A Successful Fundraising Event

Ken and Jenny Osterman recently had a Friends of Belize (FOB) Party to benefit the San Pedro Foundation (SPF).  The event was held at their neighborhood swimming pool and cabaña in Martinsville, New Jersey.

Ken and Jenny invited all their friends who had visited them in Belize since 1991.  They also invited friends who have had to listen to them talk about Belize for the past 22 years.  Almost 60 people attended!

Kelly McGuire attended the party and provided the entertainment. Kelly donated 20% of the sales of CDs and shirts to the SPF.  He also auctioned off a collection of CDs, shirts and hats to raise more money for the SPF.

Kelly played his guitar and sang for over three hours.  He was joined that night by John Haney, singing and playing the harmonica.  John lives in Brick, NJ, about an hour from Ken and Jenny’s house.  He and Kelly met in Key West, Florida about ten years ago.  He was a great addition to the show.

Guests enjoyed shrimp ceviche, guacamole, quesadillas, tomatillo salsa, barbecued chicken and spareribs, rice and beans, potato salad, cole slaw, pineapple, mango, coconut and watermelon, with flan and key lime pie for dessert.  Belikin beer was not available so substitutions were made.

Free-will donations from guests resulted in a total of $6,100 USD ($12,200 BZD) being raised for the San Pedro Foundation.

Ken stated the following in an e-mail sent to me: “I am happy to report that our FOB (Friends of Belize) Party was quite a success Saturday night. The weather was perfect.  The food was good. Kelly McGuire was...well, he was Kelly McGuire. Probably half of the 60 people there had not heard him before. Everyone left loving him and his music. A friend of Kelly's, John Haney, sat in for the night on harmonica. The man is great! And he is from Brick, NJ...about an hour from us. This was a fair amount of work for Jenny and me. But, boy, was it worth it!

Even through those few sentences he sent to me via e-mail I could feel the exitement he must have been feeling throughout the event. Just imagine, the lovely music buzzing in your ears while savoring a delicious platter of barbecue, tomatillo sauce, and some key lime pie! Boy, I wish I would have been there myself. I pray this may be one of the many successful fundraising events. There are more students out there who aspire a higher education but do not have the means to continue forward. The San Pedro Foundation needs more support!

The San Pedro Foundation is a non-profit organization, registered with the Government of Belize.  It exists to aid the youth of San Pedro who want to go on to higher education beyond the age of sixteen.

The SPF was formed in 1993 by property owners at the Belize Yacht Club.  Hank and Mary Agler, from Indiana, were the founders.  Mary had been a teacher in Indiana and knew the importance of a good education.  Hank passed away in 2008, but Mary still takes an active interest in the functions of the foundation.  Ken and Jenny have been board members for almost twenty years.

The scholarships are for two years and a total of $3,200 BZD ($1,600 US).

To this date the foundation has given scholarship money to thirteen students and many of those people have returned to live and work in San Pedro.

Most of the donations to the SPF come from visitors to Ambergris Caye who have thoroughly enjoyed their stay in San Pedro and want to do something to help out.

Current board members are Claudio Azueta, President; Renita Dellacca, Vice President; Ken Osterman, Treasurer; Jenny Osterman, Secretary and Anthony Anderson, Director.