Eric Black, who is in the Peace Corps in Tacana, Guatemala, took the first batch of clothing to Las Nubes, which has about 570 residents and an average monthly income of $107, largely from corn and potato farming.



Eric Black, who is in the Peace Corps in Tacana, Guatemala, took the first batch of clothing to Las Nubes, which has about 570 residents and an average monthly income of $107, largely from corn and potato farming.

Donated Clothing Sent To Villages

May 26, 2005

Tampa Tribune
Thursday May 26, 2005

Section SOUTH TAMPA

Page 1

Donated Clothing Sent To Villages

SCHOOL HELPS GUATEMALAN CHILDREN

By BECKY RICHARDS

rrichards@tampatrib.com

SOUTH TAMPA -- Joanne Centeno gathered shoes, sweaters and other clothing from her closets and shelves, filling six trash bags for the children of Guatemala.

Centeno, whose 4-year-old daughter is in Elaine Black's class at the Jewish Community Center Preschool, 2713 Bayshore Blvd., contributed to the 560 pounds of clothing the school collected.

It wasn't until she saw a photograph of a Guatemalan girl wearing her daughter's pink Gap sweatshirt that she felt the effect of her contribution.

"It was very touching, very emotional," Centeno said.

The photo was posted on a Web site created by Black's son, Eric, after he and his friends recently delivered the donated goods to the first of three Guatemalan villages.

Eric Black, who is in the Peace Corps in Tacana, Guatemala, took the first batch of clothing to Las Nubes, which has about 570 residents and an average monthly income of $107, largely from corn and potato farming.

Many of the children in Las Nubes don't have shoes. The preschool donated more than 100 pairs of shoes.

Deliveries to two other villages will be made this month.

Another Peace Corps volunteer helped tackle customs issues, Black wrote on the Web site, http://www.ilive2travel .com/relief. .com/relief.

A friend's cousin agreed to ship the clothing to Tacana, which has about 63,000 residents and an illiteracy rate of about 50 percent.

Shipping from Tampa to Guatemala City cost $806; the preschool donated $354.86, with the balance coming from employees of St. Petersburg's Essilor Latin America, which shipped the goods.

Mothers in Las Nubes signed a thank-you letter to Eric Black and the preschool, or marked it with a thumbprint if they could not write. The young man who wrote the letter added each woman's name around her print.

"I am in awe that it took so many people and so much time and effort to see this happen," said Elaine Black, a prekindergarten teacher. "It really makes me proud."

Reporter Becky Richards can be reached at (813) 835-2106.

Copyright (c) 2005, The Tampa Tribune and may not be republished without permission. E-mail library@tampatrib.com

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June 6: PC suspends Uzbekistan program Peace Corps has announced that it is suspending the Uzbekistan program after the visas of 52 Peace Corps volunteers who arrived in January were not renewed. The suspension comes after a State Department warning that terrorist groups may be planning attacks in Uzbekistan and after the killings in Andizhan earlier in May. Background: PCOL published a report on April 23 that Peace Corps volunteers who arrived in January were having visa difficulties and reported on safety and visa issues in Uzbekistan as they developed.

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June 5, 2005: Special Events Vote in the NPCA Election for new board before June 15 "American Taboo" author Phil Weiss in Maryland on June 18 "Rainforests and Refugees" showing in Portland, Maine until June 25 "Iowa in Ghana" on exhibit in Waterloo through June 30 RPCV's "Taking the Early Bus" at Cal State until Aug 15 RPCVs: Post your stories or press releases here for inclusion next week.

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May 28, 2005: This Week's Top Stories The Coyne Column: Love and War in Afghanistan 28 May Sam Farr supports Coffee Growers in Colombia 28 May Elaine Chao wins Woman of Valor award 27 May Nebraska has strong ties with Afghanistan 27 May Arthur Orr to seek Alabama State Senate seat 26 May Murder of John Auffrey remembered in Liberia 26 May Bill Moyers says journalists should be filters for readers 26 May Linda Seyler spent two years in Thailand digging latrines 25 May Chris Shays blasts Bush on stem cell research 25 May George Wolfe to head Loudoun Academy of Science 25 May David Rudenstine heads Cardozo School of Law 24 May Mark Schneider says declaration is "pretty thin gruel" 24 May Robert Blackwill supports seat for India on Security Council 24 May Chris Matthews weighs Thomas Jefferson nomination 24 May Jim Knopf is expert on xeriscape gardening 23 May Mae Jemison receives honorary degree at Wilson 23 May Kenneth Proudfoot says dreams come true 22 May

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