Jacó is the coastal town in Costa Rica´s Puntaneras province. Located in the Central Pacific Region, it belongs to the most popular beaches in Costa Rica.  Jacó is approximately one hour by car from San José and Costa Rica's primary International Airport (SJO). Jacó's natural beauty and close proximity to San José and the International airport(SJO) attracts many international and local tourists. Jacó also hosts the largest selection of hotels, vacation rental condos and homes, tours and excursions, as well as over 75 restaurants, several beach bars, nightclubs and discos, and 3 casinos.

Jacó Beach has become the most developed  and visited vacation destinations in all of Costa Rica. Beautiful National Park Manuel Antonio National Park is only one hour South of Jacó.

When you think of this beautiful beach town, you probably imagine amazing beaches, gorgeous nature and hospitability, but probably you don´t imagine the overpopulation of stray animals that are also there.

Therefore on November 11, Friday 2011 the Asociación Pro Bienestar Animal, also known as McKee Jacó, will hold their annual fundraiser. The Annual McKee Fiesta will be a dance and dinner at the Amapola Hotel in Jacó.

Money that will be collected from the festivities will go to the rescue and rehabilitation of homeless animals in the Jacó area.

You can expect to experience live music by the local band Chupacabra, lots of dancing, food and glass of wine- all inclusive with the purchase of your ticket.  

Moreover, there will be also a silent auction and raffle, to make a little extra for the animals.

More information about the event on http://www.mckee-jaco.com/mj_party_fiesta.html

(By Marketa Sobotkova – Marketing intern)

Peace Corps organization is celebrating its 50 anniversary and thanks to this event the organization opens an exhibit called “Costa Rica Through the Eyes of Volunteers”.

It is an exhibit of 22 photos took by Peace Corps volunteers that offer a glance into life in rural Costa Rica. It opened its door September 20 2011and it will be possible to visit it until October 6 2011at the Costa Rican-North American Cultural Center in Barrio Dent located in eastern San José, capital of Costa Rica. The admission is free.

These very interesting photos of Costa Rica are not just an amazing opportunity to see a different part of Costa Rica but also to have a look into the lives of the volunteers.

Currently about 130 volunteer work in Costa Rica for Peace Corps and most of them are specializing in community and rural development.

Who is Peace Corps?

The Peace Corps is an American program run by the United States Government and as well as a government agency of the same name. The program was established in 1961 and  among goals of the Peace Corps belongs  helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping Americans to understand the cultures of other countries.

(By Marketa Sobotkova – Marketing intern)

September 27 is World Tourism Day founded by UNWTO.

Purpose of this day is to encourage awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic value. This day is a celebration of tourism´s capacity, to bring the people of the world closer together and break down barriers between cultures. It is a chance to raise awareness of how tourism can foster tolerance, respect and mutual understanding. It is also an opportunity to explore how tourism can contribute to the world´s peace.

Every year UNWTO invites all people without exception to take part in the World Tourism Day celebrations in their countries or holiday destination. By this event the United Nations tries to highlight its Millennium Development Goal (MDGs) which are: To End Poverty and Hunger, Universal Education, Gender Equality, Child Health, Maternal Health, Combat HIV/AIDS, Environmental Sustainability and Global Partnership. It also tries to highlight the contribution the tourism sector can make in reaching these goals.

Each time World Tourism Day is celebrated by events around the themes chosen by the UNWTO General Assembly, on the recommendation of the UNWTO Executive Council.

Tourism – Linking Cultures; theme of World Tourism Day 2011

This year’s theme is a celebration of role of tourism in linking cultures of the world through travel.

Millions of people are travelling the world each year, they have been to so many places, and they have been so exposed to other cultures like never before. In order to build blocks for a more peaceful world, it is important to foster tolerance, respect and mutual understanding between individuals and communities. Tourism can help to maintain spiritual and cultural respect among people, while creating economic opportunities to benefit disadvantaged populations.

History of this day

In Spain, September 1979 UNWTO General Assembly decided to establish World Tourism Day, beginning in 1980. This day was selected to coincide with an important milestone in world tourism. It was the anniversary of adoption of the UNWTO Statues on 27 September 1970.

What is UNWTO?

