People like you make it possible for us to continue generating lasting change. If you’ve been inspired by our work and the people we work with, know that you are invited to join our growing network of support – we would be honored!
Thank you for believing in Comunidad Connect, and I hope you enjoy my stories below. A new one will be posted every month.
2025
Togetherness - January 2025

This togetherness I experienced in Nicaragua calls me back to my childhood, growing up in the community of Lake Claire. What formed me as a child, also formed me as a young adult living in Central America. And as I sit here this morning, the day after Christmas, reflecting on why I feel so happy, I realize that it’s because love has been the center of my upbringing since even before I was born. And because of that love, I have always felt a part of something bigger than myself; something that cannot exist in isolation, but rather depends on others to manifest. It’s called community. And I am basking in it this morning.
2024
Suitcase full of Sand - December 2024
Together For Health - November 2024
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We are Comunidad Connect - October 2024

Sincerely,
Jon
The Recipe for Salsa - September 2024
Greetings {{Household Salutation/Salutation/Preferred Name}},
How the word salsa came to describe one of the most recent American genres of music is debatable. Some say it was Celia Cruz who said it first as a way to describe what was happening in New York in the 60s and 70s. People were arriving from all over Latin America, bringing their food, music, and languages with them. And as they mixed and mingled, a new style of music emerged that combined everything into one expression that Celia likened to the famous sauce made with tomatoes, onions, limes, garlic, fresh herbs, and a whole lot of spice. It is a perfect analogy for the musical recipe derived from Son, Rumba, Guaguanco, Cumbia, Merengue, Mambo and so much more.
This past weekend, Comunidad Connect hosted the 4th Annual Salsa on the Square festival in downtown Decatur. Over 4,000 people came to enjoy the food, art, and music of Latin America. We had 55 vendors and sponsors with tents and booths selling their products, promoting wellness, and building community. I reconnected with past volunteers, board members, donors, friends, and family. It was a day of celebration in solidarity with our community partners in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. Proceeds will help build a house for a family in Los Robles and to help modify homes for special needs patients in the D.R.
You are an important ingredient in our recipe for addressing poverty! Without your recurring support, our salsa would not be as vibrant and fewer people would benefit from our work. Thank you!
Rembering to Celebrate - August 2024
Today, I am driving.
Eurel is next to me, and Garry is in the backseat of Comunidad Connect’s old Toyota Hilux. We weave through Jinotega’s market to find the road north towards Lake Apanas and eventually the community of Los Robles. The half-hour drive is among the most scenic of Nicaragua.
The lake emerges on our left, coffee plantations appear on our right, and tall trees bend to meet each other high above the road. Our truck rambles under the canopy and turns left onto the dirt roads of Los Robles. A kilometer later, we arrive at the clinic to find a mass of people waiting to greet us.
I turn to Eurel and Garry and say, “Here we go!”
We step down from the truck and walk towards the front entrance. A crowd of people rise from their chairs to welcome us with a sustained ovation. They beckon us into the open-air waiting room that has been converted into a beautiful venue for the occasion. My heart swells such that I can do little but focus on not crying. People reach out to shake hands and hug us as we meander through the crowd to our seats at the front table. We stand there not knowing what to do.
Eurel leans over and says, “Is it always like this…?”.
All I can do is shake my head, because there are no words to describe the feeling of community when it is manifest in such authentic and meaningful ways.
A litany of speakers share their stories about how the homes Comunidad Connect helped them build have changed their lives. Children are going to school, families are less sick, and everyone sleeps better knowing their roofs are solid and their floors are dry. We are there to celebrate the 30th home built by CC in Los Robles, but the human impact of housing is far more important than any number of keys we deliver.
One mother holds a photo of her son, Jesus. 6 years ago, the doctors told her to take him home from the hospital, that he had no more than 72 hours to live. She refused to accept that diagnosis and commenced to pour love and devotion into her son. Comunidad Connect and Drs Ben and Karen Thrower began providing medicine and specialized care.
Jesus is alive today because of his parents’ sacrifice and the resources you entrust to Comunidad Connect so that we can directly impact the people that need our help the most.
