2008 Annual Report to Members

Santa Cruz al Salvador – a Brief History

Santa Cruz al Salvador is a non-profit organization (EIN 52-2289975) that was formed in 2001. The bylaws state that “the primary objectives and purposes of this corporation shall be the solicitation, collection, and possession of charitable donations from Santa Cruz County and any other location, for distribution in, or for the benefit of, the country of El Salvador, to those organizations and individuals needing charitable assistance.” We have simplified that with the phrase “Building Relationships for Better Lives”. Our organization has focused on building and strengthening relationships with (1) the communities of the Ciudadela ‘Dr. Guillermo Manuel Ungo’. Although Guillermo Ungo is the name of the largest community, Ciudadela is an umbrella term (roughly translated as fortress or citadel) that also includes the communities of Sitio Nuevo, Monseñor Romero, Los Henriquez, Montepeque, Huerta Enana, Alegría, La Bermuda, El Franco, San Rafael and Santa Anita. In the past few years our focus has been on scholarships for the school and supporting the health clinic, both of which are located in Ungo but serve all the communities. “Members” of the corporation are individual church congregations. At this time, St. Stephen’s Lutheran and Trinity Presbyterian, both of Santa Cruz, are the only “member” congregations of Santa Cruz al Salvador with voting members on the board. Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd (Salinas) is an active participant.

The officers of the board for 2008 were: President, Kent Madsen; VP, Mike Cruddas; Secretary, Chris Madsen; Treasurer, Ruth Cruddas; member-at-large, Steve Barrett. Each member church selects two voting members to the board, and the board chooses a member-at-large. Kent Madsen & Ruth Cruddas were elected to be voting members at the St. Stephen’s annual meeting last January. Pastor Karla Norton and David Gomez were voting members from Trinity Presbyterian, with George Bunch replacing Pastor Karla when she left Trinity.

A Report on the 2009 Delegation

The delegation this year was small, only 9 people. The visit was from Dec. 27, 2008 to Jan 6, 2009, with 3 people returning home Jan.45). Delegation members were:
from St. Stephen’s: Jill Adachi; Mike & Ruth Cruddas; Lisa Johnson & her son Colin Boyle; Kent & Christine Madsen
From Trinity Presbyterian, Santa Cruz: David Gomez & his son Weston.
Our translator, in-country organizer (and “mother hen” , since organizing us is often like herding baby chicks) was again Brenda Hubbard, who has been our guide since 1998 and has become a dear friend.

The Activities

Presentation of Scholarships: this continues to be very exciting. The number of recipients was increased to 90 immediately after last year’s trip and for 2009 has been increased to 120. An amazing 111 recipients attended the scholarship program and had their picture taken with their packet (notebooks, pencils, uniforms, and shoes). The delegation returned with a record number of cards and gifts from the children to their sponsors.
The School Scholarship Program: We met with the scholarship committee and the teachers for lunch after the scholarship program. Per our suggestion from last year, the scholarship committee has increased in size to assure greater representation of the various communities, and includes a student and the school director. There is a new director for the school again this year, Maria Paz Ascension. Last year there were 460 students in the school. In reality, all of the students could use a scholarship, so their job is not easy. There are still some communication problems, but our presence provided a venue to work out some problems.
- We clarified the 3rd year of High School that we saw on the list last year. It is a vocational school for accounting.
- We learned that the money we leave no longer pays for lunch. There is lunch available if the child can pay $5/year. (See below, under action).
University scholarships: This program continues to grow. There are currently 6 recipients receiving partial scholarships, with 5-6 new applicants for this year. They will be profiled in a future newsletter. A full report was received from Funsalprodese.
Craft project with the children: This continues to be a highlight. Children of all ages seem to enjoy this- including some adults. They decorated crosses with shells, paint, glitter, and feathers. They were very creative and beautiful.
Peace Pole: As reported last year, a Peace Pole was erected in the school courtyard, with the words “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in English, Spanish, and German. This year Dutch was added, as well as another plaque saying “May Peace Prevail in our Homes and Community “. This is currently available only in English, but we hope for other languages in the future. Thank you Lisa Johnson for this wonderful idea.
AMUDESCO: the women’s group, which includes the health promoters, as well as women who focus on the environment and family violence. They have added a pila (outside sink) and bathroom to the clinic with some of the money we left and proceeds from a small store in front of the clinic.
The Lutheran Church in El Salvador: Bishop Gomez again joined us for dinner at the Oasis Guest House in San Salvador, along with Martir Vigil – the leader of the worship community in our communities. We rejoice with him that his studies are over, and after completing his thesis he will graduate (and be eligible for ordination) in December. After dinner, Bp Gomez shared some thoughts with us, particularly about the upcoming elections. Elections for the Assembly and local elections were Jan.18, and Presidential elections are March 15. He asked for our prayers that they be fair and peaceful.

Action Items

We had a very successful fund raising effort in 2008. Approximately $24,000 was raised—well over our goal! Gracias a Dios! Gracias to all who helped with all of the fundraising activities. A complete financial report is available on request from Ruth Cruddas, treasurer. The following decisions were made by unanimous vote of the members of the board of Santa Cruz al Salvador while in El Salvador:

Funsalprodese (the NGO helping to administer scholarship money): We met again with Americo Mauro Araujo, the Director, and Margarita López, who is in charge of educational projects and is the liaison to Ungo for us.

$600 was left for the school to buy supplies for all the students. With money left in the scholarship account, we instructed Funsal to give $600 for lunches for scholarship recipients. We will provide money for the 2010 school year by November, making sure that lunch is included in the scholarship.
$4,725 was left for University scholarships (which includes $225 for administrative costs).

IMU (the NGO that works with AMUDESCO): The group met with the executive director Deysi Cheyne. $10,500 was left for the clinic – the same amount as last year.
The Lutheran Church in El Salvador: We left $600 with Bp Gomez. $500 was designated by Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd for songbooks for the church in M. Romero and to help with the salary for Martir. The Bishop stated he would use the other $100 to help with the funeral of a pastor who was dying and had only a few weeks to live.

This visit was a very busy and exciting one, as you can see. We thank you for your support of prayers, money, and supplies. Our Salvadoran Brothers and Sisters continually give thanks for your love and accompaniment.

Dios bendiga (God’s blessing to you)
Christine Madsen,
Secretary, Santa Cruz al Salvador

Added by admin May 2, 2009 (1:26PM)

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