February 23rd, 2011
It takes a lot less than you might think to make a massive difference in the lives of children in Cameroon.
We’ve been lucky enough here at Catalyst Exhibits, through our charity arm Area 3, to discover that for ourselves. We’ve been active helping provide resources to help educate many underprivileged kids in Cameroon through the GMM Africa charity group, particularly with the provision of motorbikes for transporting teachers to and from remote villages. Now they need your help.
Last week we highlighted how they are losing one of their best volunteers – Dee Ryan –and need someone interested in charity work and education to step up to the plate for a few months.
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Tags: charity, education, motorbike
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February 15th, 2011
Catalyst Exhibits has been working closely with GMM Africa for some time, to help bring proper education to the many underprivileged children in Cameroon.
Volunteers play a key role in that and, as volunteers go, Dee Ryan from Ireland [pictured here with Max in Cameroon] has been a fantastic help, particularly with the child sponsorship program. Unfortunately, Dee will be heading home from Jinkfuin in Cameroon, after spending a year helping many children get a better start in life. Now, they need someone else, someone who’s will to spend just a few months doing something hugely worthwhile in an exotic location.
GMM’s director, Teh Francis, sent us this update on recent activities:
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Tags: charity, children, education
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February 8th, 2011
Last week, we reported on how Debbie Valette’s ground-breaking reading program had done wonders for one school wrestler, Lewis, who was having lots of trouble getting to grips with reading.
Thanks to her use of ‘recorded books’ on CDs or via the iPod, Lewis has taken to reading along with the recorded books like a duck to water. Setting the reading speed at its lowest setting, he has been able to follow the words on the page as their are spoken. Since then, it’s been hard to pry him away from books.
And it doesn’t stop there, since Debbie has managed to get other departments in the school interested. Here’s what she says:
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Tags: charity, education, reading
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February 4th, 2011
Falling behind in school can spell the end for a decent education by the time you leave. Debbie Valette has been doing outstanding work helping those with poor reading skills at her school in Boulder, Colorado, catch back up with – and even surpass – their classmates.
We’ve been proud here at Catalyst Exhibits to play our roll in helping support her efforts.
Debbie was in touch this week to fill us in on the reading success of one school wrestler who has, for some time, being wrestling with reading and writing difficulties. Here’s the first part of her update.
Sorry I haven’t gotten back to you. I’ve been waiting to take a picture of one student in particular. He is on the wrestling team and has been in and out between practice and meets. I will be out tomorrow at a conference, but I will take a picture of him on Wednesday.
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Tags: education, reading
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January 18th, 2011
Post-Christmas is a time when animals need help the most. Puppies and kittens might make cute Christmas gifts but because many people don’t consider the realities of caring for a pet properly, many of those ‘gifts’ end up being abandoned.
At Catalyst Exhibits, we’ve been helping out those big-hearted people at On Angels’ Wings, who run two thrift stores in Chicago to raise money for animal rescue and welfare.
We’ve been donating graphic displays, signage and labor to install window messaging at On Angels’ Wings thrift stores located in Crystal Lake, IL and Lake Zurich IL.
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Tags: animals, charity, pets
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January 7th, 2011
2010 was a busy year for the charity activities of Catalyst Exhibits, Chicago’s leading event design company. Through our Area 3 blog we’ve tracked our most active year yet helping out a diverse number of charities, stretching from the US to Cameroon and Thailand.
We’d just like to wish everyone we’ve been working with a very Happy New Year for 2011.
So here goes…..
Greetings to Teh Francis at GMMAfrica and all the excellent work they’ve been doing educating Cameroon’s underprivileged children. Read more about our work with them here and here.
Best wishes to teacher Debbie Valette in Boulder, Colorado, where her innovative reading program has helped kids that fallen behind to get back in the game. Read more here and here.
Best wishes as well to Moda Esperenza, the brilliant charity fashion group making hip fashion accessories from discarded pop tabs. Read more about their work here and here.
Big thanks go out to Bekins Van Lines for donating enough money to help sponsor a child for the Cameroon education program. Thanks Greg.
Happy New Year to Chatchada Kruakaew’s brilliant travelling art program in Thailand. See more here and here.
Happy New Year to the Hubbard St Marching Band – our favorite marching band. It’s been a big year. Keep marching! More here and here.
Happy New Year to charity worker supergirl, Dana Underwood, who has done a lot for those people who lost everything in the 2004 tsunami in Thailand.
Tags: charity, education, school
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December 21st, 2010
Happy Christmas all!
We’ve had a fulfilling year at Area 3, the charity aspect of Chicago-based event design company Catalyst Exhibits.
But, before we sign off for Christmas, we thought we’d finish up with a last minute update from the good people at GMM Africa, which has been doing excellent work in bringing education to many, deprived children in Cameroon.
Tomorrow, December 22nd, they will be having their own Christmas party – just without the sub-zero conditions we’ll be having. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: africa, charity, education
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December 14th, 2010
The charity, Moda Esperanza, which has made a real splash by transforming the humble pop tabs from soda cans into hip fashion accessories is going from strength to strength.
We’re happy to report that the first boxes of finished products – made using pop-tabs sent from Chicago – have landed back in Chicago.
What were once thousands of pop tabs destined for a trash heap are now stunning handbags, belts and other accessories designed for teens looking for something you will just not find in the local mall. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: charity, fashion
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December 8th, 2010
Turning the humble tabs from soda drinks into fashionable items is not just clever and creative, it’s also a lifeline for those working with charity Moda Esperanza.
The group, which was originally set up to give financial support to single women and mothers in Honduras through the creation of fashion accessories from pop tabs that would have ended up in the trash, is going from strength to strength. Through Area 3, the charity aspect of us here at Catalyst Exhibits, we’ve been helping with their recent drive in the US market by creating posters and another marketing material to raise awareness.
Collecting pop tabs has been a large part of that drive and we’re happy to report that….
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Tags: charity, fashion
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December 2nd, 2010
Educating children in Cameroon is not easy and despite the good intentions of the government, there is a great lack of resources and trained staff.
At Catalyst Exhibits, we’ve been helping GMMAfrica provide a vital educational service, by funding motorbikes that get teachers to remote villages and also raise money as taxis to better fund the education services they offer to a large number of under privileged children that have nowhere else to turn.
Teh Francis, in his regular updates, has been letting us know what’s been happening there.
“I promised to send across some photos to help update you on the work going on here. We love doing it this way because your contributions have helped spark off so many activities that have a huge impact on the lives of very needy children. Your first donation and the one you worked out through Bekins Moving company have acted as a catalyst for several success stories as we work with the children. I told you last time about the number of children we helped at the elementary school in Jinkfuin village, and then with money raised from the motorbike taxis we continue to help more children……”
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Tags: charity, education
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