Jesus’ mother gives me the photo and hugs me through our tears. She keeps saying thank you. I keep saying thank you. I look at her and everyone around us, and I know I am in the right place with the right people.
Thank you for making moments like this possible.
Words - July 2024
Words are important. They craft narratives, both internal and external. They manifest our thoughts and become the vehicles of our personalities. Lives are lost and saved by the arguments and testimonies of lawyers. The sermons and songs of church, the political debates, the lessons at school…they are all just words at the end of the day. It’s how we use them that makes a difference. We learn, lead, and advocate with the power our vocabulary provides.
That’s why Comunidad Connect is intentional about the language we use. We want our local partners, donors, and volunteers to see our actions but also to hear our words. We want them to know we seek ‘partnerships’ not ‘charity’. ‘Problems’ are ‘priorities’ and ‘needs’ are never mentioned without ‘strengths’. The way we speak about our work reflects how our work is done.
You are reading these words because something about our work resonates with you such that you make a recurring gift to Comunidad Connect. We thank you for your support and encourage you to share the message of our work in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic with others. They too seek something to believe in, and your words make a difference. Thank you.
Agency - June 2024
Our well-being is intrinsically related to how we manage transitions. We learn to walk and talk, and our personalities blossom. We move from elementary to middle to high school to college, all cycles of learning that can foster a sense of belonging. We evolve into adulthood and careers. Ups and downs, success and failure. From single to married, from couples to parents and grandparents. Life brings challenges and obstacles, opportunities and blessings.
We manage these transitions the best we can by relying on those around us and our lived experiences to guide us to the right decisions. Taking calculated risks, being patient, stepping out…life can be stressful! But we remember that we are not alone and that there are strong arms around us. Our family and friends, professional support, and public safety nets keep us upright and foster our sense of agency – our capacity to determine our reality.
And what about the people who do not have those social supports? Thousands of people we work with in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic do not have a nurturing family environment, nor can they access stable social support networks. They cannot lean on their upbringing or education to get a leg up in the world. Their dreams have not been encouraged and public safety nets do not exist.
For these folks, managing transitions is more difficult because there is very little social mobility in the communities where we work. They tend to stay put, stuck in a culture of poverty…until Comunidad Connect comes around. Over time, we begin to change the paradigm with our local partners. We connect them with opportunities for gainful employment, healthy recreation, and improved access to healthcare and health education. And with time, a sense of agency emerges within us all. A feeling of “we can do this” and “what should we do next” and “I believe change is possible”…
This sentiment reflects cultural change, which is a monumental transition for a person, family, and community. We stand beside them and lift them up because you believe agency is a human right and that CC invests your resources in ways that build generational dignity with people who need our help the most. We are grateful for the opportunities you give us and our community partners. Thank you!
The world is how we make it - May 2024
Garbage, broken appliances, glass, and everything else that can be discarded and thrown away winds up in Aguas Negras. Currents waft in and out of the estuary, while plastic bottles and Styrofoam containers from countless communities upstream bob like a million buoys on the water’s surface. Within a stone’s throw is the commercial and tourist port of Puerto Plata, the top destination for cruise ships in the Dominican Republic.
Twenty years ago, Aguas Negras was a place where even the police would not venture. Then Rosana arrived and things began to change. Growing up in an orphanage, she learned firsthand the value of a non-blood family and how important those human bonds are for children and young adults. Upon arrival with her husband, she opened her home to local kids as a safe place to hang out and learn crafts. They formed a dance club and some began surfing, using the tops of coolers as boards. Rosana says she just wanted to keep them busy so they wouldn’t get hurt or into trouble.
I visited Rosana yesterday and now the kids she started with are young adults. One is starting his first job with Disney Cruise Line next month, one is soon to be a certified accountant, another is an open-water lifeguard, and the oldest girl in the bunch, Briana (18) surfs on the Dominican National Surf Team. They are proud of who they are, and their energy feels overwhelmingly positive – despite what it may look like outside of Rosana’s house.
These are the people who advocate for their neighbors and lead their community toward a brighter future. They see a world of opportunities and we are happy to call them our community partners. Your donation helps us support people like Rosana and special places like Aguas Negras. Thank you!
