SCEC SCHOLARSHIP EFL FUNDRAISES FOR GUATEMALA Many children in Latin American countries did not have easy access to good nutrition, clean running water or basic education. These were the issues the children ofTucuru, Guatemala, faced every day. Educating for Life existed to provide educational opportunities for the children of Tucuru by raising money and visiting the children whenever possible to encourage and love them. EFL consisted of students inspired by their time at Harding and empowered with a desire to give. EFL was founded in 1999 by 2000 alumni Mario Torres and Cynthia Castillo, who were interested in helping the children in Guatemala get an education. In 2011, EFL increased their number of scholarships from that local schools dispersed among the children five to 10. The money covered the cost of books and gave the recipients a meal once a day. By fall of 2013, EFL had increased to about 40 students from Costa Rica, the United States, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Although they originally worked to help children in other areas of Guatemala, the group later partnered with Manos de Amor to run the scholarship program in Tucuru. According to senior Henry Gonzalez, EFL annually raised about $2,500 by selling T-shirts, tablet cases, Krispy Kreme doughnuts and coffee, produced in countries such as Guatemala, Panama and Costa Rica. The students sent their profit to Manos de Amor, which then put the money into scholarship funds. KAPPA DELTA Pl Sophomore Luis Chinchilla, the president of EFL, returned home to Guatemala over the summer to gain perspective on the poverty in his country and the needs of the people. He returned enthusiastic about EFL's importance in Guatemala. "The people there are really nice," Chinchilla said. "They're happy with what they have. But it's really frustrating to see that you have all this food in the cafeteria; you have a house; you have a dorm; and you have a water system and stuff like that. They live [on] under $1 a day. Most of the children are malnutritioned. It's a real wake up call to be around the kids." Senior Emisa Dfaz and Chinchilla were both Walton scholars. The Walton Scholarship gave Central American students the opportunity to attend college and functioned essentially as the collegiate version of Manos de Amor and EFL. Dfaz was grateful forthe chance he had been given. He participated in EFL because he wanted to bless others with similar opportunities. "It just reminds me that when I got the Walton Scholarship, my life was changed because they gave me an opportunity to go to a university like this," Diaz said. "I think we are doing the same for the kids in Guatemala. They don't have a chance to go to elementary school because it's a poor village. We are helping to provide that opportunity." Chinchilla summarized the group's mission saying, "We want to leave a mark that's going to change lives in the future." Amber Houston Student Chapter of the Council for Exceptional Children est. 1997: Row 1: M. Gary, L. Sawyer, H. Rozell, J. Gatlin. Est.1975: Row 1: B. Midgley, L. Lovelace, C. White, J. White, H. Culbertson, B. Bray. Row 2: R. Wagner, M. Nelson, A. Christy, M. Evans, S. Pratt, M. Mullin, C. Smith (sponsor). Row 3: K. Pugh, L. Helms, S. Bonner, E. Cook. Row 4: S. Wheeler, K. Delgado, M. Gary, A. Lynn, A. Valdes, V. Cline. Row 5: K. Brawley, S. Hula, B. Gibbs, D. King, J. Jennings. Row 6: S. Yates, E. Parsons, L. Muhlenbruch, T. Taylor, M. Price. Row 7: M. Dwornick, L. Hackney, L. Heid, K. Jones, C. Lemmons, T. Limbaugh. 23
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