Community Corner

Ilana Foggle Delivers School Supplies To Nindiri, Nicaragua

Recipients express gratitude to Polson Middle School and Madison, CT.

 

This information was contributed by the Foggle family:

Madison seventh-grade student Ilana Foggle has just returned from the small town of Nindiri in Nicaragua, where she delivered $1,700 worth of school supplies that she collected during a donations drive this past January.

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This was Foggle's second trip to the Masaya district of Nicaragua. "I went to Nicaragua on a service trip with my dad in November, and while I was there, I visited a school", said Foggle. "Here in Madison, our schools have smart boards, computers, calculators, books - so many resources that we use every day to learn. The school that I visited in Nicaragua had nothing like that, they didn't even have electricity.  They didn't have basic school supplies for all the students.  And yet the kids were so happy to be learning in school and the teachers worked so hard to give them a good education."

Foggle returned from that trip inspired to help, and began her school supplies drive.  

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Donation boxes were present throughout January 2012 at Polson Middle School, Temple Beth Tikvah, and the downtown office of Coldwell Banker.

"I was so excited to see how generous our community was!  There were so many donations: pens, pencils, notebooks, folders, binders, crayons, calculators, paperclips, staplers, and lots of art supplies. We even got quite a few backpacks. The Polson School community was especially supportive and generous. Polson's administration and teachers gave the drive lots of exposure and visibility, and the students and their families brought in so many donations, I needed a second box at Polson!"  

Getting the supplies to where they were needed presented a challenge. "We packed the supplies in giant duffle bags. They were heavy, but we managed to get it all there!" Upon her arrival in Nicaragua, she met with Dr. Clarissa Vivas, the mayor of Nindiri, who had a special request.

"The mayor told me that while the school I had visited in November needed the supplies, there was another school in Nindiri that also had a great need.  She asked me if I would please divide the supplies between the two schools, which I was happy to do."  

When Foggle arrived at the school she had previously visited, the teachers and students gathered for a special presentation.

The mayor introduced Foggle to the assembly, thanking her for her efforts. "How do we thank someone here in Nicaragua?" Dr. Vivas asked the students.  "¡Gracias!" they responded in unison.

Foggle then addressed them all in Spanish. "I visited your school this past year," she said in Spanish, "do you remember me?"

The crowd responded with an enthusiastic, "¡SI!"

She told them that the things she brought for them were from the people of Madison, Connecticut and the students of Polson Middle School.  The 152 children from kindergarten through sixth grade lined up excitedly, patiently waiting their turn.

"Every kid in each of the two schools received something," Foggle recounted.  "I gave the art supplies to the littlest kids.  The older kids got the binders and notebooks and paper. One business donated a ton of pens, so everyone got pens.  I gave the calculators to the teachers to use for the class. I gave the backpacks to the kids who had disabilities, to make it easier for them to carry their stuff.  Anything leftover was given to the principal at the school to distribute as needed.  At both of the schools, they were so incredibly grateful for everything."

One of the schools expressed their appreciation by performing a native Nicaraguan dance for their American visitor.

Foggle concluded her visit with a home stay with two different Nicaraguan families, and attended school with their children. "It was an amazing experience, one I will remember always.  The families were so wonderful to open their homes to me.  I would love to go back again.  If I do, I will definitely do another school supplies drive - I'm sure they will need more stuff by then!"


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