We Begin our Second Year!

We began our second year last night with the second annual board meeting. Naturally we buzzed through the business stuff as quickly as we could: elections (we have 3 new members, and one former member has stepped aside); financial report (since we haven't built bridges, operating expenses have been light, so we're starting the new year with a good reserve), and ratification of a few minor changes in our bylaws to address questions posed by the IRS regarding our tax exempt status. Anyone interested in details can contact me at ekushigian@comcast.net or

bridges.more@yahoo.com .


Then we moved on to the interesting part: discussing new projects. The image above is of the church that was the center of San Josecito when I arrived three years ago. Though lovely, it was structurally unsound and has since been torn down. The people of the pueblo have been without a church for about a year now as they struggle to raise money to build a new one. Every few weeks one of the women will host a gathering to make traditional tamales (known as tamales de Navidad). 500 colones (less than $1) buys a package of two delicious tamales wrapped in banana leaves. Proceeds go to the church effort. It's a slow endeavor, and though Bridges & More is a strictly secular operation, I have begun to appreciate the importance of the church as a village center, and would like to help the effort along. I raised the possibility of giving some money to the church fund last night, and the other board members were enthusiastic. We're going to give $500 immediately upon my return to San Josecito in late November, and Julie & Wendy will be looking into fund-raising possibilities here in the U.S. I'll be in touch with Ronny to see how much is needed to finish the job, and let you know! Meanwhile, the pictures below record progress on the new church.