Newman University Students to Hand Deliver 22,000 Toothbrushes to Guatemalan Children
Contributed by Director of Editorial Services Ken Arnold
Contact: Kelly Snedden
Director of Communications
Phone: 316-942-4291 ext. 2164
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 9, 2008
Newman University Students to Hand Deliver 22,000 Toothbrushes to Guatemalan Children
Wichita, Kan. – This past March, students in the Newman University “Study and Serve in Guatemala 2008” program launched a campaign to collect 11,000 new toothbrushes by May 1 for Guatemalan children. The campaign, called Project SONRISA, caught the attention of the Wichita/metro community and beyond. Area dentists, schools, churches, media outlets and individuals from across the state and overseas participated in the toothbrush collection.
The Study and Serve in Guatemala students are thrilled to report the goal to collect 11,000 toothbrushes by May 1 has been surpassed. As of May 3 the count exceeded 22,222 toothbrushes. In addition, generous financial donations will assist the group in purchasing toothpaste for the children and in offsetting the $25 second bag charge airlines are now adding.
Project SONRISA (Sonrisa means “smile” in Spanish) was created by Sonja Bontrager, assistant professor of Spanish and chair of the Foreign Language Department at Newman. The project arose from Bontrager’s experience leading students on a study and service trip to Guatemala last year. During that trip the group visited La Labor, an impoverished community on the outskirts of Guatemala City, where members of Newman University’s founding religious order the Adorers of the Blood of Christ (ASC) have created schools, medical and dental clinics, and community health and environmental protection programs for local people. The Sisters asked Newman students in the program to bring 11,000 toothbrushes to distribute to the children.
“We wish to thank everyone for the overwhelming show of support for these children,” said Bontrager. “It has been amazing, humbling and very moving at times to witness the generosity, outreach and hours of volunteer work.”
The Newman group is busy now organizing toothbrushes and weighing duffel bags as they prepare to hand deliver the toothbrushes. The group departs from the Mid-Continent Airport (ICT) in Wichita at 5 a.m. on Wednesday, May 14. The students will spend a week in La Labor working with the ASC on various projects, including a dental health education campaign for children. The students will spend the remaining part of the seven-week intensive language, culture and volunteer program in locations throughout Guatemala.
In addition to donations from Newman students, faculty and staff in Wichita, the program gained support from others to help reach its May 1 goal. Approximately 160 students in Newman’s School of Social Work contributed more than 6,000 toothbrushes to Project Sonrisa. Many of them bought toothbrushes and contacted dental clinics and other individuals for donations. Denise Mitchell of Wichita raised approximately 3,000 toothbrushes by herself. She contacted Small Smiles Dental Clinic and three of their clinics donated 1,000 toothbrushes each.
In addition, Bontrager said a young man in England named Andrew Jackson fasted for five days to raise funds for the project. Several local schools, dentists, and Mennonite and Disciples of Christ churches across Kansas also contributed toothbrushes. In addition, the Heart of America Men’s Chorus of Wichita and the Heartland Men’s Chorus of Kansas City donated proceeds from joint concerts to Project SONRISA and local radio station 90.7 WAY-FM hosted a live remote at a local Wal-Mart store one afternoon.
“In Guatemala where the majority of the children live in poverty, a toothbrush can make a real difference in a child’s health and education,” Bontrager said. “We are thrilled with the opportunity to share the gift of a smile with so many children as we live and study among our Guatemalan hosts,” Bontrager said. “Adapting to a new language and culture can be very challenging, so getting to start the process with a service project is a wonderful opportunity. It will help us start to develop a global perspective and build relationships within this Guatemalan community. We are all looking forward to the challenge.”
To learn more about Project SONRISA click here. |
Posted on Friday, May 09, 2008 (Archive on Thursday, January 01, 2009)
Posted by admin_schneiderl Contributed by admin_schneiderl
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