SOL web site http://www.solsite.org/. Select a donation amount of $100.00, select "I want to make a one time donation", for "How should we use your donation" select "program in greatest need", for "gift information" select "on behalf of " and type in "raffle". Also, send acknowledgement to Eldon who is donating the condo at elbolton3@aol.com . Finish off with your payment information. The process is a little complicated, but it is well worth the effort. Cindy and I have donated and can attest to the safety and security of the web site. Your confirmation will come from Groundspring.org.
Thanks in advance for those able and willing. If you have a friend that might be interested, pass this mail along. We need all entries in by August 31, 2009. Times are tough for everyone, but remember that your donations to the SOL Foundation are tax deductible in the USA. If you have any questions or comments, please call us at 970-300-4078 or email me.
