spice a marianas variety publication
Vol. 1 Issue No. 3 December 2011
free
m a g a z i n e
2012
year of the volunteer karidat’s joy of toys
the gift of giving back salvation’s army marches on the power of parents
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karidat’s
joy of toys Text by RAQUEL C. BAGNOL
FOR parents who can barely make ends meet, for those who go to bed every night worrying how to get the next meal to put on the table, buying toys would be at the bottom of their list of priorities—Christmas or not. Across the islands, thousands of husbands and wives, children and family members are suffering from being physically, mentally or emotionally abused and thinking that they are all alone with no one to turn to. Many of them bear the burden in silence, covering up the scars so others won’t know. The victims are usually ashamed, scared to come out or just feel hopeless, resigned to accept what fate handed them. For these people who think the future is nothing but a long stretch of dark and bleak alley, here is good news for them. It is not the end of the world, not with organizations that care like the Karidat. Toys for tots For the past years, Karidat, a local nonprofit Social Service organization has spearheaded the campaign to collect toys for the children of families in need in their list. This year, the CNMI Society of Human Resource Management takes the lead in the toy drive collection so these children from low-income families will have gifts for Christmas. Karidat executive director Angie Deleon
Guerrero in a recent interview said that although they are pressed for time with only two weeks to collect toys, she is optimistic the community will be generous to give what they can afford for these children who have practically nothing. Last year, the Marianas Health Services who spearheaded the toy collection drive delivered four carloads containing over 800 assorted toys to the Karidat for distribution, a tremendous response to the call for donations. Deleon Guerrero is knocking on the hearts of the community once again to spare what they can give so that the 71 kids in the list of families as well as those who will drop by hoping for spare toys will not go home empty handed for Christmas. The Toys for Tots drive kicked off on December and will run until December 21. More donations will mean more kids aged 0 to 10 years will wake up bright-eyed and excited to unwrap your gifts on Christmas Day. Drop off centers for toy donations are at the StayWell Insurance in Sadog Tasi (contact person is Eric Plinsky), TakeCare Insurance at the Tan Siu Lin Plaza in Garapan, Pacific Islands Club, and at the Karidat Center in Chalan Kanoa. Shelter for the abused The Guma Esperansa, or House of Hope has been sheltering victims of domestic viospice l 2012 year of the volunteer
lence and human trafficking for the past 10 years. With Guma Esperansa manager Laurie Ogumoro at the helm, the shelter has fought off all kinds of challenges that came its way, especially the big ones like financial hurdles through the continuing donations of generous members of the community. As of August this eyar, Ogumoro said that 11 women and 13 children have sought refuge inside the walls of the Guma Esperanza. These victims are provided all the necessities they need, and they wake up each morning with the thought that there is hope and healing for each of them. Karidat receives the bulk of its funding from both the CNMI and Federal programs, and receives donations from the private sectors in the Commonwealth. The organization provides 24-hour crisis prevention, information and referral services, public awareness, and recruitment and training of volunteers. The organization also provides guest worker assistance, food assistance and help to victims of crime advocacy For more information, please call the Karidat Center at 234-6891/5248, fax 2349192 or email karidat@pticom.com. Victim hotlines are 234-5100 on Saipan, 4330361 on Tinian and 532-0444 on Rota. december 2011
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the power of
parents Text by LAILA BOYER
Dozens of parents filed in and out of the Marianas High School cafeteria, spending a few moments to pick up their child’s report card at the end of last quarter. Only several remained for the first Parent Teacher Association meeting, which passed out flyers and updated parents about upcoming activities. Parent involvement is hard to measure, as one member of the Western Accreditation of Schools and Colleges (WASC), pointed out last month. A school’s success in having its students achieving academic standards is not based, for example, by the number of parents attending PTA meetings, but rather the number of parents who are taking the time to review their child’s homework in the evenings or providing active encouragement at home. Research has proven time and time again, that parent involvement isn’t a luxury – it’s an integral component of student achievement and school reform. Still, parents have immense power to change the course of their children’s learning for the better and to become role models in community service at the same time. Numerous studies on the effect of meaningful parent involvement programs in
