100 million families

Bellarmine Assistant Professor of Finance Dr. Joan Combs Durso writes:

“On Monday, January 26^th, the Microcredit Summit Campaign will be holding an event in NYC with Muhammed Yunus and Sam Daley-Harris to announce the achievement of the 100 millionth family  to be involved with microcredit in the world.  This event will be combined with the State of the Campaign Report release for the year.”

Wow. 100 million families. Learn more here.

Las Vegas high school students raise $25,000 for micro-lending

Here’s an impressive story about a group of high school students who raised $25,000 to start their own micro-bank. (New York Times)

 

-Jim

 

Jordan’s Queen Rania and actress Natalie Portman support FINCA International

Last year, Queen Rania of Jordan and actress Natalie Portman launched the Village Banking Campaign, an initiative to bring micro-lending to one million of the world’s lowest income families. The program, which is run by FINCA International, focuses on the Middle East and aims to establish 100,000 village banks. FINCA, the Foundation for International Community Assistance, is a pioneer in micro-finance, and has been making micro-loans for 25 years. Queen Rania, an avid video blogger, recently won YouTube’s Visionary Award in recognition of her use of web video to impact social change in the world. Here’s her hilarious and powerful acceptance speech:

 

 

- Jim

2009 planning is underway

Planning for the 2009 Team Belize trip is well underway. We’ll be returning to Belmopan and Belize City the week after graduation in May. Stay tuned for updates regarding 2008 micro-loans and 2009 trip planning.

 

-Jim

Because you can’t spell “piety” without “pie”

In a recent meeting with the students who will be traveling to Belize to work on our microlending project with that Central American country’s poor people, Dr. Fred Rhodes remarked, “At Bellarmine University, I have had the good fortune to travel internationally and serve others along with our students. The students I work with understand the wonderful opportunities they have, the gifts they hold, and the possibility of making a difference. It’s also totally cool when they whack their teachers and administrators in the face with pies.” (That might not have been Dr. Rhodes’ exact words, but it was something like that.)

 

THURSDAY, beginning at 11, you have an opportunity to plunk the following brave and caring faculty/staff members in the face with a cream pie:

 

Heather Snow

Scott Weigandt

Jessica Bowman

Andrew Shroeder

Keith Richardson

 

So bring your $2 to the quad THURSDAY during free period for your chance to toss a pie into one of the aforementioned faces. Each $2 buys you a pie toss. Laughter is included at no extra charge! [Hint: For extra fun, round up all the senior athletes you can find and remind them that Scott Weigandt is participating and can no longer take punitive revenge!]

 

But wait, there’s more! Act now and you might just witness the bonus of several other Bellarmine celebrity pie victims rumored to be participating!

 

All proceeds support Bellarmine in Belize.

 

–Jim

Get in touch with your inner Bugs Bunny on Thursday

What do Bugs Bunny, Charlie Chaplin and Monty Python have in common with YOU? You all appreciate the fact that a pie in the face is hilarious! So bring your $2 to the quad Thursday during free period for your chance to toss a pie into the face of one of our lovely and talented faculty/staff volunteers. Each $2 buys you a pie toss. Now, that’s a comedy bargain! All proceeds support Bellarmine in Belize.

Pennsylvania, Schmennsylvania

It’s coming down to hope vs. experience in the Belize Pie Derby. Specifically, sixth-place contender Helen-Grace Ryan hopes contestants Andrew Schroeder and Meme Tunnell get to experience a pie to the face on Thursday during free period in the quad. Only the top five contenders will be Cool-Whipped. Why let Pennsylvanians have all the voting fun? Vote today in the Café from noon-1 p.m. Each coin counts as a YES vote, each dollar bill counts as a NO vote. Here are the current standings:

Heather Snow
Scott Wiegandt
Jessica Bowman
Andrew Schroeder
Meme Tunnell
Helen-Grace Ryan
Keith Richardson
Steven Wilt
Kathy Hager
Evanthia Speliotis
Tony Brosky
Leslie Maxie-Ashford
Sarah Fromm

Only five cents separates the fourth, fifth and sixth places! All donations go to support the Belize Microlending service trip. Thanks to all our courageous faculty and staff volunteers for risking their faces in support of this great cause.

–Jim

A Cream Pie to the Kisser for a Good Cause

Would you love to see faculty and staff smacked in the face with cream pies? Perhaps it’s been a dream of yours to see Scott Weigandt smeared with whipped cream. Or maybe you’d relish seeing Tony Brosky take a pastry to the maw. Or maybe your devotion to compassionate non-violence compels you to spare your fellow human beings from humiliation via Cool Whip.

 

The following brave faculty and staff have volunteered to take a pie to the face to support the Bellarmine in Belize service trip: Kathy Hager, Andrew Shroeder, Steven Wilt, Helen-Grace Ryan, Jessica Bowman, Meme Tunnel, Keith Richardson, Evanthia Speliotis, Leslie Maxie-Ashford, Scott Weigandt, Heather Snow, Sarah Fromm, and Tony Brosky.

 

Here’s how it works: For the next week, sand buckets will be set up from 11-1 near the café bearing the names of each of the above good sports. Want to see a victim take a pie to the face? Drop some coin in his or her bucket. Want to spare someone? Drop a dollar bill in his or her bucket. Each coin counts as a YES vote, each dollar bill counts as a NO vote. Only five lucky winners will survive to the next round. Mark your calendars: The pies will fly on April 24 in the quad.

 

Our current leaders are Leslie Maxie-Ashford, Scott Weigandt, and Jessica Bowman. Vote early and vote often for this great cause. Learn more about Bellarmine in Belize here. Thanks to all our volunteers and donors!

-Jim 

Time for Spring Cleaning!

On April 26^th, we will host a Yard Sale on Bellarmine’s campus. We are seeking donations which will be sold, and the proceeds will go to the Belize project. We would like to collect items that have a decent resale value; however, due to space restrictions, we are have limited ability to accept larger items such as furniture, large appliances or exercise equipment. If you would like to donate a large item, please contact Jessica Randall in advance.

Do you have any gently used goods to donate? Donations will be collected from on April 25^th from 1-8 PM in Frazier Hall. The Sale will begin at 8 AM on April 26^th. Your contributions are greatly appreciated by the students and staff members volunteering for the Belize project. If you have any questions, you may contact Jessica Randall at jrandall@bellarmine.edu or 473-3275.

Highlowaha readers are BELIZERS!

If you’re looking for creative ideas, the Highlowaha blog is the place to find them! Recently, readers were asked to post fund raising ideas for the Belize group, and the responses came pouring off the keyboards. In fact, the blog author and another reader each decided to start their own fundraising efforts – Mothers to Mothers and The Big Give. Learn more about these efforts, how you can get involved, and other creative ideas for your daily life at www.highlowaha.com.

- Melanie