Each year SOL International Foundation conducts a raffle where YOU have the chance to win a 1-week stay on beautiful West Bay Beach in Roatan, Honduras.  Thanks to the generous donations of home- and condo- owners in Roatan, we are able to sell $100 raffle tickets that could become your DREAM VACATION!

Never been to Roatan?  Know you will be returning to Roatan for that annual visit?  Have a friend that is coming to Roatan in the next 12 months?

Here’s a great opportunity to support SOL International Foundation and our programs while trying your luck at our annual drawing.   We sell no more than 100 tickets and last year had 1 beach-front house and 1 beach-front condo up for grabs!

Stay tuned for more details…

Exciting update!!!  Thanks to generous donations from numerous supporters, I have reached my fundraising goal for the next semester.

I still have a ways to go before graduation, if you would like to help me become a doctor with a mission and a message of hope,you still can do so by clicking on the “Donate Now” button,  just make sure to type ‘Natan Webster’ in the dedication line.

I appreciate all actions taken. Also SOL International has many other worthy programs that are making a huge difference in this community, take a little time and check their website out. Thanks to all who’ve donated thing you will be very pleased with the end result!

SOL International Foundation is proud to announce that the Sandy Bay Seastars U12 girls volleyball team has qualified to represent their country in the CODICADER Central American Student Athlete Games in Panama on July 12-18! 

 Last year, these girls won the National Tournament in San Pedro Sula and earned a spot in the CODICADER games that were held in Costa Rica.  However, due to an outstanding debt owed by the Honduran government in the amount of $19,000, all Honduran athletes were barred from participating.  The debt has since been cleared and Honduran student athletes will now be welcome to participate in the 2013 CODICADER Games in Panama!

The logistics and fundraising that will be necessary to make this dream a reality will no doubt be difficult, but we believe it is possible. 

We have already received a quote for the required uniforms and warm-up suits that will bear the CODICADER insignia and the HONDURAS lettering from a company in San Pedro.  The girls have also already received the sports physical examinations and have been signed off by the doctor as being physically fit to participate.  We have acquired the necessary official birth papers for each of the 8 girls that will travel.

We are currently investigating multiple means of transportation to Panama.  The Honduran government has stated that they can provide free overland travel by bus from Tegucigalpa to Panama and they can cover the overnight expenses in Costa Rica.  This bus would include not only our U12 girls volleyball team, but other Honduran student athletes as well.  As a potential alternative, we are looking into airline tickets from either Roatan or San Pedro Sula and have found prices as low as $375/person round trip. 

Once the team arrives in Panama, their lodging and food will be taken care of by CODICADER as a benefit of the $50/person entry fee.  This entry fee is due by May 31, and we have put in place some self-imposed benchmarks that we must complete before paying this entry fee.  These benchmarks include:

• Power of Attorney drafted and signed by each of the parents of the athletes involved that will allow us to begin the passport application process. (7 of the 8 athletes will need to apply for passports.)

• A full understanding of the passport application process and an appointment scheduled if possible.
• Uniforms and warm up suits ordered from San Pedro with a delivery date set.
• A second Power of Attorney drafted and signed by parents that will allow their children to travel outside of the country without their presence.
• A budget to be completed with all foreseen expenses liberally estimated.
• Corporate and private sponsors in place to assist with the funding of the trip. 

While these goals are quite industrious for the short time period that we have available, I believe that by meeting these self-imposed benchmarks we will be well on our way to a successful project.

In my opinion, the benefits of simply acquiring passports and the exposure to international travel alone are worth the investment in this project.  This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these girls and could have a significant impact on their development as young women.

To become a part of their amazing journey, click the “Donate Now” button and dedicate your donation to the Sandy Bay Sea Stars.

The John J. Wood “Field of Dreams”

 August, 24, 2012

Over 5 years ago, the founders of SOL International Foundation had a dream of a youth baseball field.  This dream only became a reality due to a generous land lease from Daine Wood Etches and Marylynn Wood Hartsel, daughters of Catherine Wood and John J Wood – a life-long baseball fan for whom this field is named. 

Construction began under the watchful eye and guidance of Bill Etches in 2007.  In the summer of 2007, the first SOL youth baseball game took place on this field. 

Now 5 years later, thanks to Kelcy Warren, Richard Warren, RECO, the Roatan Rotary Club, and Green Hill Energy Solutions, we have the privilege of hosting the first ever night game in the Bay Islands!

There is a rich tradition of baseball on the island of Roatan, and SOL International Foundation is honored to continue in this tradition.  We hope this “Field of Dreams” continues to thrive as a community gathering area for years to come.

My name is Natan Webster and I am from the Roatan – a small island of the north coast of Honduras.  I’m currently studying medicine at the National Autonomous University of Honduras in Tegucigalpa.  My journey is an improbable one.  See, I was raised by a single mother in a third-world country were higher education is something that tends to be reserved for the higher classes.  But, my mom taught me that through hard work and dedication I could be anything I wanted!

