On August 21, 2007 The Least Among Us inaugurated a covered assembly area at the school of San Andrés in the town of Apaneca in the Department of Ahuachapán. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, over 220 students from Kindergarten through ninth grade will enjoy protection from frequent (and often spontaneous) summer downpours and the relentless Salvadoran sun.

After we agreed to help almost a year ago, the school sent us a detailed estimate with a project cost of $10,000. On paper, such an amount seems reasonable since we have built “techados” at other schools for as much as $13,000. However, when Walter went to observe the site, he quickly realized that the amount of materials and labor that would be needed to complete the project would be much less than the estimated 10K. In the end, the project was tidily completed for $2,600.

This situation is very illustrative of how a dollar is so powerful in the hands of an organization like TLAU. We exist to provide only what is truly needed, and for the most part that means raw materials. Whereas a dollar given to a larger non-profit organization would mostly go to overhead and filling the pockets of engineers and builders who stuff estimates with unnecessary expenses to fill their own pockets, TLAU has Walter watching every step of the way. How many thousands of dollars he saves us every year, all while consistently completing quality projects ahead of schedule!

For more photos of the construction process and inauguration, click here.

(Father Keane sent me a reminder the other day that on a previous post I promised more details about each project inaugurated during the summer. Needless to say, I completely forgot to update, so Father sent me a few comments about each project. Let’s begin with Nuestra Señora del Refugio).

On August 10, 2007 we inaugurated three classrooms and a covered stairway at the school of Nuestra Señora del Refugio in the town of Refugio in the Department of Ahuachapán.This school has over 380 students from first grade through ninth grade.The total project cost $17,000 and we were able to build the classrooms on top of their existing classrooms so as to conserve their extremely limited space.

The Covington family and several other donors were in attendance and we were all moved deeply by the wonderful presentation by the students and the skits and songs they performed for us.They gave us each a rather large statue of either Jesus or the Blessed Mother as well as other tokens of their deep appreciation.

It was decided in the same day to build them a fence to surround and protect the school from vagrants and gang members and also a covered play area.The local mayor happened to be in attendance and he promised to supply labor for the future construction and we are getting close to beginning this new phase of construction. We wish all of our donors could experience the outpouring of extreme gratitude that was manifested by these children.

The pictures have been up for a while, but if you haven’t seen them, click here.

Keller Williams Realty has done the unthinkable: they appear to have discovered a method of converting a ballroom full of fashion faux-pas into funds to help the poor of El Salvador! According to the event website, nearly 500 “fashion victims” attended the event, raising over 11k in donations and collecting 573 pounds of food for the food bank.

Events like these are good for two reasons. The obvious reason is that money is raised to help those who are less fortunate. Thousands of children, even decades from now, will benefit from TLAU’s mission to improve the quality of their education. But many people forget the quieter, residual effects of events like the Keller Williams Charity Ball: increased awareness in our society that there are many in this world who struggle to feed, shelter, and educate themselves and their families. Without such community efforts, it is very easy for Americans to forget their duty to help others, their call to charity.

Thanks to Keller Williams and especially TLAU donors Ginger and Roger Sala who advocated for our placement on the list of beneficiaries.

For a couple more photos and a list of sponsors and other beneficiaries, click.

Keller Williams Realty of Wilmington, NC has chosen to include The Least Among Us among the charities to benefit from this year’s Charity Ball. The event will be held on December 8th from 8:00 p.m. to midnight at the Coastline Convention Center in downtown Wilmington. Over 500 guests are expected to enjoy free food, drinks, and live music while trying their luck at a 50/50 raffle and perusing silent auction items.

The theme of the ball is “Fashion Victims.” Basically, I was told that attendees are expected to sacrifice their sense of fashion for the sake of local charities. So put away the tuxedo, cast off the Dolce and Gabana, and head to your local thrift store!

See the event website for more information on how to get involved with different levels of sponsorship.

Almost a year ago, Father Keane inaugurated the fruits of phase one of our partnership with Centro Escolar San Jose la Labor in the department of San Vicente: three classrooms, bathrooms with sinks and flush toilets, and a small water tower. The improvements set the school well on its way to becoming adequate for the needs of its surrounding community.

However, during his visit, Father noticed that the school’s needs were still very great: many of the children of San Sebastian were unable to attend San Jose la Labor for lack of space. So last spring the TLAU officers made a decision, and as of October 1st, Walter has been “all systems GO” to get this project done honestly, efficiently, on time, and of course, under budget. Two classrooms, a small administrative office room, and a security door will be up in no time.

And special thanks to the Hirscher family of North Carolina for their generous donation towards the classrooms. Your patronage will not go unrewarded!

For photos of the progress at San Jose la Labor, click.