Holding it - April 2024
Los Robles is a community of about 2,200 people where Comunidad Connect has addressed food security and clean water access for over a decade. There will always be some families that struggle more than others, and we lean our programs their way as much as possible. However, there is one challenge that we have yet to fully address; an issue that affects all people – access to adequate sanitation.
Following traditional customs and culture, most residents of the community still defecate in the open air, holding it throughout the day until the privacy of night. Existing latrines are never emptied and become primary vectors of contamination. Children, young women, the sick, and the elderly are most affected – but sanitation is a global problem creating diverse hygiene and security risks that most families cannot afford to resolve on their own.
Your support of Comunidad Connect has helped Country Director Yarisleidy Cortez design a project with local residents that will solve the sanitation problem, one family at a time. We are currently installing two bathrooms with self-contained septic systems and bio-digesters, each attached to a home we have built. This technology ensures a healthier environment and the proximity results in a safer livelihood.
We cannot create this level of change without people like you. Thank you for your donation. If you would like to learn more, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Ducle de Coco - March 2024
I have seen her a thousand times in the Dominican Republic. She sits on cinderblocks and plastic chairs and cooks hunched over a smoldering fire. Her skin is the color of night and her clothes, sunshine – bright patterns from a world far across the ocean. She speaks to me in Creole and I answer in Spanish. Sometimes she smiles and we talk alone. Other times, she calls out and a child comes to translate our words, and connect our cultures.
She does not want to be here. She is fleeing the culture of poverty, lawlessness, and violence that is Haiti. Her kids are still there, and she hopes to bring them to the D.R. for a chance at a better life. She makes dulce de coco to sell in her Haitian settlement for 8 cents each.
She is thankful for the bathrooms we are building for her and her neighbors. Now she can stop dumping her bucket in the field adjacent to her abode. She will shower in privacy. Her eyes well with gratitude. She tells me it’s the first time anyone in her family has ever had their own bathroom to use with dignity and peace.
You make this happen with your donations. This is the story of how you help change the world.
Merci!
Cycles - February 2024
My mom taught high school math for over 3 decades and she would always say that having new faces in her classroom renewed her energy at the start of each semester. While the numbers, formulas, and theorems stayed the same, the people experiencing the subject matter changed with the academic calendar. And as a teacher, the cycle of students breathed a spirit into the class that made education possible and enjoyable.
I feel the same way when I take groups abroad to the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. Our work is not as static as math, but it does stay constant. When I experience it through the eyes of a new traveler though…it’s like I’m seeing it for the first time and it reminds me how special this work really is for everyone involved.
In March, I will take our first group of the year to Puerto Plata. Students and faculty from GA State’s Respiratory Therapy program will accompany me and our team for a week of outreach and assessment in communities isolated from mainstream healthcare services. We will introduce them to our community partners working with at-risk youth, the deaf community, seniors, and special needs patients. They will hear our plans for opening up a coffee shop and launching a training program for caregivers and health promoters.
Then they will come home and we will begin sharing monthly updates with them, keeping them engaged and inspired so that one day they will hopefully join you and other monthly donors like you who sustain Comunidad Connect. These cycles keep us alive and well, and we are extremely grateful for your support. Thank you for breathing life into our work and for believing in Comunidad Connect
Permaculture - January 2024
Those who subscribe to sustainable living often advise to observe the land we wish to cultivate for at least a year before doing anything. Watch the seasons and note how nature responds. You will see where water pools up after a good rain and where animals make their nests, what shrubbery thrives, and which plants suffer. Only then can we plant our garden and build our home in sync with our natural environment, thereby moving us closer to a life of equilibrium.
As we begin 2024, I take stock of what’s been accomplished: Comunidad Connect is active in three countries, embarking on ambitious projects in the Dominican Republic while staying the course in a very turbulent Nicaragua. After 5 years of constant struggle, we are finally in a period of growth. And this is all because of you and people like you who stuck with us through thick and thin.
