An update and a few long-overdue thank you's

Well a lot's changed since my last post. All of it good.

I've officially moved back to Boston, painfully realized my blood thinned more than I expected (I used to scoff at 20 degrees!) and we just sold our house of over 30 years.

There's too much I could write about the house and, to be honest, it's not what this blog is about. But I will say that from its death came a rebirth of sorts. I'll explain...

Many of you know that back in July, we held a small fundraiser for children's scholarships in El Salvador at our favorite neighborhood watering hole, Doyle's. What we lacked in attendance, we more than made up for in sheer numbers. We held silent and live auctions and, in that one night, we raised something on the order of $3,000, well beyond what I had expected. It was also a chance to catch up with old friends and for me to answer any questions people had about my work in El Salvador.

Well this past Saturday we were fortunate to improve on those numbers even more. Thanks to a successful (and impromptu) moving sale, which again far exceeded our expectations, we are now up to a whopping $4,500. Woohoo!

But what does $4,500 even mean? What does that money go towards?

For starters, it means a hell of a lot to the nine students who rose to the top of our selection process and received scholarships. Books and uniforms can cost as little as $10 a year. Not that much, right? Well, unfortunately, that's enough to stop a family from allowing their son or daughter to attend classes for the year.

This money ensures that every one of our kids can continue their studies no matter how much the price of coffee drops or what the bean harvest brings. It eliminates one more excuse for parents insisting that only their eldest son attend school or continue studying on to the 6th grade, the average grade level attained in my community.

Below is a great moment from one of our Saturday study sessions. It was about 90 degrees in the shade that afternoon, yet there we were, hanging out and trying to write essays despite the oppressive heat. We eventually gave in, calling off the afternoon session so we could all pass out in our respective hammocks. I think the younger kids darted off to the river for a quick dip, while I headed to my neighbor's to see if she had any frozen mangoes.

You'll note that not all of the students pictured here made it to the final rounds and received scholarships. As much as I wanted to help every student, I stressed personal responsibility and attendance and had to let them make their own decisions and live by them.

And here's Jimbo, our essay-writing guru imparting a few pointers on making their essays pop.

I love these shots. So "Peace Corps." Ha ha ha.

For those who don't know how our scholarship fund works, every dollar we raise gets deposited in an account managed by a non-profit out of California called Aid El Salvador. The organization focuses on scholarships for Salvadoran youth and most recently, disaster relief and mitigation, as a direct result of the November 2009 landslides.

So whenever we raise funds, whether it be through an event or direct donations made through the organization's website (hopefully specifying "El Carmen," the name of our community), the money gets deposited into a Citibank escrow account, which an Aid El Salvador representative personally accesses and distributes to our scholars, typically twice a year, assuming they maintain a minimum GPA and complete a certain amount of volunteer hours. Oh yeah, and there are still funds in the scholarship account (cough, cough, hint, hint). Ha ha.

After the school years concludes, students have to reapply for the scholarships to reaffirm their commitment. If all those conditions are met (GPA, volunteer hours), and assuming they want to continue studying, funds are available up through the university level.

The girls receiving their first payment and signing their contracts.

Betty and Henry signing theirs.

After months of sacrificing their Saturdays for essay-writing workshops and clearing an untold number of hoops and hurdles, I'm proud to introduce our Aid El Salvador scholarship recipients!



Betty and Henry, both bright, responsible kids, will be the first in their families to earn a college degree. You can tell they're pretty excited about it.



I can't thank you all enough for your support and, above all, your generosity. Have a happy holidays and know that you have made a huge impact on the lives of these youth. Muchísimas gracias!

Tradition revisited

Another turkey day in the books. And this year didn't disappoint. But with 15 members of the Abrams, Cohen and Leadholm clan in Tucson, how could it?

It was great reconnecting with the not-so distant branches of our family tree and meeting the fast growing army of budding acorns.

Those little rascals are growing up fast and being able to see them before they're old enough not to give a shit who I am was worth the jet lag alone.

So I don't think I'm going out on a limb in saying that Thanksgiving is arguably the most traditional of traditions. A day crafted around a single meal that seldom varies. On what other day of the year do we know exactly what we're going to see when we sit down at the table? Sure, I guess you could argue International Ice Cream Sandwich Day (August 2), Gazpacho Day (December 6) or Waffle Day (March 25), but you get my point.

We did our best, however, to uphold those traditions yet turn them on their collective head. A grilled chipotle turkey? Why not! Mole sauce on your mashed potatoes and stuffing? Hell yeah!

It was an unusual Thanksgiving, yet in the end, what more do you need than a comfortable setting, a room full of good food and family? Oh, wait. Booze! Copious amounts of booze.

After a week of golf, gin and tonics, and desert hikes, the party unfortunately came to an end and the clan disbursed.

I, on the other hand, was not as eager to dive headfirst back into a northeast winter and stayed a few extra days with my friend Christina from El Salvador who, as luck would have it, lives in Tucson. Small world.

Christina and her friends went out of their way to show me what you might call the "real" Tucson, a mix of university hang outs, authentic mexican restaurants and your typical psychotic, sexual biker bars where patrons brave enough to get branded by the owner receive 50 cents off drinks for life. I wish I were joking.

<<< The Meet Rack >>>

Wow.

We also had the chance to hang out with Christina's stepdad Phil who, as you'll see below, happens to be a 30 year member of the Tucson Glider Club...