Update Feb. 5, 2015

A teacher from Ashley's middle school (here in Garden Grove) decided to help by having a book drive at the school. She also created this nice little video/slideshow to promote it. I thought you might enjoy it:

Sounds/BookDrive2015Thursday.m4v

December, 2014          

Dear CalProggers, 

Many of you have been coming to shows for going on 12 years now and have seen my children grow from teenagers into adults. My oldest daughter Ashley graduated with a degree in International Studies and the travel bug. She had been living in Spain for the last 4 years teaching Spanish children how to speak English. She has always wanted to serve in a non-profit institution where she might be able to teach the less fortunate. Well last year she joined the Peace Corps and got assigned to Guyana (South America). Needless to say I'm very proud of her and have enormous respect for her (or anyone) that would give up years of their life to live in a 3rd world country casting aside all of the things we take for granted just to be able to help others. Teaching children to read where the national literacy rate is embarrassingly low can make a difference in individual lives. Being literate can change change lives. Her thing has always been about "making the world better one kid at a time". This can actually give them a chance at a better life.

Today, I am reaching out as a proud parent on behalf of Ashley, who has decided to create a book reading area in her makeshift classroom, a place where kids are tutored and hang out during recess.

We (ON HER BEHALF) are reaching out  to the CalProg community to offer you a chance to make a difference in children's lives who by chance of birth were born in to a society where the children barely can afford to eat. February 14, 2015 is International Book Giving Day which aims at "getting more and more books into the hands of children across the globe". What a perfect opportunity to help the kids in Guyana. On that day, I/we will package and mail boxes of soft cover books, Grades 1-6, to the students of Aurora Primary.

 Read this missive by Ashley herself:

Greetings from Guyana,

My name is Ashley Harrel and I’m currently serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guyana, South America. I’ve been in Guyana for six months now and have learned a lot about the country and its culture. Although the country is located in South America, the official language is English while Creolese is usually spoken in the home. Guyana is part of CARICOM, a community of Caribbean countries and is a country made up of “7 peoples” as they like to say here. The three main ethnic groups are East Indian, Afro-Guyanese and Amerindian. Guyana is located very close to the equator so it’s always very hot but there is a substantial amount of rainfall that occurs. It’s a beautiful country rich with many natural resources, most of which haven’t been exploited. Gold mining is a popular job amongst young men but also a very dangerous one.

I’m working in the education sector, specifically at a primary school in region two, Essequibo coast. The school is called Aurora Primary and has 162 students. There are seven teachers and one headmistress at the school. My role at the school varies but primarily I teach Spanish to all grades, do literacy pullouts to work with students one-on-one to improve their reading levels and work with a special needs student. I recently created a classroom for myself where I can work with these students but it has also become a place for other students to come during their breaks to read and play games. I’m working on making more educational games for students to play but we could really use some more books. I have just a few now, along with some kids’ magazines. My hope is to encourage reading for all the students but without books it’s almost a lost cause. While most students can read, generally they have a low reading level so it’s hard to find books that are appropriate for their age and also their reading level. All children’s books are welcome but especially books that will get children excited about reading.

Thank you for your time and consideration, Ashley Harrel

THANK YOU!