I do not have the words to adequately express my appreciation. So I sit with emotion, waiting for the voice to respond to such overwhelming affirmation and solidarity. Like the permaculturist, I observe the contours of our growing community of support. The CC ecosystem is alive and well, abundant with resources and an appetite for impact. And for that, I am thankful. For you, I am humbled. And for the communities we serve together, I have never been so committed.
2023
Don Reunion - December 2023
I was once called “Don Reunion” by a friend in Nicaragua, which loosely translates to “Mr. Meeting”. If you know me well, you will agree that this nickname aptly describes who I am. I seek productive conversations and the relationships that prosper from them. As a manager, I enjoy time spent with fellow collaborators. I look forward to regular gatherings with staff and community partners, in person and otherwise.
When I moved back to Atlanta after almost a decade of living in Nicaragua, I was adamant about monthly staff meetings. Even in slower cycles, we huddled up as a team and spent time in community with each other. As time grew on, we retooled our operations, expanded to the Dominican Republic, and most importantly, we remained together as a family.
And so did you and others like you, who not only make regular donations, but also share our story with others. And thus, our Comunidad Connect Family interacts with other like-minded people, and community grows – as the result of productive meetings.
If you are around this holiday season, I would be happy to hop on a call or meet with you for coffee. I’m available anytime after December 9th!
Our converging narratives - November 2023
They say when dramatic things happen in our lives, a part of ourselves stays in that place and time. Many people struggle to get past personal trauma. Some people carry it better than others. Regardless, we all make meaning of what happens in our lives, both good and bad, by evolving a narrative that helps us “make sense” of the world we live in and our role in it.
The ups and downs of our past comprise the foundation upon which we build today for a better future tomorrow. In Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, I meet people living through sometimes extreme difficulties. Their past hardships give them strength. Their hope in the future lights the road ahead. They share with me their aspirations for themselves, their families, and their communities. I listen to their collective narrative and we build solutions together.
Meanwhile, I see and hear people like you who want to impact the world in meaningful ways. You choose to do so in part by collaborating with Comunidad Connect. Doing so converges your personal narrative with ours and our community partners in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, and becomes collective impact. Our shared investments in others directly benefit families for generations.
She met us at the front dooor - October 2023
We ventured down the gravel road from our worksite atop a hill overlooking the valley town of Constanza, Dominican Republic. I was there with a group from Greensboro, NC modifying houses for families caring for patients living with special needs. While the others mixed and poured concrete ramps and walkways, I invited the group leader Scott and his daughter to join me and a local health promoter to visit a patient a short walk down the hill.
A few turns and slips on the loose gravel, and we arrive at Ana’s home where she cares for her elderly mother. A mango tree provides shade in their small front yard while the sun shines on the smooth stucco of the cinder block abode. Ana is at the front door, as if she is expecting us.
She invites us in immediately. Her mother is seated on a small couch eating rice and beans with her hands. Ana asks us to sit, and offers us something to drink. I have not introduced ourselves and yet she treats us like longtime friends. We sit in her tiny living room as she keeps reiterating how grateful she is for our visit.
She is her mother’s sole caregiver; responsible for feeding, bathing, and cleaning after several strokes have left her unable to care for herself. Her eyes well with tears as she admits how difficult it can be, that only God knows of her commitment to her mother. At this very moment, my perspective changes as I view us from above, looking down on our little meeting in that small living room.
How did we get there? What moved us to enter that space? Why were we there..? And why were tears streaming down our cheeks?
I snap back to my place on the couch, and thank Ana for everything she does for her mother. I tell her of my own mother’s dedication to my father as his health declined after multiple strokes late in life. I tell her she is not alone. In response, Ana stands up and asks if we would like to see her bathroom. We look at eachother, rise in unison, and walk through the kitchen to the back patio.
I begin to feel something familiar, like I have been there before. Being in the space brings back the memory of visiting this house a few years prior. I recognize the garden along the side of the house. I now realize I have met Ana before. I remember her telling me about bathing her mother in the back of the house, without much privacy or shelter from the elements. I turn to Scott.
“I think this is one of the projects Westminster did last Summer!”
Scott did not come on last Summer’s trip, but I am positive the bathroom with zero threshold shower is one of the home modification projects Comunidad Connect and Westminster completed in July 2022.
