Updates
Application Cycle Two, New Donation Site - 2010.07.13
Hello! We have just switched to a new donation site through WorldLearning. As we are now directly connected to WorldLearning, they have begun their own alumni reciprocity site that will better accommodate our needs as a small non-profit! Thank you, World Learning! Our FewForChange members are continuing to collect donations and we are only $1200 from our goal for this year! We are aiming to send three more students to school for another three years. Perhaps we will be able to send four. Check out our new site by clicking the Donate button on the right hand side and we hope that you will continue to help us acheive our goals!
Photos - 2010.04.06
We have photos from the scholarship ceremony in Panama. Congratulations to our winners!
New Fundraising Projects - 2010.04.06
New Year, New Fundraising! At Emory University, there will be a charity poker tournament. Go to www.fewforchange.com/poker.html for more info! We also have members who are holding dinners, half-marathons, and other fun events! Hope to see you there! Email fewforchange@gmail.com if you want to attend one near you!
Scholarship Winners - 2010.02.18
It's been a while since the last update. Why? Because we've been busy with this application cycle! We are proud to award three full, three-year long scholarships to Eranio Santo Giron, Corina Carrera Santo, and Lorena Carpintero Palacio. This weekend in Guabo in the Ngobe Comarca, there will be an awards ceremony celebrating their success! Photos to come...
FirstGiving - 2009.12.06
The change has finally been made. We ran into some admin/paperwork issues so the changeover took longer than thought. But now donations ARE tax-deductible and are made through the FirstGiving site. We are still in the process of transferring funds over to the FirstGiving site, so the meter may not 100% reflect our current funds status. Furthermore, the applications have been received and we have begun the reviewing process. We hope to post info on our first-year scholarship winners soon!
Non-profit Status - 2009.10.19
Big news. FewForChange is now partnering with the FirstGiving program (part of WorldLearning) and will thus have non-profit 501c3 status shortly! The donations will no longer be through PayPal once the transfer is complete. Instead, the 'donate' link on the side will transfer you to the FirstGiving site, where you can receive view up-to-the-minute updates on how well we're reaching our goals!
New School Year, New Beginning! - 2009.09.30
WorldLearning recently included our cause in an article found here (http://worldlearningnow.wordpress.com/2009/09/08/few-for-change-sit-panama-alumni/). Thanks so much for the support! We're closing in on 3 scholarships. Please help as we're trying to reach 2000 before the end of the year! At Emory on Sept 26, there was a birthday benefit event held by Tim Soo; again, thanks to all who could make it and donated, even when the weather was particularly harsh. We look forward to this year with new fundraising projects, non-profit status (hopefully soon!), and a new energy. Viva Panama!
Plans well... - 2009.07.17
...underway. We've laid out and defined an entire schedule. The FAQ and How to Help section has been updated to reflect our recent progress. One of our members will be heading to Panama soon for a second visit to coordinate more specifically with the Ngobe comarca themselves. This step is crucial to the entire process and we wish her the best of luck!
Successful... - 2009.06.06
...meeting with Aly, our program director. We've tentatively set a schedule for the first year of scholarships, which will be posted once voted on by the entire group. We're making a difference folks!
On our way to - 2009.05.08
...sending our first donation down to Panama! Today is the day of the benefit dinner in Maine lead by Brooks Winner at Bowdoin College. We wish him the best of luck! I, Tim Soo, will be heading down to Panama on the 24th of May to start the scholarship-deciding process. We're all very excited. Also, I want to mention the program SIT World Learning is starting called FirstGiving. It is essentially a program with a similar goal: to give back to those communities in need that make the study abroad experience what it is. For now, they have not expanded to our area, but we hope in the future that we'll be able to join forces. We've also uploaded a brochure (link to front; back)! Check it out.
Fixed - 2009.03.25
...are the PayPal issues. We owe them a huge thanks for taking care of this for us. :)
Problems - 2009.03.25
...have arisen. The PayPal donation is not functional for the time being but we're working to fix the issue as soon as possible. Stay tuned for updates. Thanks!
New Look - 2009.03.14
...for the website. We're finally getting some more logistical solidity into the group and recruiting from previous years! Remember if you want to help, just send an e-mail to get on the mailing-list! PayPal Donation is up as is numerous new updates to different parts of the site. Check it out!
Updating - 2009.01.27
...the website is coming along. Refreshed some of the unrefined text with that of Rebecca Harnik's. More to come.
Welcome - 2009.01.19
..to a Few for Change. What began as nine study abroad students searching for life travels turned into this project: raising scholarships for the children of the Comarca Ngobe in Panama. During our travels, we ventured to the comarca (a reservation for this indigenous group) and witnessed first-hand extreme poverty. Spending one night with these families was already extremely taxing. Through various discussions afterwards, we attempted to come up with a solution to escaping this endless cycle of poverty, to escaping these difficulties; we decided the best way was through education. Therefore, we, the students of SIT Panama, have decided that, although our numbers are small, we can significantly change the futures for some of those in need.