schools have found that: • when parents are involved, students achieve more, regardless of socioeconomic status, ethnic/racial background, or the parents' education level. • when parents are involved, students exhibit more positive attitudes and behavior. These are only a few of the well-documented effects of parents becoming more involved in their children’s daily activities, most especially in school performance. The CNMI Public School System has a new Family and Community Coordinator, Kimo Rosario, and he serves as the liaison between the PSS central office and the dozens of Parent Teacher Associations (PTA) at the schools. Between Parent summits, workshops and presentations, PSS is busy trying to get more parents involved in PTA as well as play an active role in their children’s learning at home. Parents have the ability to become a strong, community-based force and collaborate with the schools to help achieve the educational standards needed for our children to survive in today’s competitive world as well as help provide the learning environment for them to succeed. spice l 2012 year of the volunteer
Parent groups or PTA’s functioning as informal and independent school groups give the time, energy, and finances to enrich all children’s education with the extra resources and opportunities every school needs to support a high level of achievement. It’s hard for busy working parents to attend every meeting or participate in every committee or event sponsored by the parent group. Smart parent groups divide up the work so that no one is overwhelmed. If time for meetings is lacking in your life, go to the first and last meetings of the year at least, so that you will know what is planned. Choose an activity or event that works for you and do your part to support the goals of the group. Parent groups give parents a voice in their local schools. They support schools in a variety of ways such as volunteer activities, Teacher Appreciation events, and fundraising for needed educational enhancements. So check out the list of Parent Teacher Associations on the next page and start making plans to get more actively involved. Let’s harness the power of positive change, the power of parents. december 2011
Meet the Officers of PSS Parent Teacher Student Associations (PTSA) School Year 2011 – 2012 Dandan Elementary School Oscar Porras, President Mitch Aaron, Vice President Valencia Flores-Tasi, Secretary Ma. Tess Camacho, Treasurer Garapan Elementary School David Attao, President Gene Weaver, Vice President Marlyn Parenes, Secretary Joe Itibus, Treasurer Gregorio T. Camacho Elementary School George Cruz, President Alex Camacho, Vice President Mei Reedstrom, Secretary Alvin Adriano, Treasurer Hopwood Jr. High School Rabby Sayed, President James Sablan, Vice President Felix Nogis, Vice President Sia Dela Cruz, Secretary Arlene Mateo, Secretary June Seman, Treasurer Carmela Merritt, Treasurer Kagman Elementary School Antonio Magofna, President Gary Villagomez, Vice President Ann Moses, Secretary Stacy Marie San Nicholas, Treasurer Koblerville Elementary School Antonio C. Angui, President
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Joe Etpison, Vice President Dorothy A. Gauran, Secretary Karen Alla, Treasurer Oleai Elementary School Lauro (Larry) Manacop, President Tina Camacho, Vice President Antonia Songa, Secretary Rosalie Litulumar, Treasurer Marianas High School Laila Boyer, President Teresa Kim-Tenorio, Vice President/Treasurer Ivan Braganza, Secretary Saipan Southern High School Shawn M. Davis, President Victorino Cepeda, Vice President Pasquana H. Calvo, Secretary Monica Manalo, Treasurer San Antonio Elementary School John Dela Cruz, President Ramon Camacho, Vice President Lenora Blas, Secretary Bernice Fejeran, Treasurer San Vicente Elementary School Betty G. Terlaje, President Kolin Reyes, Vice President Sinapalo Elementary School Laura Manglona, President Tito Hocog, Vice President Yolanda Catbagan, Secretary Vivian Hocog, Treasurer
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spice laila younis-boyer publisher alexie villegas zotomayor managing editor racquel c. bagnol writer jeanette sarabia advertising manager noemi borromeo account executive loida martinez chito saulog layout artists Š 2011 by Marianas Variety. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No portion of this publication may be copied, stored, transmitted, reprinted, in print or in digital form without a prior permission from the publisher. spice magazine is a monthly publication of Marianas Variety with office at Alaihai Street, Saipan. PO BOX 500231, Saipan, MP 96950 Tel. No. 670.234.9797 Fax: 670.234.9271 email: mvariety@pticom.com website: www.mvariety.com PRINTED BY YAS PRINTING SERVICES
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the gift of
giving back Text by LAILA BOYER
Despite the islands’ days growing darker with the economy continually dropping, there are groups in our community that are providing pockets of sunshine by giving what they already have: their time and energy to worthwhile causes. Non-profit organizations not only provide creative resources to get jobs done, they also provide an outlet for their volunteers to find skills and talents they would love to share with the community. It is the gift of giving back and the rewards are the results of what the group is able to achieve or help others reach their goals. In the Commonwealth, the active nonprofit organizations are the American Red Cross CNMI Chapter, Karidat, Guma Esperansa, the Commonwealth Health Center Volunteers, the Rotary Club of Saipan, Saipan Chamber of Commerce, Commonwealth Cancer Association and its annual Marianas March Against Cancer, the CNMI Salvation Army, and the Mariana Islands Nature Alliance.
