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Urgent News

Hi Everyone,
A very desperate situation was just posted on the Family Aid Blog today.

Maria and Jose have 8 children. They've had a hard life, unable to find consistent jobs and having to move to the coast in order to try to find work. They live in a very poor, crumbling home several hours from Panajachel. They try to take care of their large family, but it is increasingly difficult to find ways to provide for them and feed them all. One of their children is so malnourished that she was unable to walk and had to be carried everywhere.

On top of these financial difficulties, Maria and Jose have recently been hit very hard by physical illnesses. Maria has been feeling ill for months. She hardly leaves bed. She has gallstones and this causes her great pain. She is chronically malnourished and she also has an intestinal infection. But worst, and scariest, of all she has recently been diagnosed with a serious degenerative disease. She needs treatment and it will be very expensive.

Jose has a tumor on the side of his neck. It has been getting larger and larger, and doctors tell him it needs to be removed immediately. However, due to the size and location of the tumor it is exremely risky to remove it. The surgery only has a 50% survive rate. If Jose does survive the surgery, there is a further risk that he may lose his voice and/or neck movements. Jose has to sign legal documentation saying that his family won't press charges against the surgeon in case of any problem. It's a scary place to be, but Jose has bravely told us he knows he needs to have the surgery in order to take care of his family.

Jose and Maria are both in need of extensive operations and treatment. They could barely take care of their 8 children before, and now adding these health issues makes their troubles seem insurmountable. Jose and Maria are both facing life-threatening illnesses and they are, understandably, afraid. They have no one else to turn to and have come to us desperate for help. 

We are asking for an initial $300 to pay for their beginning consults, tests, treatments, and to prepare them for surgery. They will need ongoing help as they have and recover from their surgeries. We will also use part of this money to buy food for this malnourished family.

For more information on how to help this family, please visit:

http://familyaidprogram.blogspot.com/

Thank you!


Hi Everyone,
Ronnie a past volunteer from the Elderly Care Program is visiting Mayan Families and has written an update and also updated us on the story of Ramon Lopez Cumes (A-9) on the Elderly Care Blog.

For an update on the Elderly Care Program and Ramon Lopez Cumes (A-9), please check the following blog post on the Elderly Care Program from Ronnie.

http://mayanfamilieselderlycare.blogspot.com/2012/01/ramon-lopez-cumes.html

Thanks!


Hi Everyone,
Angel Josue, one of our sponsored students, is 13 years old and was born with a problem in his spinal cord. He is slowly losing movement in his legs. His mother refuses to put him in a wheelchair because she strongly believes that with the right treatment he will be able to gain movement back.

The family does not have many financial resources, however they managed to take him to a private specialist who said that the boy might be able to walk and won't need a wheelchair, but he needs to use an orthopedic brace and have 2 months of physiotherapy five times a week starting immediately.

The orthopedic brace costs $80 and the therapy sessions cost $125 per week, which would be a total of $1000 for the 8 weeks physiotherapy that he needs.

If you can help Angel with any of those costs, please visit:
http://familyaidprogram.blogspot.com/2012/01/angel-can-lose-movements-in-his-legs.html
for more details.

Thank you!





  
Holiday Food Baskets           Sponsor A Student

Operating Mayan Families and its various projects are dependent upon individual donations. Individual and group donations of any size are greatly appreciated. As little as $10 or $20 does make a difference! All the families we help are impoverished so any donation will make a real life difference in reducing a struggling family's daily hardship.

Mayan Families is a non-profit, tax-exempt charitable organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations are tax-deductible.

Support Our Work


Online donations are made securely through PayPal.

By giving a monetary donation you are providing essential funding for programs that have been identified as needing the most support. There are many way you can give.

Monthly Online Donation:

To pay a Student Sponsorship fee in monthly payments or to give regularly to other Mayan Family programs, please setup a monthly donation.

Online Donation:

To make an online donation using PayPal or your credit card, please use this form.

*To supply a Christmas Tamale Basket (costing $35), please write in the "Extra Notes" field with a description (ie "Tamale Basket for general" or "Tamale basket for [enter Family ID]").

Currency
 
General    $    (Where most needed!)
 
Education    $   (includes general education & sewing classes.)
 
Community Aid    $   (includes general family aid, milk & food, chickens, holiday baskets, stoves, water filters.)
 
Healthy Families    $    
 
Animal Welfare    $    
 
Micro Loans    $    
 
Construction    $    
 
Administration    $    
 
Student Sponsorship    $  
Student ID #
A student's ID is given when you become a sponsor. To become a sponsor, please go to Sponsor a Student.
Student Sponsorship    $  
Student ID #
Student Sponsorship    $  
Student ID #
 
Family Aid    $  
Family Name
Family Aid    $  
Family Name
 
Find costs for family table, bed, stove, etc. at Family Aid.
Other    $  
Details
 
Extra Notes      


  You will be taken to a summary, then PayPal checkout.