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is a United Nations agency and the leading international organization in the field of tourism. Organization´s headquarter is based in Madrid-Spain, and it serves as a global forum for tourism policy issues and a practical source of tourism know-how.  UNWTO has a central and decisive role in promoting the development of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism, where it pays a particular attention to the interest of developing countries. It also compiles the World Tourism rankings. The World Tourism Organization is a significant global body, concerned with the collection and collation of statistical information on international tourism. This organization represents public sector tourism bodies, from most countries in the world and the publication of its data makes possible comparisons of the flow and growth of tourism on a global scale. The official languages of UNWTO are Arabic, English, French, Russian and Spanish.

UNWTO has memberships in 154 countries, 7 territories and over 00 Affiliate Members that represent private sector, educational institutions, tourism associations and local tourism authorities.

UNWTO encourages the implementation of its The Global Code of Ethics for Tourism. It is a frame of reference for the responsible and sustainable development of World tourism.

Tropical Adventures works hard to keep its costs and fees as low as possible. Still, for several people it can be unclear why they have to pay for volunteer programs. I´ve heard several opinions that it is unethical and so on, therefore I consider as a must to provide a proper explanation on how  it actually works. I cannot speak for other organizations, but I can give you a perspective from our sight.

We have made several analyzes of certain impoverished areas of the country. This comprises difficult travel and meeting with untold numbers of communities and individuals. We want to know what real needs are present and how we can be of assistance. The truth is, not all communities are even ready to accept volunteer help. It was a tough job narrowing down to just a handful projects from our long list of serious needs.

We have also found that tourism in Costa Rica, the number one industry here, had many negative effects on the people in the country. As a natural by-product of many visitors spending time and money in the country, inflation has run rampant. Because wages move at a snail´s pace, Costa Ricans get priced out of homes and can´t afford basics such as food.

Therefore, from the beginning, objectives of Tropical Adventures have been threefold:

1) Convert would-be tourists from inadvertently exploiting the country to volunteers who could make long-lasting, positive and eco-friendly impacts on the country and people.

2) Provide the volunteers with life-changing, positive experiences, so instead of returning home with just vacation photos, they can return having learned much more about the world and about themselves.

3) Use the money we are able to generate to keep inside the communities we’re trying to help.

Fees of our projects are set up to cover the various necessary expenses of operating the program. These costs include for instance volunteer transportation to the place, volunteer training, food, medical insurance and support for the generous host families who open their homes to our participants. Some of the extra costs go towards our providing in-country support personnel, as well as organizing the trip itself. The costs go to the wide range of other services, such as orientation costs, assistance with planning excursions and activities, free guided tours and 24-hour-in-country emergency service.

What money is left over after these expenses are paid goes towards donations we give to keep our projects running, research, employee salaries and basic administrative costs.  Besides a few costs such as advertising that is done around the world to attract volunteers, all of the money we receive stays in Costa Rica.

Apart from all of this, majority of individuals, communities, and non-profit organizations in Costa Rica who are in most need of help do not speak English. So if a person has an interest in helping those in need here, they would have problems to identify who actually needs help and what kind of help they need, communicate with these groups about all the details and to best prepare themselves for the trip and their time here. We can handle all the details from A to Z.

Maybe you are thinking why not to take your money and donate it directly to local projects. In a perfect world, that is a great idea. However in Latin America (and elsewhere in the world), sadly, the majority of donated cash ends up in the pockets of individuals who either keep the money for themselves entirely or have no experience in properly managing those funds.

I hope now the question “why do you have to pay to volunteer” is clearer to you and I´ve helped you to understand it more.

Tropical Adventures would not be able to support our many community development programs without your assistance. Thank you for your support!

Scott Pralinsky, Executive Director of Tropical Adventures

With this letter, the parents of children in Alto Katsi, Talamanca, Costa Rica are appealing for your valuable support explained below.

For the past three years our children have been receiving school lessons in our own community.  Before this time, our children had to walk almost two kilometers down the mountain to the closest school in the nearby community of Katsi.  The small building we were using for the school was in very poor repair and no longer safe for children.  It was taken down early in 2009.  As parents, we have been given the task of working to construct our community school since our children no longer have a formal structure to receive classes.  They are currently receiving classes in the home of one of the community members

1.    Lack of cut wood

2.    Acabado de la misma como enderezado y machinerbrodo

3.    Funds to cover the foreman´s salary

This structure has the following measurements à 18 X 7.50 square meters (m2) and consists of 2 classrooms measuring 6 X 9 m2 and a front corridor measuring 1.50 X 18 m2.

Also missing is the cafeteria which measures 14 X 8.40 m2 consists of kitchen, eating area and bathrooms.  For this structure we already have 300 cement blocks, 30 barrilos and 20 bags of cement.  This material was donated to us to make the set of bathrooms.

