May 17th, 2011
Last week, we read about how Debbie Valette’s unique reading program at the Centennial Middle school in Boulder, Colorado, is working wonders in helping kids leap grades they would have otherwise failed to clear. Debbie’s program is one of the most rewarding projects we have been proud to support at Catalyst Exhibits.
Debbie sent us some feedback from some those of she’s been working with – a personal take on how reading is now a huge part of their lives.
“The kids have had many success stories this year:
Maria stayed for 30 minutes past the time that the afterschool class ended to finish the book she was reading. She read for 70 minutes straight. That is unheard of for a struggling reader. Thanks for allowing me to put books in her hands that she loves.
Lewis told me that he could read for 30 minutes now on his own. He started the year hating reading and refused to read a book. I got him hooked on Playaways and…..”
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Tags: children, education, kids, reading
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May 12th, 2011
Sometimes it takes a different approach to a problem in order to come up with a solution. When it comes to children that are having reading difficulties, it takes a special person and approach to the problem in order to get them to engage. Without reading, they are destined to leave school with very low grades and very limited options for the future.
Debbie Valette is that person and Catalyst Exhibits has been sponsoring her unique reading program at the Centennial Middle school in Boulder, Colorado. Debbie’s been in touch to let us know just how well her struggling readers have been doing in recent months.
“So, it’s been a great year. According to the latest Galileo Assessment that my students took, they are all growing as readers. Their improvement this year has varied (depending on the student) from one grade level to almost three grade levels of growth.
I attribute their growth to the following research-based practices that I am using in the classroom:
I give my students substantial periods of time to read in class, and I require that they read 30 minutes a day outside of class. I run an afterschool class for kids who are unlikely to read at home. (Catalyst cash has provided snacks for that afterschool program at times throughout the year.) Kids need to READ to improve at reading. Simple, but true!” Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: children, education
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May 4th, 2011
In recent weeks we’ve been hearing some moving stories from Cameroon about how the motorbike taxis we here at Catalyst Exhibits have helped sponsor have been making much more impact than just getting people from A to B. Read more here.
Teh Francis with the GMM Africa charity, which is playing a key role in getting children off the streets and into education programmes, sent us some information on a young girl called Sonita, who has been a lucky recipient from the funds raised by the taxis.
Happy Easter from GMM in Cameroon. We are all doing fine. We are excited today to share some good news with you report on how things fare because of the help you have provided. I am speaking today about a girl called Sonita [light-complexioned girl in the photograph].
She is in Form 4 in Acha Baptist College, in Belo. We only just discovered that she is an orphan girl and has been staying with an old grandmother who is sick all of the time. We are just sorry we never understood the plight of this girl earlier. The grandmother has been struggling to put her through in school with a meager income, most of which is used pay for her medicines. The girl has been attending on and off and has never attended a full week due to not having the fees. We are glad to announce that we’ve paid…… Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: charity, children, education, kids
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April 26th, 2011
This child is waiting for a sponsor. Someone who will contribute money to help give him an education.
Not every child in Cameroon gets a chance to have an education and, with it, a shot at a better life. It does not cost that much by our standards to save a child from a life of poverty.
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Tags: charity, children, education
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April 7th, 2011
It takes a good team to provide an education to children in need. It takes a great team to pull it off in Cameroon, in west Africa, where a large number of children are often abandoned to the streets, where they face a life of abject poverty, crime and abduction for work camps or the sex trade.
Reverend Teh Francis and his team, some of them pictured above, have done great things to help educate hundreds of children and save many others from the streets.
Education is the only route out of a life of poverty, crime and violence for many disadvantaged children in Cameroon. We here at Catalyst Exhibits are proud to have beeen working closely with Teh and his group for the past few years and it’s been amazing to see how far they have made our contributions go.
Our expertise as a company is in the events and exhibition sector but, through our Area 3 charity blog, we have taken an active role in helping out numerous worthy causes. As Teh wrote this week when he sent us the photo above:
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Tags: charity, children, education
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March 29th, 2011
As part of the ongoing work we are doing with GMMAfrica educating underprivileged children in Cameroon, Catalyst Exhibits is happy to announce that we are now sponsoring the education of Mildred, one of the many young teenagers there in need of funding.
