2012 HIGHLIGHTS

8 villages have graduated to self-sustainability!

Reaching out to 1500+ daily

Inauguration of Tzanjomel

Establishing and overseeing our program

in 11 villages and 23 preschool nutritional

programs

NPR, Worldview Interview

Visit our updated website!

www.FeedTheDream.org

There has never been a more meaningful graduation than that of our 8 villages: Pacoxpon, Xetzitzi, La Pila, Chuisac, Cambalcol, Cruz Nueva, Tunayes and Choabajito. Self-sustainability has always been our mutual goal, and now they have achieved it! Tucked away in the mountains, these indigenous have worked hard and learned their lessons well. Their gardens now include 8-10 new nutrient-rich vegetables that they have incorporated into new recipes. They add chaya and chan when possible to further enrich their diet. School attendance is expected for boys and

girls. Both vented, enclosed stoves and water filters have improved their health. Babies are bigger and healthier, enabling them to have a positive start in life and later to experience success in school. Equally exciting is their new sense of self-esteem. They are empowered and have options for the first time. We are so proud of them. We will limit our involvement with them this next year as their local educators increase theirs. Thanks to all of our supporters who have helped to make these transformations become realities and to Behrhorst Partners for Development, our partner NGO.

8 YEARS LATER This year we accomplished a major goal: self-sustainability for 8 Guatemalan Highland villages! One mother told me, "I never left my house as I never had another world. Now everything is possible, thanks to Feed the Dream." This only happens because of YOU—your donations, support and belief in our program. I join them in saying...

“Matiox”…“Gracias” in Kaqchikel

Sandy Haggart, Founder

FALL 2012

The central figure in all that Feed The Dream (FTD) strives to achieve in our Guatemalan villages is the Guatemalan mother. For those who have returned from a visit there, a keen memory of a village woman always remains. Most often these memories stir thoughts comparing our lives and challenges to these women’s lives and challenges. How do you describe the Guatemalan women who participate in FTD?

These women are anxious to improve their future and that of their community. They are hopeful, motivated, selfless, hard working, humble, beautiful, warm spirits. FTD encourages these women to cultivate self-worth while cultivating their resources and their gardens.

Building a sense of belonging and community strength, they develop a sisterhood of survival. Given the opportunities of FTD, a Guatemalan woman finds herself very capable and isolated no longer. Together they encourage one another in perseverance, dedication, and resiliency—motherhood at its finest. They are lovely women helping each other help themselves.

The changes seen in these communities of women from initial involvement in FTD to self sustaining villages is incredibly remarkable. As the central force in their community’s empowerment, the FTD mother is an inspiring hero with incredible courage and

The WOMEN of Feed The Dream

by Anne Gallagher

continued on next page...

As you may remember, Tzanjomel is a small group of families that live along a narrow ridge in the mountains. It was 4 years ago that Feed the Dream travelers took a boat to Tzununa, climbed in the back of a pick-up and lurched up a rocky "road," crossed a river bridge, traipsed through coffee trees and climbed up the mountain to the village ledge where the indigenous greeted us with gratitude for the corngrinder that had dramatically changed their lives. It was almost impossible to find any flat land to develop a nutrition center/program there, but the villagers pursued this hope, and we now proudly have our own Feed the Dream program in full swing, including organic gardens.

It is an amazing sight to see this accomplishment where before there was nothing. It was such a positive and fulfilling experience working together with other charities: Amigos de Santa Cruz and Miracles in Action.

THE NEWTZANJOMEL

The WOMEN of Feed The Dream

faithfulness in their efforts to improve the lives of those they love.

It is most fitting that the logo for FTD is the silhouette of one of these lovely women in indigenous dress with a child on her back and a basket on her head. These most beautiful and gracious women carry the weight of their community’s health and well being on their shoulders.

These hardworking survivors are eager and devoted to enhancing the quality of life for their own community. The gratitude they express is powerful! Be proud of your contribution to the efforts of the FTD mother. What these women can achieve with our help is beyond measure. No matter the size of our contributions, every bit of help makes a huge difference, which will be felt in the villages and in your own heart as you work to enhance your family and community. May the FTD mother as role model encourage us all to better lives.

(Travelers who have gone with Sandy to experience FTD efforts in Guatemala were asked to submit a word or phrase to describe their impressions of the FTD mother. Words highlighted in red above are the words submitted.)

The Women of Feed The Dream (continued)

Our Guatemalan Trip Impressions

SANDY HAGGART • Glenview, IL

PAM MCCLAMROCH • Kenilworth, IL Amazing, Inspirational, Joyful, Community. Just a few words that describe the week spent in Guatemala with our Feed The Dream group. Little prepared me for the first day when after traveling, windy, remote roads we came to our first village where happy children greeted us with their smiles, enthusiasm and welcome signs. As we traveled from village to village, it was exciting to see women who were working together for the first time as a group, developing friendships and learning how to provide the proper nutrition for themselves and their children with the support of Feed The Dream. The women are so proud of what they have accomplished and appreciative of the educational programs geared toward health and nutrition.