Rotary Club of Saipan Past President Curtis Danco joins his fellow Rotarians in serving lunch to Man ‘amko this past Thanksgiving. Beautify CNMI, Make a Wish Foundation, the Parent Teacher Associations, the Northern Marianas College Foundation, the Tan Sui Li Foundation, the Joeten
Oleai Elementary School students prepare for their presentation at one of the annual RCS Parade of Books events. 10
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Charitable Foundation, Ayuda Foundation, Friends of the Library, Friends of the Arts, Northern Marianas Sports Association, Saiwalk, Taga Riders, annual Japanese Autumn Festival and the annual Christmas Toy drives are more examples of active charitable work. Year of the Volunteers As the year rounds out, excitement is bubbling in the islands’ nonprofit world as it is starting to look like 2012 will be the year of the volunteers. More groups are beginning to pop out, like the resurgence of Junior Achievement organization set to start this January as well as the Tanapag Elementary School new mentor program. The Rotary Club of Saipan will also be launching its new Rotaract and Interact groups aimed at instilling the value of community service in children and young adults. The young ISK8 group, who assists in maintaining the Garapan Skate Park, has Continued on page 11 december 2011
the gift
Continued on page 10 also just elected a new president and are pumped up to get new ideas for the year. The islands’ popular pageant group, Stellar Marianas, who runs the Miss NMI Universe, Miss NMI Teen and Little Miss NMI is also looking to start recruiting early next year. Businesses are also still giving, such as the recent $30,000 donation of Bridge Capital to nonprofit organizations, as well as donations from Bank of Guam, First Hawaiian Bank and Delta Airlines. Individuals such as Angel Ray Deleon Guerrero also inspire by giving toys, books and furniture from his ability to network with other nonprofit groups. Political leaders also add to the charity mix, such as U.S. delegate Gregorio Kilili Sablan donating to the Christmas toy drive and the Tinian Legislature delegation hosting a Christmas lunch for the Man‘amko. The Department of Public Safety also just announced they will have citizen patrols trained and certified and are looking for volunteers. Creative Resource When the economy drops and resources dwindle, people naturally turn inward to focus on their priorities, such as family, finances and urgent needs. But it seems in difficult times such as these, is when the human spirit finds more creative ways to help either those in need or provide opportunities for others. In a recent presentation to the Rotary
Tinian principal Dionne Santos, far right, join staff and several third graders after the donations of dictionaries last year.
an increase compared to the figures in 2008 and 2009. 80 percent of the amount was given by individuals, he added. “The amount comes from ordinary individuals like you and me,” he said. Taking Action The Public School System is also actively reorganizing the structure of Parent Teacher Student Associations’ involvement to make them more independent and community-based. All across the islands’ public schools, PTA’s or PTSA’s are electing officers, creating new charters, by-laws and are warming up their engines for more active school years. If the urge to serve your community is tugging at your heart, there is no faster way to do so by volunteering at your school’s PTSA. (See related story and contact information on page 6 ) Of course, walking into many of the islands’ non-profit organizations meetings will have you welcomed as a volunteer, so it is important to think of what you will enjoy doing or how you will contribute to the group’s mission. Think of the skills you have or skills you would like to learn, such as building a set, public speaking, project coordination, among many others that these organizations offer and find a team you will enjoy working with. You could also discover a need in your community and start your own non-profit organization by finding a mentor in one of the existing groups to guide you along the way. The days may be darkening ahead, but if we all drop our pockets of sunshine in, Volunteers clean up the Garapan Fishing Basin during the recent MINA International Clean the CNMI will become a beacon of light Up Day. for all to see. december 2011
Saipan Club, nonprofit fundraising consultant and expert, Steven G. West of Strategies for Philanthropy said giving remains an American value. “Charitable giving is a part of the fabric of society for over 230 years. It has not been brought by our forefathers but something that has been developed in the country, and other countries are following our example,” West said. Americans contribute about 2 percent of their income to philanthropy, he added. “Some people choose to give, and this is very important,” said West, who has been involved with non-profit organizations for the past 34 years. In 2010, West said corporations, companies and individuals donated $290 billion, a significant amount which reflected
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salvation army:
soldiering on Text by ALEXIE VILLEGAS ZOTOMAYOR
PMT employee Tek Santos drops her donation in the red kettle as Salvation Army ministry leader Wayne Gillespie looks on.
