Fulfilling a Dream 2023 Annual Fundraiser: Together we can build a brighter future for our students

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Dear Donors,  On behalf of the Nicolás Fund For Education (NFE), we sincerely thank you for your generous support at our annual fundraiser, Fulfilling a Dream 2023. Your contributions have been vital in helping us secure the operational budget for the Nicolás Christian School (NCS) in 2024. Nicolás Fund for Education raised $325,000 through Fulfilling a Dream 2023 thanks to generous donors like you. Together, we are making a lasting impact on the lives of underprivileged children by providing them with Christ-centered education and resources to ensure they have opportunities for success that they never thought possible. The Power of Education: Strengthening Our Programs Although we met our immediate goals for the NCS’s operational budget, there is still more work to be done. The comprehensive approach of our educational initiatives requires additional funding to maintain and expand essential programs such as: These initiatives ensure that the children in our care receive an education that empowers them to break the cycle of poverty and become leaders in their communities. By supporting these programs, generous donors like yourself further enhance the transformative impact of a Christ-centered education in these young lives. Help Us Reach Our Full Budget Goals We kindly request your continued support as we strive to raise the necessary funds for the comprehensive development and maintenance of our educational initiatives. Your heartfelt contributions, big or small, play a crucial role in providing hope and a brighter future to these children. Here’s how your donations can make a difference: A Call to Action: Share the Love of Education and Christ At NFE, we believe that education is the key to transforming lives and unlocking potential. We warmly invite you to join …

Thank You For Standing with NFE to Provide a Brighter Future for Mayan Children

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Dear Fulfilling a Dream 2023 Attendees, The Nicolás Fund for Education board wishes to extend our heartfelt gratitude for your incredible support at our Fulfilling a Dream fundraising event at Mercer Island Presbyterian Church on April 22, 2023. Seeing so many new faces in the audience filled us with hope and excitement for the future of our organization. Your unwavering generosity has truly made a difference for our cause. We are incredibly grateful to announce that we have raised over $135,000 at the event, with donations still coming in! With each gift, we come one step closer to empowering Mayan youth in the Ixil region of Guatemala to break the generational cycle of poverty through Christ-centered education. The impact of your contribution is undeniable—you are helping us create tangible, lasting change for these young students and their communities. Your support provides access to essential educational opportunities and resources to transform lives for the better. Thanks to your kindness, generations of empowered, educated Mayan youth will transform their communities. We are also thrilled to welcome 28 new supporters to the Nicolás Fund for Education family. Your commitment to our cause strengthens our efforts and inspires us to work harder to make a difference in the lives of these children. We are eager to keep you involved and informed about the progress we make together, thanks to your generosity. Once again, thank you for standing with us in our mission to provide a brighter future for Mayan youth in the Ixil region of Guatemala. We couldn’t do this critical work without partners like you, and we look forward to sharing updates and stories of success in the coming months. With gratitude, The …

We Met Our Mid-Year Goal!

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We are celebrating! We raised a total of $191,000 at our 10th anniversary Fulfilling a Dream event! Because of your generous giving, we are thrilled to announce that we met our mid-year goal for the 2023 Nicolás Christian School (NCS) Operating Budget. We are so grateful to those who acted as Fulfilling a Dream Ambassadors and invited people to watch our event. We were especially pleased to have a number of first-time donors! You are truly our partners in offering high-quality Education to Ixil-region students to help them overcome poverty. Nicolás Fund For Education will gratefully steward the funds that you have entrusted to us. These funds will be contributing to more success stories for students like the four you heard from at our Fulfilling a Dream event. Here’s the video presentation if you missed it or want to share the event with someone new to Nicolás Fund for education. Please consider making a gift to help us raise the remaining funds needed for our 2023 operating budget. We still need to raise $186,000 before November 1st to allow every student to return to Nicolás Christian School next year and to avoid reducing our tutoring programs. Together we’re changing the future of generations to the glory of God!

Fulfilling A Dream 2016: Impact Trips

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Paul Selvig, February 2016 team member, and his son Josiah shared about their experience as team members. Paul, a multi-trip veteran, described how rewarding it was to introduce his son to his friends in the Ixil that he has made over many years. He strongly encouraged families to consider taking a trip together.

Fulfilling A Dream 2016: Nicolás Christian School

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NFE Board member, Kathy Riper, provided a status update on developments at Nicolás Christian School, aided by two videos that featured our new computer and science laboratories. Professor Braulio Mateo Bach Cabrera gave an excellent introduction of all the changes the school has experienced since opening in January 2016. On behalf of the parents of NCS students and NCS staff, Prof. Braulio expressed gratitude to the donors who have made all of this happen!

Fulfilling A Dream 2016: A Dream Come True

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Petronila Elizabeth Ramos, our keynote speaker, left theFulfilling A Dream Desert Event audience spellbound, many in tears, as she shared her life-journey from a fatherless girl in the jungles of Guatemala to a University Graduate and teacher. Petronila related how her father’s abandonment of her as a child has reverberated pain throughout her life. She recounted losing her brother to the Guatemalan 36-year civil war and her fear of losing her mother, her only parent. She described her family’s poverty, and how they came to be included in the Agros village of La Esperanza. Petronila explained how a near-fatal knife attack perpetrated by two village members on her mother and her devastated their family and continues to haunt Petronila. Despite these significant challenges, Petronila has survived and gone on to academic excellence with NFE’s help. We will soon be sharing more of Petronila’s courageous story on our blog.

Fulfilling A Dream 2016: Thank You!

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Thanks to all who attended our 2016 Fulfilling a Dream Dessert Event! It was a wonderful night that we won’t soon forget! There was a palpable feeling of love and good will in the room between people who share a mutual interest and affection for our friends in the Ixil. We are especially grateful for all who donated so generously to the Nicolas Fund for Education at our event. Thank You. We are still counting the contributions that are coming in, but we can report we have received a generous increase over last year’s event totaling over $130,000. This is about 65% of the ongoing expense of running our program. Thank you on behalf of the 68 students who are in our program or have graduated.