School Blog

Become a Sponsor of the 2010 Salsa Fiesta!

July, 2010

Dear LGES supporter,

Thank you so much for your ongoing support of La Gloria English School on Isla Mujeres through the Friends of La Gloria English School.  We could not continue to provide this much-needed service to the people of Isla Mujeres without it.

Our 2010 Salsa Fiesta at the KEVA Sports Center in Middleton is coming up on Thursday September 9^th, 2010 – save the date! This is our major event of the year put on by the Friends of La Gloria English School. Will you become a Sponsor of the Fiesta? Due to generous donations of the auctioneer’s time, the site for this event and printing of the flyer, the overhead is nearly nothing, so your donation will go directly to helping La Gloria English School!

The past year has seen some challenges for La Gloria English School – and for the first time in our existence we did not meet our operating costs.  We had a little cushion and will be fine, but need more help than ever to make sure we can continue this important work at the school.  You can help.

You can help La Gloria English School by becoming a 2010 Salsa Fiesta Sponsor. We have 4 levels, mild ($35);  - medium ($70); – hot! ($125);  - and extra hot!(over $125); or to taste.

All sponsors will be listed to receive complementary admission to the Salsa Fiesta.  Your donation will be recognized in the program at the Salsa Fiesta.  I would love to see you there!  Come for the friends and stay for the fun.  You can change a life today!

It is very easy to donate this year. Just click on Donate Now! and choose your level of support, (or mail a check to FOLGES at 2870 Old Creek Rd in Middleton, WI 53562).  Our goal this year is $5,000  and we hope you help us reach it!   Thank you so much for your continued support for La Gloria English School – We couldn’t continue to provide this much-needed educational service without your help.

Sincerely,

Maggie Washa

Executive Director

P.S. On the same donation site, we will also soon have an on-line auction for those who cannot make it to the event in Middleton!  Stay tuned for more information and a great on-line auction!

May 2010

A Letter From Our Newest Addition!

Greetings! I am Alison Hohl, and have just joined the exciting team of FOLGES as the Assistant to the Executive Director.  I am the first paid employee of FOLGES; it is growing up!!  Tom and Maggie Washa have generously decided to personally donate up to $2,000 monthly to FOLGES for the next 2 years to pay for this position, so that Maggie can retire from the day-to-day workload as Executive Director of Friends of La Gloria English School.  The goal is to increase donations by that much in 2 years so she can retire completely and FOLGES will be financially independent. (The FOLGES budget pays the living stipends for the teachers, their housing costs and several other teacher-related expenses.)

I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication and Journalism in May 2009 and since then have been dabbling in the creative side of marketing. I am excited about this new opportunity as I have visited the school and know how wonderful and important it is. I’ve seen firsthand just how much the students and people of Isla Mujeres are benefiting from the School and it’s volunteers.  I look forward to the new challenges coming my way.  Feel free to contact me at any time!

Here are some of the things you can look forward to in the next few months!

1)  We are putting together a limited edition 2011 Isla Mujeres Calendar and we are publishing an Isla Mujeres-based cookbook called IXCHEL’S KITCHEN, with all proceeds going to support the School.  Mike Braley and Jana Epperson are the editors, and you will hear more about them later, as they become available.

2)  Our Salsa Fiesta date has been set for September 9^th – a Thursday evening this year.  It will be at KEVA Sports Center on Middleton’s west side.  We also plan to have an on-line auction so you don’t have to attend to take part in the auctions! – more will follow soon.

3)  We have begun brainstorming a new and exciting competition idea for all La Gloria English School supporters to join in the fun.   We are still working out the details, but here is the general idea:  We will send you a “Fiesta in a box” with great ideas and materials to throw a small Salsa Fiesta fundraiser in your own state or city.  Since competitions make everything more fun, it has been suggested that we have ‘State-by-State’ competitions.  The idea is to see which State can raise the most in donations for the School.  From what Maggie says, there are some serious ‘Islaholics’ in Texas, Colorado, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, the Carolinas and Ohio.  We would also consider a Canadian team or any other State that wishes to participate! Think you’re up to the challenge? Email FOLGES@gmail.com to express your interest!  We hope to develop a “Wall of Fame” at the School, with the winners each year.  How many years in a row can you get your State (and your name) on the wall??

For you FACEBOOK users, check us out at FRIENDS OF LA GLORIA ENGLISH SCHOOL (http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=100169756299&ref=ts)  I am posting lots of pictures there as well!

Thank you to all who have volunteered and donated since the New Year began. We can’t do it without you and hope you enjoy hearing about Isla from our newsletter!

Warmly,

Alison Hohl

April 17, 2010

We have had another successful year, with two great teachers, Ray and Alison making their impression on the students.  The school is becoming well known in the community as a place to get quality English classes at an affordable price.  Tom and I are unable to travel anywhere on Isla without being recognized and greeted.  It is wonderful, but sometimes feels funny when I am greeted warmly and have no idea how I know the friendly person in front of me.  This happens just as often with tourists as with local people.  I am chalking it up to age – but my memory for names and faces has always been weak.  I usually bluff my way and at some point the light comes on and I remember who they are, or Tom does.  We have one good brain between us!

