Building the Puzzle Together
Co-founder’s Letter
2015 was the most important year in Comunidad Connect’s nine year history!
One of last year’s biggest accomplishments was opening our health clinic in the rural community of Los Robles with the leadership of Social Enterprise @ Goizueta Business School of Emory University and the support of partners like HOI, University of Calgary, Zapporoo, the Nicaragua Ministry of Health and many individual donors and additional academic partners.
The new clinic hosts international medical volunteers, and I recently had the opportunity to translate for one such group from the Shepherd Center in Atlanta as they visited neurological patients in Los Robles. Among more than 20 patients, the group visited Reynaldo, a young man diagnosed with epilepsy. Six months ago Reynaldo was completely dependent on others, with seizures regularly interrupting his life and preventing normal physical and mental development. Thanks to a new medicine regimen coordinated and sponsored by Dr. Ben Thrower, the group’s leader, Reynaldo was laughing and interacting with the group. I could not have been prouder to be a part of this joyous moment.
In 2016 we are expanding programs to San Esteban, a community neighboring Los Robles. With nearly 500 new beneficiaries, a quickly expanding staff, and more service learning and international volunteer groups than ever, Comunidad Connect continues to improve the efficiency of operations by investing in information systems and staff training. We are also growing our network of support through social fundraising, grant writing and partner summits.
I look forward to telling you how 2016 becomes our most important year yet, full of amazing moments resulting from collaborative impact!
Warm regards,
Roman Yavich
Co-founder
2015 Fiscal Year Financials and Impact
Our mission is to connect opportunities for social, economic, and environmental development in Nicaragua with local and global resources.
2015 News Highlights
Los Robles Health Clinic Receives Official Approval
First International Academic Summit Held in Los Robles
Yale Students Visit CC to Test Water Filters
The Inspiring Journey of Nerys Blandon, Community Servant by Jon Thompson, CC Co-founder
Mixing Work & Play at the Sports Park by Brian Reilly, Princeton in Latin America Fellow 2014-2015
Nica Agua, Expanding to San Esteban by Grace Galloway, Princeton in Latin America Fellow, 2015-2017
Exploration & Empowerment: My Internship with Comunidad Connect by Anna Menke, Princeton International Internship Program, 2015
THANK YOU to our 2015 Donors!
Champions ($10,000 – $25,000)
All People Be Happy Foundation, Shane Pike, Jeff Thompson
Circle of Friends ($1,000 – $9,999)
Susan Brown Barry, Michael Brosgart, James Henry Graham, Dewayne Hentzel, Tania Herbert and Peter Roberts, HOI, LifeBridge Church, Joseph Nizolak, Raymond Pieper, Vories Pittman, Patricia Robinson, Teksouth Corporation, Ben Thrower, Patrick Wilson, Phyllis C. Wood, Zapporoo
Connectors ($250 – $999)
Leonard and Cathy Abrams, Sara Adams, Randall Beckett, The Berica Agency, Mary Bersot, Amy Bonilla, Jenmol Chuang, Christopher Deines, Chase Donner, Joe Fay, Evan Goldberg, Laurie Gustafson, Chris Harkins, Cathy Keathley, Wesley Longhofer, Yingying Ma, Patricia Marino, Robert McCampbell, Daniel and Judith McLaurin, Benjamin Mullenix, Nomadic State of Mind, Sara Otis, Becky and Kevin Parnell, Brandon Pittman, Paul Sacher, Ryan Sacher, Irene Simoneaux, Carey Smith-Marchi, Johnathan Steppe, Beth Thompson, Roman Yavich, Michael Yavich
Contributors ($1 – $249)
Alpha Current, Bearden Barnes, Giselle Barrera, Steven Benjamin, Janis Bianco, Robert Billingsley, Shermane Billingsley, Barbara Blake, Scott Blanck, Karen Boomer, Allison Breault, Kore Breault, Jennifer Brophy, Holly Bryant, Jason Buecker, Emmy Bullard, Morgan Burch, Tracy Carter-Morgan, Kyle Coffey, Adam Cohen, Erin Crews, Dodds Cromwell and Mary Palmer, Stephanie Cruz, Sheila Davis, Linda Davis Jameson, Austin and Michelle Drill, Deborah Eckland, Paul Friedman, Brian Goebel, Rebecca Goldstein, David Goldstein, Noah Goodman, Laurie Guthrie, Alan Harlam, Judi and Jeff Herm, Allen Hsin, Matthew Isles, Vanessa Jones, Robert Kazanjian, Tommy King, Terrence Knapp, Nathaniel Korn, Melissa Kramschuster, Matthew Kuhlik, Rachel Lawley, Meg Lovett, Malibu at Pacific Marlin, Ashley McElreath, Yoni Mekuria, Mathew Mendonca, Rhonda Moore, Kathryn Moss, Sam Moss, Vincent Muehe, Ajay Nair, John Nguyen, Megan Noble, Deborah Noble, Mikhail and Svetlana Nudelman, Sarah O’Leary, Richard Olsson, Francisco Pasquel, Andrew Pendley, Mary Elizabeth Peterson, Douglas and Creel Pittman, Lauren Ragen, Natalie Reese, Brian Reilly, Pablo Rener, Larry Rundle, Allie Sacher, Antonia Sargeant, Marianell Schaaf, Seafari, Daniel Shaaya, Alla Shemetova, David Spertner, Troy Spicer, Anna Steigerwald, Leslie Stewart, Julie Stout, Mathew Theis, Michael Thompson, Jon Thompson, Yashwant Verma, Angela Vivar Romero, Edwina Von Gal, Erveine Walker, David Welker, Annie Whaley, Justin Winter, Pam Wood, Elizabeth Young