 

*To supply a Christmas Tamale Basket (costing $35), please write in the "Extra Notes" field with a description (ie "Tamale basket for general family" or "Tamale basket for [enter Family ID]").

Please do not put anything such as punctuation marks (period, comma, # sign, etc.) the system won’t recognize the message! Just use the letters and numbers on the donation page and type anything else on the Paypal “message to merchant” section. Using this method always works.

Donation List:

You may also Donate a One Time Gift. 

$35    Large Basket of Food

$25    Large Birthday Cake (for the entire family)

$40    Large Birthday Cake (for entire family) AND a Birthday Gift (hula hoop, soccer ball, doll, or stuffed animal)

$80    100 lb of Black Beans

$5       Carton of 30 Eggs

$45     Baby Formula for babies 12 months and under for 1 month

$30     Milk for infants 12 months and older for 1 month

$50     Double Mattress

$170   Bed and Mattress

$170   Onil Stove

$60     Ecocina portable Stove

$55     Small Table with 2 Chairs

$93     Medium Table with 4 Chairs 

$140   Large Wooden Table with 6 Chairs 

$150    Traditional Clothing Adults

$116    Traditional Clothing Girls up to 11 years old 

$27      Traditional Belt Adult

$13      Traditional Belt Girls up to 11 years old

$35      Leather Shoes

$30      Leather Shoes Child

$7        Plastic Shoes

$10      Umbrella

$118     Pila, a two sided cement wash basin - sink for Washing

$170     Family Wardrobe Medium

$190    Family Wardrobe Large 

$200     Food to feed a family for one month

$50     100 lb bag of Corn (This makes tortillas for a family of five, 3 meals a day, for approximately two weeks)

$45     Egg Laying Hens  (These provide a family with a supplemental income and food)

$12/15     Rain boots Child / Adult

$30  Family Health Pack (Family of 5) Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Kotex, Soap, Clothes detergent, Dishwashing detergent. 

$25     Traditional Apron

 $25   Blankets

$63     Water Filter Complete

$44    Water Filter Replacements

$20    Kids Soccer Jersey, long lasting.

$108    Hope Chest

Or, mail a check to:

Mayan Families
P,O. Box 52
Claremont, N.C. 28610


TEL: 619-550-2608
Email: dwight@mayanfamilies.org

Mayan Families Canada is our sister charity in Canada, available if you need a Canadian Charity to donate to and get a Canadian Tax deductable receipt.
Please go to:
http://mayanfamiliescanada.org/  for Canadians needing a Canadian Tax receipt only please. 

Other Considerations

Honor Memorial Contributions:

You can make a contribution in honor of an anniversary, birthday, wedding, graduation, special event occasion or in memoriam in honor of friends or loved ones. Simply send a note with your check or online donation including information about who your gift honors, and provide contact information for the person who should receive the gift acknowledgement. Mayan Families will send an acknowledgement letter to that person as well as a receipt to you for your donation.

Matching Gifts - Match Your Donations:

Your company may have an Employee Matching Gift Program. These kinds of corporate matching programs give you the chance to double or, in some cases, even triple your tax-deductible contribution. If you have any questions about your employer's matching gifts program, please contact your human resources department. 

Team & Community Fundraising:

Your willingness to help raise funds for Mayan Families strengthens our ability to support our  special projects in underserved communities and less developed villages here in Guatemala. 
Host a fundraiser — A pot luck dinner, bake sale, holiday event, walk-a-thon, craft sale, and more. Hold a special event — Collect funds at a Lodge meeting, prom, sports event, gala, garage sale, local fair, farmers market, variety or talent show.  

Make a wire transfer Donation:

For information on how to transfer funds directly into our U.S. bank account, through a US or International Money Wire Transfer please contact Dwight Poage at dwight@mayanfamilies.org 

In-kind donations:

Mayan Families accepts donations of some medical equipment, office supplies and Computer equipment, specifically good working Laptops and Desk Top Computers. To find out about our current needs, please contact info@mayanfamilies.org

Pro-Bono Volunteer Services:

We also have many volunteers who contribute pro-bono services, such as marketing support, graphic design, or consulting services. If you have a skill you think might be helpful to Mayan Families please contact us. 

Planned giving:

Some donors generously choose to include Mayan Families as a beneficiary in their wills or estates. If you would like to discuss your planned giving options, please contact info@mayanfamilies.org

Charitable Contributions of Stock
-Donating Appreciated Stocks.


If you are planning to make a relatively substantial contribution to Mayan Families you should consider donating appreciated stock from your investment portfolio instead of cash. Your tax benefits from the donation can be increased and Mayan Families will be just as happy to receive the stock.
Please click here to read more.
http://www.fool.com/FoolCharityFund/Donating_Stock.htm
Please contact Dwight Poage at: dwight@mayanfamilies.org
or call Tel: 619-550-2608 for assistance.


Making small miracles happen each day one child and one family at a time.