THE red kettle is pealing, calling out to the community to lend a helping hand not only during the holidays, but throughout the year. For the CNMI Salvation Army, there’s more work to be done as they try to provide assistance to the needy, hungry, and homeless. CNMI Salvation Army ministry leader Wayne Gillespie admits that the worsening economy is to blame for the uptick in the number of people going to the soup kitchen. “Well the worsening of economy has a lot to do with it,” he says in an interview. He, however, points out that regardless of the economic conditions, there are always people who are homeless and there are always people who are needy. Faced with this certainty, the Salvation Army appeals to the members of the community to reach out and be that helping hand to the needy. Gillespie also shares the efforts of their organization in putting together programs that would work to alleviate the plight of those who need help. He says, “This year we did the traditional, first ever Thanksgiving dinner for anyone who wanted to come.” 12
Although the program was targeting the low-income families, he says everyone was welcome to come. “We had a pretty good turnout,” he says. Apart from the thanksgiving feast they held at Minatchom Atdao last Nov. 25, Salvation Army launched its Christmas toy drive the after Thanksgiving. Central to the program is the presence of what Gillespie calls an angel tree. “We invite local businesses to sponsor an angel tree to set up a tree in their lobby or some other place so that customers can bring in toys,” says Gillespie. Whatever toys they would be able to collect, these would be wrapped and distributed to the children who need them the most. This year, the Salvation Army is looking at presenting the toy donations to two programs of the Division of Youth Services. “We will be distributing those this month,” he says. The Salvation Army is now more inclined than ever to provide assistance to the marginalized groups with the launch of Guam Yo’ Ase or House of Mercy on May this year. Guma Yo’ Ase, otherwise known as soup kitchen, is a two-story facility across from Hopwood Junior High School where minisspice l 2012 year of the volunteer
try members and volunteers serve supplemental meals to help the needy stave off their hunger. Apart from serving food, the facility is a place where the homeless can also clean up and do laundry but remains short of becoming a shelter. “Right now we are only open in one day during the week, Saturday. We serve from 11 in the morning to around 1 in the afternoon. We are serving around 50 people a week,” Gillespie says. He attests that the number of people coming to the shelter has more than doubled — “it’s almost tripled now.” When the facility first started several months back, Gillespie recalls that they had attracted a few people. “It is just going to keep getting more and more,” he anticipates with the economy still in the doldrums. “I think we are getting an increase at the soup kitchen because of economic conditions. A lot of people are out of work,” Gillespie says. Also housed in the same facility is their rummage sale area. “We ask people to donate whatever they have lying around the house that they don’t Continued on page 13 december 2011
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need anymore — as long as it works,” according to Gillespie. The rummage sale is done every Saturday where they sell the donated items and whatever proceeds go to the programs of the Salvation Army and some overhead costs. Apart from the soup kitchen, the Salvation Army also has a food assistance program where they distribute bulk food items to families. “We distribute bulk food items to low-income families and homeless who qualify,” says Gillespie. The food items they distribute come from donations of businesses and individuals who have been avid supporters of the Salvation Army’s food assistance program. Gillespie also says they continue to do their outreach to the homeless. “Most of the homeless on the island are working with us. We pick them up on Saturday or they just walk in,” Gillespie says. Throughout the year, Gillespie is most pleased with the support they are getting from individuals who refused to be identified but would rather be given the opportunity to help. He also acknowledges that Salvation Army gets from their big donors. “One of the biggest supporters that we’re impressed with, and proud of is Tan Siu Lin,” he says. The Tan Siu Lin Foundation has supported the soup kitchen every since it opened. Gillespie also appreciates the donations made by Dickerson & Quinn “for always donating food and helping us both in the soup kitchen and food assistance program.” “They donate often and quite generous,” attests Gillespie. He also recognizes Foremost Milk for the dairy products it has donated to the Salvation Army. Recently, the Salvation Army is impressed with the efforts of the Saipan Community School. “It’s overwhelming,” says Gillespie describing as “astounding” what the students had collected. He also gives credit to Triple J Super Fresh Market and the Veterans of Foreign Wars – Saipan Post. There are a several other companies that Gillespie says he may have missed but he expresses his gratitude to them on behalf of the Salvation Army. With the new year just around the corner, the Salvation Army anticipates that there will be tough days ahead as they continue to provide the services. On an annual basis, the Salvation Army needs between $25,000 to $50,000 in order to keep soup kitchen and rummage sale going. Asked on what he looks forward to doing in the coming year, Gillespie says, “We are hoping to expand to another day of service for the soup kitchen. We really target families with the soup kitchen that’s why we are open on Saturday.” He says they’ll look at opening another day, at least provisionally to gauge the responses. Admittedly, the declining economy has slowed them down. “We are going slower than we normally would because of the economic conditions,” he says. Despite this, he invites the community to open their hearts and lend a hand “not just for Christmas or holiday season, but throughout the entire year.” For the many volunteers and the members of the Salvation Army family, they will continue to fight poverty and help those in its snare. The economy is tough but Salvation Army looks forward to soldiering on doing the most good to most people. [Those who would like to share their blessings can contact Wayne Gillespie at 483-0885.] december 2011
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DRINKING and DRIVING This Holiday Season Could Lead to a Gift of Time....Behind Bars
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