In August we will have 2 new teachers on board for another year’s contract.  I am in the final hiring process now.   We also plan to add Spanish classes for visitors and foreigners living on Isla, starting in late October.  This will be in answer to ongoing requests, and to raise a little more money for the English school.  By January we hope to offer 3 Spanish classes – one would be tuition-based and several months long, and the other two classes would be pay-as-you-go for tourists to either pick up some basics or to brush up on rusty skills.   We are open to groups coming to Isla for a volunteer/immersion-Spanish vacation.

There are other changes as well. I have spent a lot of time this winter working to replace myself at the school.  I will always be involved, but it is time to hand off some of the responsibilities.  It looks like there will be at least 5 people taking over parts of what I have been doing!  One person is answering the web email (lagloria@gmail.com), two are taking over the curriculum and instruction management, and several others are helping with fundraising.  In the office, all 3 secretaries are in English classes, and will be taking on even more of the responsibilities and decision-making. It is a big help when it doesn’t all rest on my shoulders.

I am now looking for someone who lives here to manage the coordination of local students who are receiving specific scholarships to English classes.  People like to see a picture of their student, and to know that they are in class.  It takes a bit of work to track the student and keep the sponsors informed of their progress.  Is there anyone living on Isla who would like to try this on?

In the meantime, I want to thank all of you for your support and interest in La Gloria English School. We are now in our 7th year of teaching, and in spite of the poor economy, are going to survive.  It is everyone pitching in just a little that keeps us going!   We thank you so much for your support.   There are now 3 ways to donate:  1) through Paypal, 2) snail-mail a check, or 3) set up an ACH transfer directly into the FOLGES account.  We hope you choose one and consider becoming a sustaining donor to La Gloria English School!

Life is good.

We have the raffle winners for 2010 – Lou Cattey and Kristine Jordan.  Thanks to all of you for your support!  We sold a total of 370 tickets for a total of  $44,400 pesos or about $3700 USD.  I was over-the-top optimistic and had printed 800 tickets but am pleased with how much we made.  This is good, and hopefully next year will be better!

Hello again from Isla,

It seems like every February the amount of work here at La Gloria English School steps up a couple of notches and doesn’t settle down until April. This year, so much is going on that I find myself near exhaustion, with little time to stop and relax. Although much has been streamlined at the school, and more volunteers are helping, my own workload somehow gets more demanding, and I don’t have the tireless energy that I used to have.

For the school to survive, it needs to stand on its own, not on our shoulders. We are looking to retire within the next 2 years. We will always have our heart with the school, and our eyes on it, but it’s time for Tom and me to devote more time to our family, health and some travel.

So beginning January of 2011, the school on Isla Mujeres will need a salaried Director. And FOLGES, our US-based non-profit, will need a paid Executive Director staring the year after – in January 2012. This means we will need to increase income by at least $18,000 THIS year for the school and another $15,000 for FOLGES in Wisconsin in 2012. It is time for the school to find a viable way to stay financially afloat, paying people to be at the helm.

Ideally, I would love to find an endowment or some sustaining income for the school that would completely remove the need for constant fund-raising as the way to make ends meet, both at FOLGES and at LGES. We do not have a big budget, so I don’t think it is impossible. We have already performed miracles with the hundreds of small donations received and our very small operating budget.

I’ve gotten many suggestions as to how to increase income, from requesting foundation help to writing to Oprah. I deeply appreciate the advice, but I need actual help! I can honestly only do so much of this myself. Letters are always more powerful coming from a 3rd party. They are a testimonial to the work being done, not me begging for help for my project. I need you to help take up the cause on my behalf. Maybe write that letter to Oprah or Bill Gates…or ask people you know about a grant or endowment that will help.

In the little spare time that I have, I am putting together the 2009 Annual Report for FOLGES and LGES, and will have a great document with all the relevant facts and figures for anyone asking questions about where the money comes from and where it goes, and how the school is making a difference in people’s lives here on Isla Mujeres. I will also post it on the website, but if you have interest in receiving a hard copy to show to a potential donor, please let me know, and you will get one when it is ready. Between now and then, you can see the 2008 books on the ‘Finances’ page of our website.

There are 3 ideas I plan to implement within the next year:

1. Explore the concept of ‘volunteer’ vacations. These would be small groups who come to Isla throughout the year with an eye to ‘giving back’. Their fee would include housing, some meals and a donation to the school – as well as the opportunity to be class visitors during their week here in paradise.

2. Start a for-profit aspect to the school to support the non-profit. Specifically, reduce slightly the number of ENGLISH classes taught, and add SPANISH classes for visitors to Mexico. We would charge for these classes, with the plan that we earn enough to significantly help with school overhead. Since there is no Spanish language school on Isla, I think this will help significantly.

3. This idea requires your help. I would like all friends of La Gloria English School to set up an ACH monthly bank transfer of $10 to $50 to the U.S. non-profit FOLGES account. With just a little help from a lot of Isla lovers, the huge burden of constant fundraising will be lifted and the school will be well on its way to independence. I don’t want to post our bank information on the web, so you will need to ask for the information. We will be glad to provide it upon request. (lagloria@gmail.com). And ask your ‘Islaholic’ friends to set one up too. This can be done immediately!!

So, there you have it. It is time for a transition. The school deserves to stand on its own financially. It is not sustainable as it is now. Hopefully La Gloria English School will get the help it needs to continue its existence. We hope to hear from you soon!

Life is good!
Maggie Washa