We wish to finish the school and through this card we are asking for your support and collaboration in our important objective, which is to complete the construction of the school, eating area, kitchen and bathrooms.  In order to finish, we need:

1.    Funds to pay the construction foreman, which will be 2 months at a value of C15,000 per day, for a total of C900,00.

2.    8,000 inches of wood which comes from trees donated by parents.  Por lo ceiol there is a cutting fee, which is C150 per inch, for a total of C1,200,000.  lo ceiol cubrirla el faltante de madera que tiene la escuela y el resto es para la construcción del comedor.

3.    Arreglo de madera como enderezada y madrenbrodo de 8,000 pulgadas, con un costo de la pulgada para un total de C480,000.

4.    Hardware materials and supplies totaling C892,464.

TOTAL BUDGET à C3,472,464.00

As you already know, our annual event is planned for  Chicago, IL, in the US this year and our guest of honor is Danilo Layan Gabb, who some of the past volunteers already know. Danilo is a member of the Bri Bri tribe living in Bambu and is a famous element of Tropical Adventures family.

We have been waiting anxiously to know whether Danilo would be able to come with us to the event or not. To do so, he needed to get a visa from US Embassy, not an easy task for a Costa Rican who has never received any visa to the US before.

This morning, Danilo had an appointment at the US Embassy for his visa interview. Scott went with him and they waited for hours to get the answer, and it was yes. How relieving it was! You can imagine how excited Danilo is now. It is so rewarding for him and it would have been so unfair to see a refusal from the Embassy.

Now, Danilo is definitely going to Chicago and will enjoy his first travel to the US. We are all proud and excited for him. This kind of story gives hope and reason to fight. Never give up and do your best.

Danilo will be in Chicago for the annual event on August the 14^th and the 15^th, what about you?

We really hope you will come and join us in Chicago!

Tropical Adventures

Our Christmas Projects need your help.

Don't waste a beautiful opportunity to share joy this holiday season! Greetings!

There are only 29 days left until our first Christmas project event where we'll be sharing with community members at La Flor. It's a day where we get to really show our appreciation to all the great people we and our volunteers get to work with - children, host families, coordinators and community members at our different projects across Costa Rica.

These are people who work incredibly hard to keep above the bread-line, usually doing hard jobs that involve long hours and low pay. But don't feel sorry for them at all. If you've been a volunteer here, you know how happy these folks are. Our goal with this event is to show our gratitude for letting us work alongside them.

We thank from the bottom of our hearts all the volunteers we have come to make the jobs of these people a little easier, and who have assisted hundreds of children by teaching and mentoring them so that they can be successful in school and enjoy better prospects than the generation before them. We are desperately in need of help (in volunteer support, donations and supplies) to ensure these Christmas projects are a success. Please read on to see how you can help us - we truly appreciate any small gesture that we receive.

Giving people something to smile about this Christmas

We have 51 volunteers attending our Christmas projects so far - including 3 families. We're really looking forward to meeting and working together with each one of them to make every one of these events a special, fun and inspiring day for all who attend. We have been humbled by their generosity, many of whom have asked us what they can do to help us in addition to their volunteer help even after having paid their fees. One of our volunteers, Silvana, will be bringing 120 pairs of flip-flops with her to hand out to children from the Cocles school in Puerto Viejo, as well as bringing a parachute to play with, while others are helping donate supplies for party decorations. Donna Crawford is bringing 200 boxes of crayons.

We have also received several kind emails from past volunteers asking us how they can help. We feel so grateful to everyone who has offered to help even in spite of the economic downturn (something which is greatly affecting people here in Costa Rica too).

Despite all these wonderful and amazing offers of help, we still really need more help. There are hundreds of children and adults who will be attending all the events and to make each day as special as it should be. We are still in great need of more supplies and money to buy all the food.

Our Puerto Viejo Christmas party will take place at the nearby Cocles school and we have invited all 150 school children. This school is a wonderful place set back frJaguar at Monkey Parkom the beach and Caribbean Sea. It sounds idyllic but the reality is that the school is so understaffed that the children can only attend school for around 3 hours each day. Without our volunteers, the children would receive no English tuition at all and when there are no volunteers, lessons simply do not take place. Many of them do not go on to further study after 6th Grade. In Costa Rica, lack of schooling has a very negative impact on the career opportunities and consequent money-earning potential of these children.

