We wanted to let you know about an upcoming event sponsored by the Helping Hands Costa Rica organization. Proceeds from the breakfast will be donated to our non-profit foundation, Fundacion Casa Milagro (the parent company of Tropical Adventures). Please try and make it to the event and let everyone know about it. It would be great to have your support and to see you!

If you can't make it, would you consider donating some money to support our projects?

In addition to our ongoing projects, we are currently raising money for the following:

1. New roof for the Hone Creek Elementary School
2. Aqueduct to bring water to 10 families in the mountains of the Talamanca Indigenous Reservation
3. Medical Center deep in the Talamanca Reservation
4. Construction of our new Casa Milagro Orphanage
5. La Flor Children's Recreation Center

Pay it Forward PANCAKE BREAKFAST

When: Saturday, June 9 at 8:30AM

Where: Big Mike's Place
Urbanization Los Anonos #96 w/ mural on the door
Escazú  meetup52
289-6087

Event Description:
Breakfast is served!

Helping Hands CR is Hosting a "Pay it forward" Pancake Breakfast

Saturday June 9th from 8:30am to 12:00pm

Proceeds will benefit the Casa Milagro Foundation

It will be held at Big Mike's place in Los Anonos, Escazu (www.
culinaryadventurescostarica.com)
Directions to Mike's Place: Escazu - One block east of
Saretto's Supermarket and Los Anonos Restaurant,  turn left
into Los Anonos residential area, turn right immediately and go
all the way to the end--house #96 on the left side, white, 2-
story with a mural on the garage door. Please park on the
Street -its a safe neighborhood. You can call Mike @289-6087

*       *         *            *

Fresh off the griddle buttermilk pancakes
Sausage - both vegan and meat
Tasty Tropical Fruit
Coffee and Juice

- Donation for adult $8.00, children from 3 to 18 $5.00
- And persons under 3 or over 80 free

Please bring the whole family along!

((Non perishable Food donations will be accepted and
distributed))

The concept of Paying It Forward is one that any person can
implement in their own life, at any time. It begins with doing
a favor for another person-- without any expectation of being
paid back. Indeed one would request that the recipient of that
favor do the same for someone else: ideally for three other
people. The unconditional favors can be large or small.

*** We are looking for volunteers to help with setup, clean up
afterwards and staffing the event. If you are able to help at the event or for ½ hour before
please contact Evangeline.

Phyllis and her niece, Lauryn, came to us from New Mexico for two weeks. We had the best time with them! They volunteered with our La Flor project in the Central Valley and worked very hard the whole time they were here.

Not only were they teaching English at both the La Flor and El Yazz elementary schools, but they were also teaching women's health workshops (Phyllis is a nurse practitioner), leading recycling classes, teaching English at night to adolescents and adults and rounding up kids in town for a clean-up and recycling separation day.

Children and parents of both towns, as well as the school teachers and principals were as pleased as can be with all the love and support they got from Lauryn and Phyllis.

We have several more volunteers arriving in the next couple of weeks for this project and now the road is paved to make things more organized and easy for both the students and the volunteers.

After the clean-up day on Saturday, they both said goodbye to their host family (pictured right) and then left town to do some tours and to see more of Costa Rica before heading home. Many thanks to them from all of us for their hard work, great attitudes and for their generosity. We hope to see them back here again someday soon!

Yes, she might look sweet and calm in this picture, but she's c-r-a-z-y! We have a new kitty at the orphanage. We rescued her from the jungles of Limon. At first we were going to call her "Gritona," which means Screamer. I'll let you guess why. But now I think we're just going to call her "Storm." She's a bit possessed!
 

But we adore her. She's always playing and giving us love. She spends most of her time trying to get on the back of our necks. If we put her down, she just climbs right back up again. You should see the scratches and gouges she has made on our legs!

So we just wanted to officially welcome Storm into our center and our lives. We think she'll make a great addition to the family.

We are currently trying to build a medical center in the Talamanca Mountains. We have a doctor who walks 6 hours into the mountains once a week, but he has no place from which to operate. This makes seeing patients incredibly difficult.

The indigenous here do not live in communities, but separated from one another in the jungle. Most families live miles away from their closest neighbor. Having a medical center built with set hours, will assist all tribe members in the region to receive regular and much-needed medical care.

We have the labor to build the building and have received a 50% discount from a local hardware to buy the material, but we still lack the funding to buy the material.

Your donation to of materials for this center will make a huge difference in the lives of many people. If you feel so moved, please look at our needed supply list below (sorry it looks funny, I couldn't get it all lined up) and consider making a contribution by clicking here.

Many thanks in advance from all of us at Tropical Adventures and The Casa Milagro Foundation!

Description             Quantity      Unit     Each        Total         
1 x 12 Shts wood       2,500          Each     $1.83       $4,575.00
Concrete posts               16          Each       6.41            102.56
4” nails                           6         Kgms       1.42               8.52
3” nails                           5          Kgms      1.27               6.35
2” nails                           2          Kgms      1.18               2.36
2-1/2” roof nails       1-1/2           Kgms      2.21              3.32
1/2” tubing                     2           Each       4.96              9.92
Chrome faucets                2           Each       3.23              6.46
Transportation                 1           Each     200.00         200.00
TOTAL                                                                   $4,914.49

When it rains, it pours. Yes, the rainy season has started. But it looks like the “Giving Season” has started as well! We have been so fortunate lately. People from inside and outside of Costa Rica have been very generously donating supplies and clothes for our kids, families and communities.

Huge thanks – and lots of love – go out to the following people:

• Cathy Kedzie
• Buck Jeppson and Mike Kessler
• Steve Kollen
• Eve Sepulveda
• Barry Clark
• Karen Embree
• Chrys Ruybal
• Susan Wellborn
• Melody Elder    
• Katie Boland    
• Maria Wasserman
• Briana Schuck
• Lyndsay Jameson
• Michael Callaghan
• Devin Schuck

In the last several weeks we have received 10 big bags and suitcases full of very practical and appropriate gifts from these folks, including:

• Clothes
• School Supplies
• Toiletry Items
• Pots & Pans
• Jackets
• Blankets
• Shower Curtains
• Toys
• Flashlights
• Duffle Bags
• Knapsacks

These gifts to some may seem simple. But to many of the people we serve, they are a matter of survival. For more information on the types of things we’re looking for, please read this.