On Wednesday February, 8th �I was delivered to Escula Peters Public School in Sarchi. �Rosemary, Raquel and Ismael,
an artist family who hosted me back in October 2011 hosted me again in
their home town of Gercia, the town next to Sarchi. They delivered me to
Jenny, Escula Peters English teacher who took me in
for three days with her two beautiful children. I was welcomed into a
very warm and loving family and school. Zaira Rodriguez,
the schools principle welcomed me very warmly with all the teachers.
Jenny was the only interpreter for me at the school but my very broken Spanglish and sometimes checking with Google Translate, got me through it.
GMCR purchasing farms in costa rica
Community Center: Naranjo & San Ramon
January 31, 2012
(Please see slide show below!) Arriving at the Community Center in Naranjo: Later in the afternoon after visiting coffee farms, we arrived at the community center in Naranjo where the Kids Share program got started. Some of the GMCR employees decided to join Winston horse back riding through the coffee farm while others stayed to volunteer with children from the communities of Naranjo and San Ramon.
Our second day (2+ hour) program was very sweet. The children really enjoyed the attention they received from the GMCR employee’s and Coffee Source team. Everyone worked together very well.
What we did in two hours: 
1. Played a fun game of Futbol/Soccer to help us all get to know each other. 2. A quick presentation was given to help everyone visualize what KSW (Kids Share Workshops) is about. 3. Setting up and learning how to be careful with our friends while painting. 
4. Painting and hanging artwork 5. Learning how to decorate recycled containers 
6. Awards & Snack
Each school KSW reached some art supplies were left thanks to the generous donations made by many of the GMCR employees and Winston Rost, who wanted to leave something behind. At this community center the computers the employees brought from Vermont were also donated and very appreciated. To give back to children, especially those who receive little enrichment learning in rural and developing countries, this was a very rewarding experience for all of us. GMCR employees made a big difference in these kids lives and they will never forget you!
On the last morning with GMCR I said goodbye to the employees and thanked them for their very hard work and generous support with the kids. I wanted to do something fun as my thank you, so I gave two of my artist prints away in a name raffle. I wish I could do more for my appreciation of their help. Volunteering with children is so rewarding for me, especially when others want to pitch in during their vacation or free time.
I also am grateful they were so patient with me since my Spanish is a work in progress (started learning at 40!) and I have taught very few 2 hour programs. It was a bit of a challenge for me to figure out how to give an enrichment program I had created in two hours which was designed for two-five weeks, but I felt with the support of others the kids were left happy and got a sense of how we can all work together cross culturally through art and exploring.
A Special Thanks to the GMCR employee photographers; Reid Greenberg, Steven Caggiano and Michael Yaeger and Lorena Frias from Sister Schools. Their photographs are making it possible for the 2012 Costa Rica blog to cross culturally share!
Stay Tuned! I will be taking you for the next two weeks to the Sister Schools with Partners of the Americas!
The photo slide show below is a wonderful and quick step by step visual in cross cultural sharing during our time at the Community Center in Naranjo. Please take a moment and enjoy the day with us!
La Hilda Estates
“Our 2012 Arts, Recycling and Cross Cultural Sharing through Skype workshops in Costa Rica, with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR) Employees and Partners of the Americas-Sister Schools was a huge success! I was a bit nervous to take on five school locations in three weeks, but the warmth and support of Costa Rican’s opening their homes, hearts and time volunteering with me made it an absolutely wonderful experience! The GMCR employee team who volunteered 2-3 hours with kids for two days was amazing! Employees brought extra art supplies and donated GMCR lap top computers and I brought over 60 Highlight, Lady Bug and National Geographic Magazines. In the rural coffee communities often books and computers are scarce. From the youth to the adults everyone had a wonderful time and I sometimes wondered if the adults were having the most fun!
To continue to read this story please visit:(2012) Workshops, Living, Coffee, Dishes & Food Security
To read about our first workshop in 2012 visit: La Hilda Estates.
via La Hilda Estates.
Green Mountain Coffee, Coffee Source Costa Rica & Kids Share Workshops
Two years ago I fell in love with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters! The company believes strongly in Social Responsibility and not only proudly announces this to the world but takes action. I took time to learn about the many non-profits GMCR supports and became inspired!
But finding my way to this wonderful coffee company, so close to my own home would take time to make the connection with GMCR. In January 2010 I had just boldly and bravely taught a Kids Share program with volunteers in a very rural coffee community. We found ourselves traveling to San Ramon, El Roblar, Nicaragua living on a primitive and very rural family coffee farm for three weeks. This would not only be a life changing experience for me but the inspiration to see the importance of Coffee, Kids and Cross Cultural Sharing.
GMCR supports many great causes from women’s health to food security. In a quick and simple program I wanted to focus on the kids and how to reach them by making fun connections with children and adults living in the Americas. How could I help bridge cultures through coffee? With the help of Partners of the Amiercas, my parent organization, the focus is making this happen through the Arts, Writing and Environmental Exploration by using technology.
This January I have been invited to teach a fun two day program with Winston Rost, Farmer Relations Manager for GMCR and Source Employees in Costa Rica. We will be visiting in the communities of Doka, La Hilda, BES, Las Lajas an organic “honey process” coffee farm and Cafe Altura de San Ramon.
I am super excited to be on this upcoming adventure with the GMCR source employees who are being awarded this trip as outstanding employees! Please see the pdf presentation of Kids Share two hour program to learn more. KSW-GMCR 5MIN Presentation (webinar)
Saludos,
Kristina Applegate Lutes, Founder & Program Director
The Coffee Source Team from Costa Rica
Arnoldo Juan Lizano, Coffee Trader with The Coffee Source (LIST)
