Circulo De Amigas
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November 15, 2012
I am very excited to be associated with this community of generous hearts. Please make sure you visit Unitarian Universalist Church in Anaheim at least once a year. We were happy to have you visit us and I am happy to have a precious life to sponsor.
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Would you volunteer for this group again?
Definitely
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
Life-changing
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Very Well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
1 person found this review helpful
October 29, 2012
1 person found this review helpful
I first heard of this small organization from the founder herself, Pat McCully. She was a one man show a few years ago, having started a means of economic support to the women of this tiny village in Nicaraugua through her sewing machine donations and trainings. Soon she became the go-between importer/exporter bringing handmade goods to U.S. citizens, and giving the entire cost of the item to the woman who made the product. This greatly improved the opportunities of the families concerned. Circulo de Amigas grew into a school for the girls in the village as well. Some have since attended local universities. It is possible to sponsor a girl for only 44 dollars a month and in Nicaraugua, this means a different life for that girl and her family. I am so delighted to be able to so directly make a difference to a family even though I cannot give very much money. It's the most directly helpful organization I know of.
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Would you volunteer for this group again?
Definitely
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
Life-changing
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Very Well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
October 29, 2012
Five years ago, I discovered Circulo de Amigas through my Unitarian Universalist Church when founder Pat McCully came to give a presentation. Immediately I was struck by her passionate commitment to these impoverished women and girls who have few options because of early pregnancies and illiteracy. I adopted a girl that same day and the reward to MY life (which was completely unexpected) has been amazing. Over the years I have witnessed the contrast in photos of my little girl from wary and insecure to smiling and open...it makes me cry to know I have been a small part of her happiness and increasing options. I adopted a second little girl this year and, in July went down to Nicaragua where I had the incomparable experience of meeting "my girls" and seeing first hand their dire living situations. In spite of the extreme poverty, they are rich in spirit. I was made to feel a part of a community so foreign by the top-notch staff and felt both safe and useful. To see first hand the work that the community center does and the opportunities they provide through their computer lab, library, counseling and more, has inspired me to be increasingly involved. I cried when I left, and am counting the days til July when I am fortunate enough to get to go again. Through this organization, I have found my life's work and my calling and it has inadvertently changed my life in so many ways. I think it would change yours in unexpected ways as well, and it is with great hope and sincerity that I hope you will sponsor a girl and that I might one day meet you in the beautiful mountains of Nicaragua!
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When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
1 person found this review helpful
October 29, 2012
1 person found this review helpful
We have been sponsoring a young girl who, at 12 years old, had never been to school. She is now able to read and write and her life and the lives of her family members have been incredibly changed by our humble donation. Her family also eats better now and her younger sisters also go to school. It is so amazing what a huge change your sponsorship can make in many lives in the poor village of Jinotega. Because of this wonderful experience, we have started sponsoring a second girl. We were able to visit Jinotega this past summer and had a life-changing experience. Though the village is very poor, the people are very warm, welcoming and grateful. Circulo is staffed in the US by volunteers who work very hard for this wonderful cause. All the money donated goes to the girl you sponsor or to support the wonderful community center supported by Circulo in Jinotega. I cannot say enough good things about the worthwhile and worthy organization!!
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Was your donation impactful?
Definitely
How likely is it that you would recommend that a friend donate to this group?
Definitely
How likely are you to donate to this group again?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
1 person found this review helpful
October 29, 2012
1 person found this review helpful
My family and I have been Circulo de Amigas supporters, donors and sponsors for the last thirteen years. CdA has taken our hearts and has taken our lives. We spend our summer volunteering in Jinotega and our winters raising funds for the programs there. As a community volunteers with experience as Girl Scout Leaders, AYSO soccer coaches, Boy Scout volunteers, PTA officers, we have found that our efforts at CdA have been most meaningful and affective. Circulo de Amigas is well run and every penny goes to the education and health for the impoverished community of Barrio Linda Vista Sur in Jinotega, Nicaragua. Please consider donating and volunteering in the US and in Jintoega and sponsoring a girl for her education. It will change your life and her life too!
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Was your donation impactful?
Definitely
How likely is it that you would recommend that a friend donate to this group?