Ana is crying again, overcome with emotion as she impresses on us how we helped bring dignity to their lives. I tell her that she deserves all the credit. She approaches every day with selflessness and compassion, and that her devotion to her mother inspires us to do what we can to help her and the countless others living in similar situations.
We cannot do this work without people like Ana; just like we cannot do this work without people like you. Not one of us can do it alone, but we sure can do a lot together. Thank you for helping us get down the hill on the gravel road, to reconnect with Ana and to remember that small investments can indeed create life-changing impact.
People First - September 2023
When people ask me what Comunidad Connect does in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, the easy answer is “we build bathrooms, construct houses, run a health clinic, and manage youth sports programs”. With responses like that, people can quickly get a sense of what we do. However, it’s not the best answer. What I prefer takes longer to say and understand, but it is the heart and soul of what we actually do.
True, our programs generate remarkable impact…but it’s the people involved in our programs that reflect our true mission and model. We start by listening to our community partners. When they introduce us to local families and resident leaders, we ask them questions. We take what they tell us and search for resources that will significantly improve their lives. They remember us when we return with services like physical therapy or with resources to rebuild their homes. When we come back to visit and ensure they are doing better, their remembrance evolves into belief. This personal trust between us then becomes the driver of our subsequent work; the foundation on which our impact is built.
That is a lot more nuanced than simply saying “we build bathrooms, construct houses, run a health clinic, and manage youth sports programs”. We are a human-centered organization that moves with people and for people. You know this because you already move with us. But how can we best explain to newcomers without having personal experience for reference? Well, it is difficult but believe me – it is well worth the effort.
Here’s to long answers to short questions. And here’s to you for joining us in this transformational work.
Getting Together - August 2023
Thank you for your recent donation. It means a lot to me and our community partners in Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. We reach and support vulnerable families in remote communities because of people like you. The impact you generate reverberates through individuals, families, and entire communities.
Our collective impact also ripples back to the shores of our own communities here in the USA – usually in the form of stories, videos, and photos. But social media and videos can only portray so much, and not everyone can travel with us to experience our impact personally. So, this year we are going to flip the script and bring our community partners, staff, and other stakeholders from Nicaragua and the DR to you!
Join me and the Comunidad Connect Board of Directors in welcoming key collaborators who carry out the incredible work in Nicaragua and the DR. We will announce the events as dates are confirmed, starting with our largest event of the year we call Salsa on the Square (flyer below). Over 4,000 people attended our Hispanic Heritage Festival in downtown Decatur in 2022 and this year will be even bigger and better! Come out and join the Comunidad Connect family of past volunteers, board members, community partners, and friends!
We are also planning several dinner parties in the Atlanta area, where we can share a meal and meet special guests from Nicaragua and the DR. These events will focus on sharing their story and raising critical resources for their efforts. We will have live entertainment, authentic Hispanic cuisine and will ask you to bring a friend or two to join the fun. Dates are to be confirmed, but we are looking at mid-October.
Let’s stay in touch, and thank you again for all you do to help keep us moving forward!
Jon Thompson
Narrow Alleys - July 2023
In May, I led a group of Occupational Therapy (OT) students and faculty from Georgia State University to the Dominican Republic. During the week, we visited the homes of over 50 patients recovering from strokes, brain trauma, accidents, genetic disorders, and much more. They live in the rural countryside and densely populated urban barrios. Some live alone but most are surrounded by families large and small.
We had seen many of them last April on our first OT trip. We found some living in similar conditions as last year. The majority, however, are actually doing much better. They are walking and getting dressed on their own. They are talking. Their caregivers beam with pride. Our OT students assessed their progress and suggested rehab exercises to further increase their independence and well-being. We will follow up with home modifications in July for those needing ramps, grab bars, floors, and bathrooms.
The improved patients, however, are not the ones I came home thinking about. I hold closest to my heart the ones whose physical and mental health have not improved. They do not have family or friends that care for them. They are on their own, and they are barely surviving.