One very special moment occurred in the village of Tzununa. Excited & laughing, several women whisked Sandy away from the rest of the group. After several minutes, the women proudly led Sandy out to show her off to the other villagers and our group. Walking toward us was Sandy, fully garbed in the village’s native costume from head to toe – handcrafted earrings, intricate headpieces and the traditional huipil. After a delicious chicken stew prepared in the new kitchen, the village women sang a song to us and then taught us a song to sing back to them as we struggled to do so in their native dialect – many laughs about our less than stellar result. We felt like a true community of women, enjoying each other’s company, all with the same goals - to raise children in the best environment possible.

Our Guatemalan Trip Impressions

ANNE BAYLY • Lake Forest, IL I feel so fortunate to have visited Guatemala this past March with Sandy to visit her work in the villages where Feed the Dream has a presence. The memories I have taken home with me is the beauty and strength of the women there. The gift of nutritional education for their children and themselves is made possible by the meeting centers in each village...something the women make happen themselves. They get together and cook, learn beautiful crafts and receive instruction on hygiene, food preparation and a new opportunity for the friendship of the other women who live in their villages! We were there when the world was celebrating The Day of the Woman. and what a thrill to share with these women what it means to raise children, care for a family and just be a woman with "girlfriends" like themselves to count on. Before Feed the Dream, because of the mountainous terrain and isolation of their small homes, their daily routine was pretty much solitary...now they have a place to go and learn with other women just like themselves!! In the United States, we take our gift of "girlfriends" as part of our daily lives. This gift is new to them and by the smiles on the face of everyone we met...a gift they treasure and deeply appreciate. We were so warmly welcomed and sincerely thanked for being a part of their lives. It was a trip that changed my life, as Feed the Dream changes theirs.

SALLY PERKS • Tucson, AZ.

How do you start (and end) when you have so many memories from a memorable trip!?

The buses we passed, loaded with people and luggage on top, the warm smiles of children and mothers everywhere we went. Vibrant colors, indigenous villages. Sandy being greeted in the villages:"Bienvenida". Oh, the colors! They were everywhere!

Shad and his ingenious irrigation systems, indigenous gardens, gifts of shawls for all, and Sandy in her full traje. Roses in all colors, given by the children to us, beautiful Lake Atitlán with three volcanoes.

Tuk,tuks, the purple of the Lenten processions, and the colorful sawdust rugs that are walked over, the sounds, the scents, the colors of the market places, and my phone and charger found! St. Anthonys for Sandy and Sally. Jade, and the discovery that a woman from New Trier discovered jade in Guatemala. Puffs from an active volcano. Did I mention shopping!? Healthy mothers and children....that's the dream we feed!!

Our trip gave me a true and personal appreciation for all the accomplishments Feed the Dream has made!

8TH ANNUAL FEED THE DREAM GOLF AND LUNCHEON EVENT

NEVER TOO YOUNG (OR TOO OLD!)

They started with nothing

Now they have something

They come together and meet

Used to be barefoot

Now shoes on their feet

It’s pretty amazing

How one person could be changing

The world.

— Anonymous 11 yr. old about Feed the Dream

The summer of 2012 was beastly hot, humid and dry, as was the day of of our event! At least it didn't rain!

More than 200 loyal women attended our annual fundraiser and enthusiastically made it our most successful day ever with a net of $125,000! You will never find a more supportive group of women!

One of our main stories was the difference a vented, enclosed stove can make for an impoverished family.

$130 provides a crucial gift of health for an entire family, dramatically reducing respiratory diseases, cataracts, and horrific open-fire burns (with no medical attention available.) Living in such conditions is the equivalent of smoking 2 packs of cigarettes a day! Our goal that day was to provide 50 stoves for families,

and that hope was surpassed by attendees purchasing 84!! Feed the Dream is thrilled and grateful for such heartfelt support.

Next year's date will be Monday, JULY 15!

Joshua Patt of Glenview is a perfect example of thinking of others in need.

In place of personal gifts for his first communion, he requested donations and children’s vitamins for Feed the Dream so that other children less fortunate could benefit! This is thoughtfulness in action!

Helping at our golfing event for the first time were cousins Caroline Clark, Charlotte Ferguson, Will Bolling and Michael Ferguson. They have always helped behind the scenes since they were young, but this “step up” to actively selling raffle tickets made them really feel the difference of being involved. They also did a great job! It is never too young to learn social responsibility in our global society.

