Photos for Funds Exhibition

 

 PHOTO EXHIBITION AND SILENT AUCTION

Sponsored by Children of Peru Foundation, NY

Saturday, January 21, 2012     

Q Cafe, 3223 15th Ave. W Seattle WA    6:00pm-8:00pm

$15 Donation

Join Celeste Marion, Manos Unidas Co-Founder, and new members of the U.S. Board of Directors to view the Winter Photo Exhibit, 2012 by Cusco photographer Vanessa Cuneo, demonstrating the beauty and innocence of Manos Unidas Students. 

 

These photos will be on display at the Q Cafe, a non-profit neighborhood cafe off of the Dravis exit of the Ballard bridge, the month of January and auctioned off on January 21.

Children of Peru Foundation is sponsoring this event with a $1 to $1 match, up to $10,000!  

  

Can't make the event? Your Online Donation between Jan 1 and Jan 31, 2012 will also be matched.

Special Guest Performance by Seattle's DE CAJON Project, an Afro-Peruvian blend of rythym, music and dance PLUS suprise ending!

 

Lets reach our goal of $10,000!  

 $15 entrance fee includes drinks and appetizers

 Buy your tickets here, space is limited!  

 Note: A similar event will be held in NYC in May, 2012

Winter Photo Exhibition and Fundraisers in the U.S.

Celeste Marion, Manos Unidas Co-Founder and Coordinator, will be visiting the U.S. this Winter with a special photo exhibit. The facial profile exhibit by Cusco photographer Vanessa Cuneo, demonstrates the beauty and innocence of some of the students at Manos Unidas.

The 15x25 photos are specially printed on canvas and will be on exhibit at Q Cafe in Seattle, WA for the month of January. A special fundraising night will be held at the cafe on January 21, 2012 with live music and dance performances, a silent auction of the photos, drinks, appetizers and special Peruivan knit Alpaca and artistic jewelry sales.

New York City will also host a fundraising event mid January, details to be announced.

Community Living South Huron Raises $ for MU and visits us!

Community Living South Huron is a non profit organization providing supports to people with a developmental disability to participate in all aspects of community and family life in Ontario, Canada.

Kathy Penhale, a dynamic leader and educator at CLSH, was inspired by MU's mission as she searched programs to visit for people with disabilities during her trip to Cusco in October. We began correspondence via skype and she felt motivated to host a fundraising event within her community for the kids here at Manos Unidas. The event consisted of many special adults collecting pennies, a Peruvian themed night with raffle prizes, peruivan food, live music and dancing to raise money and inform the community of our mission. These guys raised almost $1,000!

Previous to the event, some of the adults at CLSH met with a couple of the young adults at MU via skype and had a chance to meet eachother, interact (via translator!) and even show off some dancing skills (on our end :)

Kathy's visit to Peru was encouraging and inspiring. She shared 24 years of advocacy work for people with disabilites, promising us that things CAN CHANGE FOR THE BETTER.

Thanks Kathy, we look forward to our continued friendship with you and the people at CLSH.

Therapist Without Borders to Head Volunteer Program for 2012

Mission & Vision: Therapists Without Borders matches professional therapists with underserved communities around the world, both by partnering with established organizations and by establishing support programs where there are none.

Manos Unidas has partnered with Therapists Without Borders and is now accepting accplications for our 2012 volunteer program. We offer 2 volunteer options:
* Professional Exchange Program
* Long term volunteer Program

Please see the volunteer page for detailed information and the application process.

3rd Aniversary for Camino Nuevo

September 30, 2011, Manos Unidas celebrated the creation of the first private school for special education in Cusco: Camino Nuevo. Our third year and more than 65 kids! We are celebrating the dedication our families have put forth, the hard work our teachers have gone through and the pool of supporters that have helped us get to where we are today.

The show started off with a wild circus act! The train passed by filled with all kinds of animals, the the lions did their act, jumping through hoops and posing for the people. Then came the elephants, trotting along, up and down the stairs, down the slide. The circus ended with the famous clowns jumping, tumbling and dancing about, such crowd pleasers!

The evening was filled with drama presentations, one about a bat who could not sleep, the other about the Moon who did not want to come out. Our start Marinera dancer graced us with her presence, a stunning performance!

The show ended with Celeste Marion, Manos Unidas Founder, with a moving song for everyone: "Todo Cambia" (everything changes), representing the changes we have seen so far and those that are yet to come.

What a celebration indeed! More than 100 guests filled the public auditorium, cheering and aplauding our special starts. I am sure there were some tears shed as well - tears of joy and happiness, celebrating the habilities of special kids.

Behavior Specialist Visits MU

Cristiane B. Souza is a board certified behavior analyst and certified special education teacher. She works as an educational consultant with families of children with special needs (NY). She provides behaviorally based interventions for learners aged between 1-21 years, diagnosed with ASD and related disorders both internationally and around the USA. Cristiane also works as an expert witness at hearings, develops research related to autism, co-writes articles, presents at conferences, and develops workshops for families and professionals in the special education field.

Cristiane is on the Manos Unidas Board of Advisors and spent an intense week with us at Manos Unidas August 15-20. As a part of the Professional Voluteer program, she spent her time evaluating and consulting behavior issues with students, held a professional workshop for MU staff and other colleagues in Cusco on Behavior Modification for students, hosted an open forum parent meeting and spent intensive hours working alongside teachers.

Her enthusiasm and energy is contagious and we are proud to have her on our Board of Advisors as well as our Board of Directors. GRACIAS POR TODO CRISTIANE!

Empowering Families

We have a long road ahead of us in this society. We are blazing new trails everyday within regular education schools to public transportation. As an educational institution we can make a certain level of change, but we need to support of families and parents who believe in their children and believe they have a place. We need their voice, their strength.

This is the first year we have provided a space for parents to unite, create their own group of directors and begin to take initiative. It begins with getting to know eachother. August 16 was our first family outting day where families played volleyball, competed in potato sack races, joined together to cook on the BBQ and relax. We took a moment to gather the parents and have them share some of their experiences, fears and joys.

This is the beginning of a new strength for Manos Unidas!