What we need to make Christmas special for our communities and children

We want to make each of the events a really special day for hundreds of children and adults. For this reason, each party is very expensive and we still don't have the resources to make each day as special as it could be.

As an example, we will have around 130 people attending the Puerto Viejo Christmas Party. For this we will need to buy:

• * 150 hot dogs and buns
• * Mustard and tomato sauce
• * 15 bottles of soft drinks
• * 2 large containers of ice-cream and 150 large cones
• * 20 small bags of pop-corn
• * A filled pinata, which will cost around $100 ($50 for the pinata and $50 for the candies)
• * Decorations in the form of balloons, crepe paper, party poppers etc
• * Party bags for each child with a few small candies and gifts inside (this is a very Costa-Rican tradition)
• * Prizes for game winners - such as hats (for sun protection), sunglasses, soccer balls, barbies, backpacks, books, stationery sets (in packs)
• * In addition we would like to give each of the 9 children who are graduating from the school a small gift. Something to encourage them in their move to a larger school would be nice such as backpacks, books, stationery etc.
• * We would like to also rent an inflatable slide for the afternoon - this will be $150. This is just what we will be buying for 1 out of the 5 Christmas parties.

In addition to these parties, we also have the Childrens' Summer Camp in Puerto Viejo. For the Childrens' Summer Camp, we will be providing lunch for around 100 children for three days. We will be making hot dogs on the first day, cheese and ham sandwiches on the second day and rice  and chicken (a traditional Costa Rican dish) on the third day.

In addition to feeding the children, we will be doing a number of fun and educational activities with them over the three days including arts and crafts workshops, sports, English and environmental education lessons. For the art workshop on the first day we will need to buy paints, white paper and colored pencils and for the environmental workshop on the second day, we'll need plenty of green, red and black paint as the children will be making masks out of recycled materials.

To provide all these things for the wonderful people who will be attending our events, we need all the support you can possibly give us. We really really really need your help and would appreciate more than you can imagine any small amount of help you give us.

What you can do to help

• ** Volunteer - Come and help us set up at one or more of the events and participate in the fun. We'll need loads of help decorating the venues, serving food, and organizing games and activities for everyone. Combined with helping at the events, you'll get to do some amazing tours so you can make the most out of your time in Costa Rica. Find out more how you can volunteer here. This is really a unique opportunity - there are no other volunteer organizations doing anything like this in Costa Rica. If you are a Costa Rican resident, please contact us to find out how you can volunteer.
• ** Donations of money - This is so that we can buy all the food, decorations and materials for the activities. If you would like to donate money for something specific (such as the hot dogs or decorations) - please let us know. If you would like to donate money for school supplies or uniform for any children (such as the school graduates at Cocles), please refer to the list and costs of items needed at the very bottom of this newsletter. We will provide you with receipts of the purchases (we go personally to buy all the items ourselves) as well as photos from the events. Since we're a non profit foundation, your donation of money is tax deductible. You can donate online or please contact us to discuss other options for donating - we would love to hear from you.
• ** Donations of supplies - If you live outside of Costa Rica, many items such as party decorations and crafts materials are actually a lot cheaper than they are in Costa Rica. If you are coming to Costa Rica or you know anyone else who is coming to Costa Rica between now and December, we would be so grateful to anyone who is able to bring some of these materials and supplies over with them. We will meet you at the airport to collect them and can supply you with official documentation from Tropical Adventures to ensure a smooth journey for whatever you bring over. Please refer to the list at the very bottom of this newsletter if you are interested in donating any school supplies or uniforms for children. Please also look at our Donation Supply Wish List for detailed information of other items you could donate. If you are a Costa Rican resident, please let us know if there is anything that you are able to donate to us or bring with you to the events.
• ** Hold a small event - such as a garage sale, coffee morning or cake sale to fundraise for our Christmas community events. We'll be more than happy to send you some information materials or handouts for the event.
• ** Past volunteers - If you are a past volunteer, something really special you could do without having to spend money is to write a Christmas letter or card to any community members, kids or project workers who really inspired or helped you whilst you were out here. Maybe you could write to your host family, or Danilo at Bambu or Dominica & Julian at the Camaronal Turtle Project. All these people are incredibly hard working and dedicated to what they do. They would love to hear from you - you have no idea how many times they ask for all of you. You can write to our address - Apartado 8-7100, Paraiso, Cartago, Costa Rica (or you could email your letter - marketing@tropicaladventures.com) and we will be sure to ensure your letter gets to the right person safely.