A local health promoter leads me and two OT students down a narrow alley, two blocks off a busy city corner where prostitutes often gather. We are checking in on an elderly patient, Francisca, who is recovering from multiple strokes; bedridden and frail. She lives in one room with a makeshift bed in the corner. No windows, just a door for ventilation. Her daughter lives next door in an identical room with two special needs daughters of her own. Without a bathroom, everyone uses bedpans.
Francisca relies on the efforts of Puente Desarrollo Internacional and Comunidad Connect because her family cannot adequately care for her. Puente visits her at home and monitors her diabetes and high blood pressure. CC brings her specialized care like Occupational Therapy and is developing a program to provide patients like Francisca with in-home therapy as needed.
And we will build her family a bathroom in July.
Reaching people like Francisca at the end of narrow alleys is possible because of you. We can connect them with vital resources and emotional support because of you. You are making a real difference.
Ramping Up - June 2023
Thank you for your donation to Comunidad Connect. Nicaragua is stable, but still a difficult operating environment for non-profits like us. We can take service learning groups there, but most people opt to travel to the Dominican Republic. Both countries offer unique travel, education, and service experiences, and both countries have communities struggling to meet basic needs. The revenue generated by hosting groups in the D.R. is projected to increase this year but it is still not enough to cover our program expenses in both countries. That’s where you come in…
Take our Together For Health program for example. It costs $45,000 to administer and provide medicine, transportation, and home visits for 15 special needs patients. That’s a monthly average of $300 per patient, or $3,750 monthly for all patients.
In April, 23 recurring donors gave a total of $1,612. That’s roughly half of the monthly budget for Together For Health. So how do we cover the balance? How can we reach more patients? We use revenue from hosting groups in the D.R., we pull from our financial reserves, and we run campaigns to raise money like our Songs For Good campaign in May.
You are already doing your part and we appreciate your support more than you can imagine. Our goal is to recruit more recurring donors like you so that no matter what happens in Nicaragua or the D.R., we can fulfill our promise to care for those that need our help the most.
If you know someone who would like to learn more about becoming a regular donor, please let them know that I am standing by. It’s easy, quick, and absolutely changes lives forever. Thank you for all you do!
A changing world - May 2023
650,000 Nicaraguans have left their homeland over the last 5 years. That’s 10% of the entire country. About 200,000 came to the US in 2022 alone. The political repression is real, and since April 2018 it has imploded the economy of a nation that enjoyed historic economic growth during the decade prior. Those that had access to resources have liquidated them and left the country, many to Costa Rica but the majority to the US. They seek better opportunities for their families and the money they send home are lifelines. Remittances now account for 17% of the national tax base – with over $330 Million dollars sent to Nicaragua during the month of December 2022.
Families left behind wait for money to be sent home from those who left that can. Not everyone finds opportunities in the US. Nicaraguan newcomers find work and housing where they can; vulnerable without the social support of home. Families in Nicaragua are more separated now than ever before. The local economy has hit rock bottom in the second poorest country in this hemisphere. And here we are, many of us asking ourselves what can we possibly do to help?
First, you are already helping tremendously with your recurring donation to Comunidad Connect. You are investing in health and housing for Nicaraguan families living in precarious situations. Second, you amplify our work to the world every time you mention Comunidad Connect in a conversation – and that directly increases our ability to grow our community of support. Thank you for helping, both in Nicaragua and at home in the US.
Building momentum - April 2023
I still have dirt from the Dominican Republic under my fingernails. Images appear of people and palms when I close my eyes. Bachata and Reggaeton linger as soundtrack to my thoughts as I reflect on the last 10 days…
The week before departure, I became anxious about the 23 students and faculty I was to guide through the Dominican Republic. Our itinerary took us from the Colonial District of Santo Domingo to deep into the highland backcountry of Constanza. Responsible for their safety and accountable for their investment in Comunidad Connect, I am the point person – and I don’t take that lightly.
I had been laying the groundwork for this trip for several years. During the pandemic, I took small groups to the DR to support the work of our community partner there – Puente Desarrollo Internacional. However, never with an inter-disciplinary group so large. I continue to find myself between people and institutions with resources and families and communities that need those resources to survive and thrive. I steward those resources to the best of my ability, curating experiences and creating impact along the way. This unique position is an honor, albeit stressful at times.