Definitely
How likely are you to donate to this group again?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
October 23, 2012
I have been a donor supporting Daryeling since she was about fiteen. She is now preparing to graduate from the University in Leon as a Pharmacy student. Since I have no children of my own and my last niece had been funded in her college 501 program (as my grandmother did for me) I was seeking a more direct contact that I could be responsible for in order to pass on my grandmothers tradition - but this time outside the family. In my first few years I wrote my check and recieved updates, but it was not until I was both inspired by Pat's actions and selfless giving in building a dormitory in Leon that I decided to visit Jinotega with my own mission in mind. With finanacial support from friends and family I was able to buy and oversee the installation of a generator for the night school students.Later, after meeting Daryeling and her family, I made a $100 donation for her school expense and clothes. I later found she bought a pair of shoes and the rest went to her family as their needs were also great. I am very proud to have been able to help in her education and watch as she has matured into a thoughful and level headed woman building her nest in preparation for her future. After my visit over five years ago I have served as Parlimentarion on the Board. I recommend a visit to Nicaragua to see the many needs firs and find where you may become a "part of".
More feedback...
Was your donation impactful?
Definitely
How likely is it that you would recommend that a friend donate to this group?
Definitely
How likely are you to donate to this group again?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
1 person found this review helpful
October 23, 2012
1 person found this review helpful
My college Spanish teacher introduced me to Circulo de Amigas about 10 years ago. I committed to a sponsorship to help keep a sweet young girl in grade school and my role recently expanded to board member. Since then, my little girl has become a lovely young college co-ed with a future full of options! --- CdA is 100% volunteer run and all funds directly benefit the girls. This is no small feat for any charity. The donor's level of involvement with CdA varies from writing a modest check each month to traveling to the village of Jinotega and completing important projects. --- I've been involved in several charitable endeavors over the years and Circulo de Amigas stands apart as one that delivers meaningful, life-changing results. I highly recommend it.
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Will you volunteer or donate to this organization beyond what is required of board members?
Definitely
How much of an impact do you think this organization has?
Life-changing
Will you tell others about this organization?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
1 person found this review helpful
October 23, 2012
1 person found this review helpful
I run a non-profit and is Circulo De Amigas an excellent example of how to effectively run a non-profit organization. I can use their model to help my organization and to have ideas in how best to expand into other areas. Additionally, the labor of love by the volunteers and the passion of the organization are phenomenal. Their purpose in helping those in need in such desperate areas is a godsend!
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How does this organization compare with others in the same sector?
Very Well
How much of an impact do you think this organization has?
Life-changing
Will you recommend this organization to others?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
3 people found this review helpful
October 23, 2012
3 people found this review helpful
I started working with CdA as a casual volunteer about 14 years ago. Back then I knew it only as the non-profit that my friend Pat had started many years before, that helped girls and young women in a desperately poor area of poverty-stricken and war-torn Nicaragua. Now, I have a much deeper knowledge of the program, and have been to Nicaragua several times to see it in action. The work Circulo de Amigas does, the role it plays in the community and the difference it makes in the lives of all those it touches is difficult to overstate. Pat started something truly amazing, because she felt she had to. Those of us involved with it will keep it going, and keep it growing, because we know that we must: Educating girls has been proven to be the best track out of poverty, and that is what we are dedicated to doing - educating the girls, and by doing so helping them to lift themselves, their families, and their community out of abject poverty. Won't you join us?!
More feedback...
Will you volunteer or donate to this organization beyond what is required of board members?
Definitely
How much of an impact do you think this organization has?
Life-changing
Will you tell others about this organization?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
1 person found this review helpful
October 19, 2012
1 person found this review helpful
I was introduced to this wonderful nonprofit by a Rotarian from Villa Park, CA in April 2011. There was a request for vegetable seed to provide a variety of fresh vegetables to the needy girls and young women in Nicaragua. This was a terrific new contact for SEEDS OF HOPE!. I have been to Nicaragua and I have seen the malnutrition among the children. CIRCULO de AMIGAS has done a great job in taking seed to Nicaragua and working closely with local people in developing the gardens, harvesting the vegetables and feeding the children. I will continue to provide vegetable seed as needed by this highly organized group of individuals from Southern California. In the area of humanitarian service, CIRCULO de AMIGAS is a super succes story.
More feedback...
Was your donation impactful?
Definitely
How likely is it that you would recommend that a friend donate to this group?
Definitely
How likely are you to donate to this group again?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
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