Catalyst’s CEO, Paul Stahlberg, has agreed to sponsor Mildred’s education for a year, which will include the cost of all her school fees, books etc.
Mildred is one of many children that Reverend Teh Francis is helping educate through the GMMAfrica charity group. For many children in the area, there is no other route to education - the only way to escape the poverty trap that many of these kids find themselves in.
In recent weeks, we have heard back from Teh about the impact the motorbikes we have helped buy have had on the group’s education program and finances.
You can read more about that in previous stories just below this post.
We’d just like to say ‘Best of Luck’ to Mildred from everyone here at Catalyst Exhibits and wish her the very best for the coming school year.
Tags: charity, children
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March 22nd, 2011
Last week, in our first installment, we caught up with Teh Francis about the impact the motorbikes we here at Catalyst Exhibits helped fund out in Cameroon, are having on the children.
This week, Teh tells us how the money the bikes have raised from being used as taxis by the locals, have directly improved the life of one young teenager.
“We are happy to announce that the motorbike fund is sending Pilate Diangha to driving school. He is a poor orphan boy and we are already sponsoring his younger brother and sister. He grew up with a foster family that did not take good care of him and finally he ended up in a cocoa farm in the Littoral Region of Cameroon.
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Tags: charity, children, education
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March 15th, 2011
The headline says it all: breaking the circle of poverty. It’s hard to believe that a couple of motorbikes could make such a huge difference in the lives of so many kids with nothing. But they have.
Last year, Catalyst Exhibits provided a motorbike to GMM Africa, which is doing amazing work helping and educating underprivileged children in Cameroon. That bike allowed the group to transport the teachers around to remote villages and schools to teach the children. Remember, in these areas there is little or no public transport and the roads are nothing but pothole-dotted dirt tracks.
That bike proved so useful, the locals started to use it as a taxi too. So, with the help of Bekins Van Lines, another bike was bought to act exclusively as a taxi and the funds it raised went to help sponsor more children for education.
Almost a year on, Teh Francis has been in touch to let us know the huge impact they have had.
“I am glad again to share some good news with you people. I am always excited telling you about positive things that happen here due to your timely intervention. Thank you for recognizing that we are doing something here of great worth even though you are not in Africa. We are honoured and this encourages us to work even harder.
You know the motor-bikes have really helped us in several ways:
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Tags: charity, children, education
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March 8th, 2011
It may be a bit early for celebrations but we are delighted to report that there has been some genuine interest in the blog we ran last week looking for volunteers to help with the Cameroon children’s education projects.
The blog – Cameroon Education Needs You! – outlined how GMMAfrica, which is doing vital work with Cameroon’s underprivileged kids, was losing one of its best volunteers, Dee Ryan from Ireland. The group desperately needs new blood to fill the gap and while Dee stayed for a year, Teh Francis and his team are hoping that others will be willing to come for few months to help out with what should be a very rewarding and worthwhile endeavour.
Teh was in touch to say that there has been some good reaction to the first blog:
“I have just returned from Fundong town after I went and taught at a college and thought of dropping you a note. Thank you for posting our need for a volunteer at your Area 3 blog. Some interested volunteers are already asking for information from us. I just pray it works and we have somebody to replace Dee Ryan when she is leaving. Thanks for all the great support you’ve made to come our way.”
If you think you have the right stuff and are looking to step out of the 9-to-5 rat race for a little while, then contact Teh at revteh@gmmafrica.org
Tags: charity, education, kids
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March 1st, 2011
OK, so it’s a couple of weeks late but it’s the thought that counts. Right?
It should be because the great kids being taught arts and crafts by the wonderful Chatchada Kruakaew and her brilliant travelling art program in Thailand have really put their hearts into sending us all some wonderful St. Valentines artwork.
As you can see, love is in the air alright and we were delighted to receive this latest update from Chatchada, who organizes art and art therapy classes for children across various districts in Thailand. Her goal is not only to teach children how to paint but to teach them how to express themselves through art and to help them overcome difficulties in their lives so far.
Jump now for a few more photos and keep up the good work Chatchada.
Through our Area 3 blog, we at Catalyst Exhibits have been highlighting the great work Chatchada does but keeping the travelling art program going, and expanding it, needs money. If you’d like to help, then contact Paul Stahlberg, our CEO, at Catalyst Exhibits, here. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: art, charity, children, education
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