 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
|
|
UPDATE – A Zehno from the Heart Zehno sponsors a soccer team of nine seven- to-15-year-olds in Jocotenango, Guatemala, just outside Antigua. When the team heard that Hurricane Katrina had hit New Orleans, a mother of one of the soccer players offered three bags of corn to send to us so we could make tortillas and thus not starve. “She wanted so much to send it to you to help a bit,” wrote Olga Pokorny, our friend and colleague there, and a sponsor of the soccer grounds where the Zehno kids play. Olga developed a wonderfully memorable way to send Zehno some of the corn. First, the kids painted a Zehno on a piece of plywood. “Then, they had to paste the corn, one kid one corn at a time,” she describes. “It seemed the only way to get the corn to you. “Of course, no tortillas could be made from it but we hoped it could be hung in your “new” office as for you to remember your kids. At the time, we all thought you didn't make it.” Zehno remains luckily high and dry at the corner of Julia and St. Charles in the Warehouse Arts District of New Orleans. And now we have new art to hang prominently in our office, reminding us every day that people who have so little are so willing to share it with those in need, even if they have never met. We continue to be inspired by our corn Zehno’s painted motto — “Jocofut is with you.” New Orleans — Zehno’s work in education has made its founders and staff members acutely aware of the global economy and worldwide cultural exchange. Zehno has often directed its charitable giving to international aid organizations such as Heifer International. During conversations with her longtime friend Olga Pokorny, Zehno partner Paulette Hurdlik became aware of an opportunity to make an even more personal, direct impact. Pokorny had developed a soccer complex, named Jocofut, in the town of Jocotenango, Guatemala (just outside the colonial city of Antigua). Jocofut provides a safe place for kids, who otherwise play their games in the street. More than 40 children use the facility, with three teams playing regular games. Pokorny charges just one quetzal (about 15 cents) to enter. Even at that price, some children could not afford to participate. Zehno offered to sponsor a team, providing the funding for lessons and uniforms for each team member. Ranging in age from seven to 15 years old, the nine children on the team have enjoyed their matches. Although they’ve won just one game to date, they continue to learn. “Guatemala is the most beautiful and intriguing of all the Latin American countries that I have visited. The indigenous Mayan culture effuses a unique warmth and spirit,” said Hurdlik. “I love receiving the updates on how our team is doing.”
|
|