We truly appreciate any gestures, no matter how small, that will help us to make these events a big success by giving all these lovely hard-working and kind people who do so much to help their own under-resourced communities a day to remember.

Here are some examples of how people continue to help us:

** Silvana Clark and her husband are generously bringing with them 120 pairs of flip-flops to donate to children at the Cocles school when they arrive in December.

• ** Mark Arnowitz wrote to 15 different organizations to ask for them to donate money so that he could afford to come out to Costa Rica. Through his efforts and the kindness of the organizations he wrote to, he was able to come out here. Mark continues to offer us great support and is now raising money to help build proper bathrooms and an outdoor eating area for the children at Cocles School as well as raising money to for our Puerto Viejo Christmas party. Mark is of great help to us not only in his fundraising efforts but spends much of his time helping us out from his home in the USA.
• ** Last year the Stegehuis family donated all the supplies for the children's Summer Camp in Puerto Viejo. This great act of generosity allowed us to give the children there a wonderful three days of fun and educational activities such as arts and crafts, English and environmental education lessons, sports and games.
• ** Briana Schuck talked to fellow students at the University of Santa Monica and had them all busy bringing in donations. About four people arrived at different times, with several extra suitcases full of all kinds of donations for the children. These donations included books, pens, clothes and toiletries. Thanks to their generosity many children received useful gifts that their parents find hard or impossible to afford.
• ** The Snyder family brought a large amount of gifts for children and community members of Bambu and very generously donated us money. Their daughter, Hannah, so kindly raised this as part of her Bat Mitzvah celebrations.
• ** Phyllis and Richard Bergman volunteered with us last Christmas for a second time. Not only did they donate money but they also brought gifts for people at La Flor community.
• ** Lilly Pichardo, a personal friend and local events planner from Costa Rica helped us greatly by using her contacts to gain us discounts on decorations and stationery supplies at local outlets for our Christmas Projects. Lilly volunteered with us and brought lots of food packages for last year's Bambu Christmas party. She was also a great entertainer!!
• ** Costa Rican residents have donated supplies and provided us with equipment and materials for us to borrow for our Christmas events.
• ** Many of our past volunteers have used their connections to help us connect to important institutions (such as university volunteering departments) who offer their support. We have found on many occasions that we wouldn't have been able to meet with certain organizations without previously being recommended by people who are already associated with them - these introductions have been a great help.
• ** On many occasions, people have sent supplies over to Costa Rica with friends who are visiting. We have then been able to go and pick up these donations from the airport.
• ** Countless people have very kindly donated money to us via our online web form.

We thank you all from the bottom of our hearts. ___________________________________________________________

Thank you so much for your continued support of our work throughout Costa Rica. Please contact us if you have any questions at all about our Christmas Projects or any of our other projects or how you can help us.

We realise that not everbody has the means to actively help us and we thank you for your interest in Tropical Adventures and what we do. We hope that one day we will see you out here in Costa Rica and don't forget to tell your friends about us.

Please take a look at our video of all our wonderful projects, friends and volunteers.

Sincerly,

Isaac, Scott and the Tropical Adventures Team.

For anyone interested in supporting a child by buying or paying for some school supplies, here is an example of what a child needs to go to school for one year in Costa Rica:

Mandatory School Supplies USD

• 5 100 page notebooks $10.00
• 9 80 page notebooks $13.50
• 1 Notebook lined for Handwriting $1.00
• 2 100 Sheet Packs-printer paper $3.40
• 2 100 Sheet Packs-lined paper $3.20
• 1 Pack of Construction Paper $2.40
• 12 Letter sized folders $1.44
• 5 Black pens $2.50
• 5 Blue Pens $2.50
• 5 Red Pens $2.50
• 1 Box Color penciles (12) $2.60
• 1 Box penciles--black lead pencil $2.20
• 1 Plastic pencil sharpener $0.60
• 1 An Eraser $0.20
• 1 White glue (size 120 grams) $1.30
• 1 Geometry set $1.00
• 1 Compass $1.00
• 1 Scissors $1.00
• 1 Map of Costa Rica $0.30
• 1 Spanish Dictionary $5.00
• 1 Backpack $14.00

Total for Supplies $71.64

Uniforms:

• 2 Blouses/Shirts $4.00
• 2 Socks $2.00
• 1 Pants $10.00
• 1 Shoes $14.00

Total for uniforms: $30.00 SUPPLIES & UNIFORM: $101.64

Please also look at our Donation Supply Wish List for detailed information of other items you can donate.