However, any worries quickly dissipated as I meet the wide eyes and big smiles of the people I would spend the next 10 days with. They beamed with nervous excitement at the airport gate. After landing in Santo Domingo, we boarded our bus, drew back the curtains, and found the Caribbean on our left and working-class neighborhoods on our right. While entering the Colonial District of the capital city, I drew their attention to make announcements about our itinerary. They all turned to me, each with their own wave of positive energy, and I knew everything was going to be alright.
I took them to remote communities to see patients and build bathrooms. We visited hospitals and clinics, met local leaders, and collected data for our community partners. They identified families that I will visit in May with occupational therapists for further support. Our relationships continue to flourish and our momentum builds by connecting more people to opportunities to make a difference.
I am refreshed and inspired; rejuvenated from the successful trip and motivated because I am reminded I am not alone in this work. You are there along the way, just as the students were for the last week or so in the DR. Many of them will fade away back into their routine of school, work, and family – and that’s ok. There are some, however, that will engage further with us and become a monthly donor like you. And thus, our community grows and with it our capacity to change the world.
Thank you for your support,
Courage to make a difference - March 2023
A longtime mentor of mine recently passed away. And as I reflect on what he shared with me over the last 20 years, I am reminded of how instrumental he was in the success and longevity of Comunidad Connect. He amassed considerable wealth in his lifetime, yet it was not his financial support that kept our programs alive. What he gave me and Comunidad Connect was far more important – the courage to make a difference.
And so do you. Your continued support of our mission reminds me time and again that serving others can take many forms. Your donations are incredibly important. So is your story.
You are an individual donor to an organization you believe in. Yet there is more to appreciate than just your financial support. You are a member of a growing community of people being the change they want to see in the world. We are humbled that you choose to do so via Comunidad Connect, and proceed with our work encouraged by you and all that you stand for.
In Loving Memory of Chris Robertson
Long Distance Calls - February 2023
On June 24, 1999, I met my wife Arelis in her hometown of San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua. As luck would have it, I left for Guatemala the following day. Her family did not have a phone, but her friend did so we arranged to “meet” by phone at her friend’s house every couple of weeks, which kept our relationship alive between my visits to Nicaragua. I would buy calling cards with scratch-off codes on the back that would give us 5-10 minutes of conversation between Atlanta and Nicaragua.
When she moved to Atlanta and we got married, we paid for international calling plan to keep in touch with her family. Cell phones eventually became available and affordable in Nicaragua, but internet and power were intermittent. Once celluar data was established, platforms like WhatsApp made staying connected possible for millions of people like us.
As international communication got easier and more affordable, our correspondence with her family began to change. When these calls were difficult to make, we made the most of every phone call together. Nowadays our calls are brief, albeit more frequent. It’s like our proximity to others opens the door for us to begin taking the connection for granted.
I do not take your regular call to Comunidad Connect for granted. Your recurring donation reflects a sacrifice you make for the betterment of others. Some months are surely easier than others. And yet your call comes through each month, reaching the people that need our special support the most.
Rejuvenation - January 2023
The parrot below our balcony begins to chatter at sunrise until light rain calms his banter. Rays of light break the clouds and morning vendors emerge to meander the cobbled streets of San Juan del Sur. Avocados, Bell Peppers, Oranges, and Coconuts fill their small wooden carts. They sing-song their way into the nooks and crannies of town, pushing their carts with enduring leisure.
I walk a few blocks to the market, bustling by 7 am. People greet me on every block, memories of our decade living here come to life. The bay is on my right as I arrive at the Sports Park. I pass through the curbside vendors selling fruits, vegetables, and coconuts and enter my field of dreams – beachfront pick-up basketball in San Juan del Sur.
Up to 500 young people participate in our sports leagues every year, including our youth baseball academy. While CC is best known in Northern Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic for supporting special needs patients and their families, in San Juan del Sur we are most appreciated for our impact on youth through organized sports. Every community presents different opportunities to make a difference.
None of it would be possible without your support. Your resources make the lives of thousands of people better every day, and I am honored to be a part of that impact. Thank you.