Reason # 4 to support Cuso International - it creates life-changing experiences!
The Montego Bay Racquet Club, the complex in which I live, used to be a prestigious hotel in the sixties and seventies, with tennis courts to prove it. Rumour has it that Marilyn Monroe once stayed stayed here, and Charlton Heston had a room with the top floor gabled window (these rumours are spread by my eloquant but occasionally forgetful landlord, so take them with a grain of salt.) Today, many of the units are owned by snowbirds from the US and Canada, who come down to escape the cold of the winter and go back to escape the heat of the Jamaican summer. Several months ago, when I started talking to one such neighbour who, after finding out what I was doing here, said that he had been a Cuso volunteer in Jamaica over 40 years ago, placed as a teacher in a rural community. He has gone on to a well-served career in the education system. It's a small, small world.
Cuso International has been working in Jamaica since 1961. Imagine, if there was even an average of 5 volunteers here per year, that's over 500 volunteers who experienced Jamaican culture and gave of their time and talents. If each one of those volunteers contributed in a way that made a difference in the lives of 5 Jamaicans, that's 2500 more lives touched. And this is just the work in Jamaica, never mind the other countries where Cuso International has placed volunteers.
Cuso International has made a difference in my life path. And I know, from first hand experience, that the NGOs it works with here in Jamaica make a difference in the lives of many Jamaicans. It is a really incredibly opportunity that I have to be part of change like this.
And - you can be too! (Come on, I know you were waiting for the pitch...) Seriously, I'm 5 days away from my one year anniversary in Jamaica and I'm soooo close to reaching my fundraising target. I just need $50 from 5 people, or $20 from 12 people. I know you've been behind me so far (thanks again to everyone who has already donated) and that you can help me reach this goal. And that if you can't make a donation, you might pass on the link on my blog to a friend who can.
Please, support Cuso International's work by clicking on this link or on the donate button on the right hand side of the page. It has changed my life. And it has changed the lives of so many others, for the better.
