School collects supplies for Cerra Azul
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20050311-9999...
By Pat Sherman
March 11, 2005
RANCHO PENASQUITOS ? Blankets, shoes, coats and toys.
Sacks of rice, beans and dog food.
In an empty classroom, the supplies pile up.
On a wall, photographs of children in an impoverished town show eyes glimmering with hope.
For the past seven years, students at Mt. Carmel High School have collected items for residents of Cerra Azul, a small town near Tecate, Mexico.
Twice a year, Mt. Carmel High staff, sometimes accompanied by students and parents, deliver supplies to a day-care center in the town. The collection
is coordinated by Edna Mailey, Barbara Charlebois and Adrianne Flaherty of Mt. Carmel's Student Services Department.
In December, Mt. Carmel staff traveled to Cerra Azul with two carloads of supplies.
Ashley Atkinson, a 17-year-old Mt. Carmel senior, and her mother, Linda, visited Cerra Azul two years ago. Students are permitted to join school staff
in distributing items, though they must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
"There was this one house that we visited and I believe two older Mexican men lived there," said Ashley, who's president of Mt. Carmel's Animal Rescue
and Interact clubs.
"They had probably about 50 animals at the house ? chickens, cats, dogs, some kind of lizards. We took some supplies for (the men) and then we had a
bunch of other food we were feeding the animals."
If nobody is home to accept a food donation, volunteers will sometimes throw food over the fence to feed a hungry dog, Mailey said.
"People down there have a hard enough time feeding their children, never mind animals."
Linda Atkinson said she and her daughter weren't sure what to expect in Cerra Azul.
"Any little bit we brought down was appreciated," she said. "The simple things for us would be so important to them."
Ashley said she was surprised by conditions in Cerra Azul.
"It was just amazing seeing how different it is from San Diego. It was all dirt roads. The houses were made of pieces of cardboard and sometimes some
kind of metal siding."
The school initially got involved in the efforts while helping Philip Bailey, a North County-based pastor.
Before the day-care center was established, many preschool-age children were left alone during the day, while their parents worked in a local brick
factory, Mailey said.
The day-care center is run by Linda and Jim Doss of H.I.S. Ministries, which builds housing for poor families in the Tecate region.
Linda Doss, a Cerra Azul resident, said the Mt. Carmel volunteers are "a huge blessing."
"Everybody knows them in the area. They're very anxious to help."
Mt. Carmel students also collect dog food for the Baja Animal Sanctuary in Rosarito Beach.
On the first Monday of each month, they serve food to homeless people at the Salvation Army in downtown San Diego, and deliver blankets, jackets and
socks.
Charlebois said the idea to assist the Rosarito Beach animal shelter was proposed by a student who read about it in a newspaper. The bond students
form with animals helps engage them in something larger than themselves, she said, helping them incorporate volunteerism in their lives.
"I think kids get a bad rap," Charlebois said. "When you give teenagers an opportunity to do something that's meaningful and worthwhile, they'll go
for it."
For their efforts, students may receive community service credits needed to graduate.
Donations are currently being sought for a trip to Cerra Azul early next month. To donate items, contact Edna Mailey in Student Services at (858)
484-1180, ext. 3140.
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