I decided very early on that I wanted to dedicate my life to helping people and to making a difference in my community.  As a kid, I always figured there were four routes to do this: I could become a lawyer, a teacher, a preacher, or a doctor.  While going to high school at night, I worked at the local hospital in order to pay my way through school. It was while doing this and seeing the need for compassionate, service-oriented people inside the medical profession, that I became interested with the work that the doctors did and decided this was what I wanted to do with my life.

I quickly realized that this was not something I could afford.  I had worked my way through high school but medicine is a full-time program far away in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras.  I would have been glad to take on some debt to cover the cost, but in this country college loans are basically non-existent. Understand this – I was not looking for a free ride, I just wanted an opportunity.

I decided to look around for some help and was able to miraculously secure a scholarship to cover a part of the cost!  I am now about to start my third semester at the university and need to raise money in order to continue in the program.  I have set a fundraising goal of 1200 U.S dollars to cover the cost of a semester at the university.  I know this is a lot of money and I might not be able to raise it, but I do want to exhaust every avenue.

I was asked a lot of times when I was starting the program more than a year ago: “Do you think its worth it? Do you think its worth it to leave your job? Do you think it is worth it to move to one of the most dangerous cities in the country? Do you think it is worth it to largely write of your twenties for this? Do you think its worth it?”

I spent a lot of time thinking about that and trying to come up with a perfect answer.  I never did come up with a perfect answer, but I would say this: “I can’t Imagine doing anything else.”  I want to make my life about helping people and alleviating human suffering.  I believe that this is the way that God would have me serve my fellow men; I believe that this is the way I can make a real difference in my life and the lives of those around me.

So I am asking you to invest in me, I am asking you to help me get through another semester at the University. I am asking you to help me to help others, because I believe it is worth it.

I hope you will consider helping me.

We have identified a suitable location that is for rent, recruited potential volunteers, and assembled a reasonable budget.  We believe that for roughly $2000/month, we can operate this Center and hire another full-time employee (Education Program Director) to oversee this much-needed project.  Now all we are looking for is funding!  If you think you would like to contribute to help making this goal a reality, click on any of the Donate Now buttons located throughout the website –  it is a quick and secure way to make a donation.  Remember to select “Recurring Donation” to ensure the ongoing success of this Education Center.  Please contact SOL Foundation if you have any questions about this program.

In addition to our daily after-school Community Courts programs, here’s a list of just some of the things that SOL Foundation was able to accomplish this year with your help:

-Jam Cruise community encounter day at the Courts – live music, food, and a mural painted with over 100 guests from the cruise ship and 100 community members participating in the event

-Outlook Expeditions group from Wales completes volunteer projects: building a recycling bin and a mural using hundreds of recycled plastic bottles and thousands of bottle caps

-SOL International earned a permanent spot on the Global Giving website after successfully completing the August Open Challenge

-Roatan All-Stars baseball team (ages 13-14) traveled to La Ceiba for their first travel baseball tournament

-SOL Softball League is formed: co-ed slow pitch softball for teens and adults; Team Wet Spot wins 1st annual championship!

-Sundowners and CocoLobo organize 2 street hockey tournaments to raise funds for SOL: 2 months of transportation scholarships paid for with money raised!

-Southern Oregon University SCUBA Club completes 2 weeks of volunteer work – tire swings, a new bridge at the courts, beach clean-up, and bottle cap mural at Clinica Esperanza

-SOL International, Clinica Esperanza and The Foundation for the Advancement of People begin administering the 1st medical scholarship and 2 nursing scholarships

-Santa Claus comes to Port of Roatan and a week later to Mahogany Bay.  SOL International brings 100 kids to meet Santa and receive a gift and meal

SOL International Foundation is looking forward to 2012 and the challenges and opportunities it will bring.  Our biggest goal this year is to open a Community Education Center in Sandy Bay to provide after-school tutoring, computer classes, and other educational programs.  To learn more about this project check out our listing on Global Giving.

Once again we thank you supporting SOL International in 2011.  Without the help of people like you, we would be unable to continue doing what we do – improving the lives of children in Roatan, Honduras!

Sincerely,

Mark Flanagan, Program Director
SOL International Foundation

This year, with the help of generous donations, SOL International has DOUBLED your chance of winning a 7-night stay in Roatan, Honduras.  The two accommodations up for grabs include at a luxury condo at Infinity Bay Spa and Beach Resort and The Casa Martin in West Bay Village.  The 2 winners will receive vouchers that are  good to be used anytime from January 1, 2012 – December 31, 2012, excluding blackout dates for Christmas and Semana Santa weeks.   Proceeds go to help with operating expenses for SOL International Foundation.  Without the support of people like you, we would be unable to continue doing what we do – improving the lives of children on the island of Roatan, Honduras!

To purchase your ticket click on the Make A Donation button, and make your $100 donation on behalf of “Roatan Raffle”. The raffle will close out on December 31, 2011 and the winner will be announced live on the air on Roatan Radio on January 1, 2012 (time to be announced).  Winners will also be announced by email and on Facebook.   If you are not already friends with ‘SOL Charity’ on Facebook, take a moment to send a friend request now to follow all the upcoming SOL International Foundation events.

Thanks for the support and GOOD LUCK in the raffle!

Mark Flanagan, Program Director