Report from Friday February 15

The Valentine's Day Fair

This is a real play day and fun day at Holy Cross School. This fair is a major fund raiser for the school and all grade levels participate in one way or another. The kids get a day off from uniforms and classes. There are games, food, face painting and tattoos. This is a special treat for volunteers as well as the whole school.

Lining up for some food

Crowded walkways

The DJ, Mr. Aaron

Teachers selling baked goods

Not everyone gets to play all day though. George, Mike and Bob are still at work doing hard labor. The frame work for the cover for the water garden is finally taking shape. These guys will be very happy to see this project end. It has not only been hard work, but also a challenge for their noses as they have spent a week working over the effluent from the sanitation system. No margin of error for a fall, or a dunk in real gunk.

All it needs now is the cover over the frame. Way to go guys!!

George finishing up at the water gardencaption

Be careful, you don't want a bath in this

Dr. Jim, Kristen, Clara and Anna were the San Mateo visitors today. They were finishing up their final checks on patients before we depart.

All of the rest of us were helping with the fair. Dr. Peter, Sandra and Beth were very busy with face and body painting, while Ginny and Kathy were swamped with kids wanting tattoos. The kids kept pushing closer and closer and the temperature kept climbing. It was total chaos and the kids loved it. The volunteers did too!! Scott stuck close to the computer lab and worked on getting the blog pictures ready to post.

Smile after Ginny applies tatoo

The Tatoo Station

Ginny and Kathy putting tatoos on the kids

Beth doing body and face painting

We said farewell and many thanks to the kitchen staff. They have been so helpful and kind to all of us during our stay. We gave them a gift of appreciation for their help.

Our thanks to the kitchen staff!

This has been another terrific week in Belize at Holy Cross School and San Mateo. We have learned from the kids and they have appreciated us being with them. Updating the physical plant and the computers in the computer  lab have been important projects. The medical team has done so much in both the school and the community. St. Luke's Church is leaving a permanent mark on a place that has so many needs and we feel privileged to have been a part of the continuing commitment to this project.