This year we raised $3631.00 in donations, surpassing last year’s amount by $520.00. Husky appreciation is extended to everyone as we continue to raise global awareness and help other children. We received another report from the community of Shuid detailing further use of last year’s donations for a clean water system. Children in this community are now able to attend school regularly instead of losing instruction due to the very long walks required to obtain clean water.
Thank you, Huskies.

Dear Parents,

You may remember our fantastic Trace’s Fun Run to Latin America that was held last April. This event was planned by our student group, Trace’s Ambassadors.

Last year, these students chose to provide support to children in Latin America for poverty alleviation, education, health, and sustainable development. Through your generosity, we raised $3,111.70 in donations. The students have set their goal to $4,000 this year in order to continue to help these children.

Metzler’s donation has helped in the construction of a water system in the community of Shuid, which will provide clean and safe drinking water to children and families in need. Storage tanks are also being built so surplus water can be safely stored at a central location in the village. This has drastically decreased the spread of disease and has freed girls from the long daily treks to collect clean water and has enabled them to attend school.

This year, Trace’s Fun Run to Latin America is scheduled for Wednesday, April 22nd during your child’s regularly scheduled P.E., music, or art time. As noted above, our students hope to surpass last year’s donation amount and raise $4,000.00.

A Pledge Sheet is attached for your convenience. Checks can be made out to Kids Can Free the Children, a charitable organization (US 501c(3)-16-1533544) that will use these funds to provide support to developing countries for poverty alleviation, education, health, and sustainable development.

Should anyone require charitable tax receipts for donations $10 and over, the following donor information must be submitted with the check: full name, amount donated, e-mail address, full mailing address and phone number. Tax receipts will not be issued unless all of this information is submitted. NOTE: Free the Children cannot issue tax receipts until it receives the donated funds.

Flat donations are to be submitted prior to the Fun Run. Donations per lap are due no later than Thursday, April 30, 2009.

Recently, all of the Huskies were able to view the O Ambassadors Shuid Report (December 2008) video at school. This video was sent to us from the Free the Children organization.

The following information is extracted from the report:

• Shuid is an indigenous community located in the southern parts of the Chimborazo province in Ecuador, at an altitude of 12,000 miles.
• The population of the community is 1,150.
• The province of Chimborazo is located in the heart of the Ecuadorian Andes. Chimborazo has the highest population of indigenous people of all the Ecuadorian provinces, with 70 % of the population being indigenous.
• The remote indigenous communities must battle the elements in their daily effort to grow food, and are cut off from basic resources like clean water and health care.
• In Shuid, 75 percent of the population lives on less than $2 USD a day.
• Lack of economic activity is causing migration to cities and other countries, which leads to child labor, the separation of families and low school enrollment.
• In rural Ecuador, nine out of ten children do not complete secondary school, and girls are taken out of school even earlier to help their parents in the fields. Many of the children who want an education are forced to travel great distances to the nearest school.

Because of our continued support and participation in the O Ambassadors program, we received a special invitation to have the O Ambassadors Roots in Action motivational speaking tour come to Metzler. Earlier today, second through fifth grade Huskies listened to expert speakers Michel Chikwanine and Katie Meyler as they provided encouragement for the children to realize their power to change the world and challenged them to take action. In addition, they educated our Huskies on our country’s role in our global community and shared ideas for tangible actions to create positive change, both locally and globally. This presentation involved a combination of multimedia, music, and stories to inspire student support of our school’s O Ambassadors Club (Trace’s Ambassadors) as they work towards the Millennium Development Goals.

Trace’s Ambassadors thank you for making a positive change in the world.

About Free the Children
Founded in 1995 by international child rights activist Craig Kielburger when he was 12 years old, Free the Children has a proven track record of success. It has received the World’s Children’s Prize for the Rights of the Child (also known as the Children’s Nobel Prize) and the Human Rights Award from the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations. The primary goals of the organization are to free children from poverty and exploitation and free young people from the notion that they are powerless to effect positive change in the world.

About Oprah’s Angel Network
In 1997, what began as a campaign to encourage viewers to collect spare change for 150 scholarships given through The Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and to volunteer time to build 200 homes for the needy with Habitat for Humanity International, evolved into the charity known today as Oprah’s Angel Network.

To date, Oprah’s Angel Network has received more than $80 million in donations. As part of the Hurricane Katrina and Rita recovery efforts, more than 400 homes have been built or restored in eight communities across Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama with the Angel Network’s support. With Free the Children, Oprah’s Angel Network has built more than 55 schools in 12 countries, providing education for thousands of children in rural areas throughout the world.