| | |  Vallarta Living 
The 11 Year Old Philanthropist
 Michael Patrick Rybarczyk - PVNN
February 10, 2010
| | The more than 700 school supply items that 11 year-old Idaho resident Micaela Hurtuk collected will be donated to the Ranchito Kindergarten on February 12th. | |
This is a little feel-good story that's actually true!
Micaela Hurtuk, an Idaho resident, who happens to be eleven years old, had a great idea when talking over dinner with her mother and my family last year. My family and I were talking about the great life we all enjoy living down here in this beautiful tropical paradise, when BAM! out of the blue, I had to mention some of Mexico's pitfalls.
Of course, being an English teacher, I just had to mention that nasty word "EDUCATION". Yes, contrary to popular belief, Mexico has an enormous education problem, so I just had to tell all about it.
You probably take it for granted that your kids have all these tools to learn with and it's all paid for with the money you pay in taxes. In Mexico, you'd have to buy many of these tools yourself. Due to economic pressures caused by 300 years of Spanish pillaging and outright exploitation (if you want to learn more about past and present Mexico, order a copy of Aztlan: Origin and Destiny at createspace.com), most families cannot literally afford to send their kids to school because of one little list the school sends out at the beginning of each school year.
This list painfully spells out what few school supplies the kids are not provided with and explicitly demands that each family provides their kid(s) with everything on the list. When you have several kids (as the norm is here) this can be a very expensive list. Actually, when you're earning pesos, this is costly no matter how you slice it.
But wait! What do I hear? I believe it's a knight in shining armor! Yes, it is! It's Micaela Hurtuk to the rescue! She has the solution. Is it a simple solution? No! She gave up receiving presents for her birthday, so everybody could give her school supplies for the kids that live here! She and her teacher, Mrs. Elkins also went around soliciting all the kids at Longfellow Elementary School in Boise, Idaho to donate these items that the kids down here in the Ranchito Kindergarten need.
Everyone that we've talked to cannot believe that this one normally quiet girl could get so much attention for such a noble cause. Together they collected more than 700 school supply items (not counting pencils) to be presented on Friday, February 12 in Ranchito, Jalisco with Micaela and family present along with all the eager to learn kids.
If you want to help out, ask questions or comment, email me for more information at mikerybs(at)gmail.com. |
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