It doesn't get any better than participating in this magical celebration, which Gil and I did last Christmas. We can't wait to do it again. Have you ever been in the right place and at the right time where everything felt right in the world? This was how our Feed the Dream Holiday Tamale Basket event felt, when we assembled and distributed 200 baskets in four of our remote Guatemalan villages. Wearing Santa hats and singing Xmas carols in English and Spanish while crossing Lake Atitlán and then packing the baskets with the help of both indigenous and foreigners was one of life's highlights.

The indigenous women and children gathered with us to celebrate our working together in our nutrition program this past year. They know intense poverty well, yet expressed only immense gratitude and love for the baskets of food that YOU, caring people from so far away, made possible. Laughter and joy accompanied the Santa Claus pinata, rigged up between avocado trees high in the mountains overlooking breath-taking Lake Atitlán. At the end of the 3 days of assembling and distributing the baskets, one of the volunteers helping us said, "Feed the Dream lights up the world!"

Once again you can join us in spirit by donating baskets at $50 each. Feed the Dream gift cards can be sent to those in whose honor you have donated. They can be for holiday gifts, thank yous, teacher presents, friends, special events or simply because you care about someone who is much less fortunate and in need.

A basket feeds up to 12 family members and provides them with the ingredients for the traditional Christmas Eve meal: oil, 15 lbs. of rice, a block of chocolate, bread, leaves to make tamales, a chicken, raisins, red grapes, sugar, salt, coffee, tomatoes, and peppers. It is the highlight of their year!

LIVING THE TAMALE BASKET DREAM!

Feed the Dream is introducing goats into some of our villages!Their milk will be used to better the children's nutrition. And don't forget cheese and butter. Per usual in this kind of project, one kid in the litter will be given to another impoverished family who has prepared a pen with necessary food. A goat is an important and lasting gift.

NEVER TOO YOUNG (OR TOO OLD!)

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS• Sandy Haggart, Founder, Glenview, IL

• Cheryl Ashley, Lake Forest, IL

• Justine Cody, Winnetka, IL

• Susie Ephraim, Wilmette, IL

• Gil Haggart, Glenview, IL

• Sherri Hopson, Highland Park, IL

• Coleen Reedy, Wilmette, IL

• Patty Tighman, Glenview, IL

• Alison Winslow, Kenilworth, IL

ADVISORY BOARD

• Frank B. Chauner, Northbrook, IL

• Holly Clark, Louisville, KY

• Wendy H. Ferguson, Winnetka, IL

• Dr. Wilson H. Hartz III, Chicago, IL

• Katy D. Knoer, Kenilworth, IL

• Donna McKay, Winneka, IL

• Sue Patterson, Antigua, Guatemala

• Scott W. Petersen, Chicago, IL

With the current crisis of malnutrition and critical food

shortage due to drought conditions— WE NEED YOU NOW, MORE THAN EVER.

Yes, these are difficult economic times for everyone, but we can help in a way that is crucial for the

indigenous but not life-changing for us. We know that you have a choice among charities, and we will

be grateful if you choose Feed the Dream.

DONATIONS MAY BE MAILED TO: FEED THE DREAM

P. O. Box 2642, Glenview, IL 60025OR DONATE ONLINE at www.feedthedream.org

All donations are tax-deductible as we are a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, #30-0536205

email: info@feedthedream.org

There are several ways to give: monetary donations, stocks or in-kind contributions.

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Sandy & Sarita

Sandy Neville Haggart grew up in La Jolla, Ca. She received both her B.A. and M.A. from

Northwestern University. She and her husband Gil raised their family in Glenview, Il, where

they have resided for 47 years. Sarita is their granddaughter adopted from Guatemala.$10,000 Establishes a nutrition

program center

$5,000 Establishes and maintains 7 village gardens for one year

$2,500Six month’s salary for our indigenous nutritionist and educator

$1,000Trains 50 women in the importance of exclusive breast-feeding, nutrition and weaning

$500Offers one pregnant woman a healthy pregnancy with food and vitamins

$250 Feeds one child with food and vitamins for one year

$130

Provides a vented, enclosed stove to prevent open-fire burns and respira-tory illness

Provides one goat to provide milk, cheese, yogurt and butter

$100 Gives two tamale baskets to two impoverished families

Recipient of: 2010 Northwestern University Alumnae Award2008 The Bishop's School Humanitarian Award2007 Traditional Home Classic Woman Award

Our mission is to work in partnership with the indigenous in rural Guatemala to establish and oversee nutrition programs that also provide health and hygiene education to children under five years of age and women of reproductive age.

SAVE THE DATE: SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2013 FEED THE DREAM'S 10TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION.

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