To the editor:

Thank you, Bainbridge!

The 21st annual Kids Can Make a Difference Calendar was an incredible success this year. We sold out of our 1,100 calendars! The $8,500 raised will help fund the following projects on Bainbridge’s Sister Island, Ometepe in Nicaragua:

Continue two college scholarships for Olga and Emerson;

Financial support to Si A la Vida (Yes to Life!);

Fund the salary for a weekend ambulance driver;

Fund a 10-week sign language workshop;

Fund library books for nine primary schools; and

Fund the building of a ramp to bring crops down to the main road in La Palma.

In the past 21 years schools, libraries, ramps, sport courts, latrines and more have been built. Electricity, water, toilets, funding and supplies have been brought to schools and health centers. College scholarships, instruments, band supplies, dance costumes, computers for blind students and sign language workshops for the deaf and their families have opened new opportunities.

But more important than all these contributions, relationships and friendships have been nurtured and third-graders have learned the joy of philanthropy.

Having a community of adults who value their efforts is life-changing. Our future is bright when real-life projects matter. You may not realize how much it means to a child when an adult takes the time to chat with them about their work, but it is powerful!

Find out more about our unique Bainbridge Ometepe Sister Island Association at www.bosia.org. Together, we all make a difference!

Happy New Year!

BOO SCHNEIDER AND THE 2014 KIDS CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE CALENDAR-MAKERS