Free Spanish classes to be offered

A Spanish for Beginners series of classes is to be offered by the Lexington Public Library. The 6 week class will be held from 6-7:30 October 30th through December 11th at the Central Library on Main Street in Lexington. Contact Lindsay Mattingly, Multicultural Liaison at lmattingly@lexpublib.org.

Soly and Nicolas Herrera: An Ecuadorian Daughter-Father Art Exhibition to be held in Owensboro, and then Lexington

Soly and Nicolas Herrera: An Ecuadorian Daughter-Father Art Exhibition to be held in Owensboro, and then Lexington.



October 10 - November 7, 2008

Closing Reception: Thursday, Nov. 6, 6-8 p.m.

Anna Eaton Stout Gallery, Brescia University

717 Frederica Street

Owensboro, KY

Gallery Hours: 8:30 - 4:30 M-F

Information: stephend@brescia.edu



November 15, 2008 - January 4, 2009

Gallery Hop: Friday, November 21, 5-8 p.m.

Reception sponsored by Friends of the Library

Central Library Gallery

140 East Main Street

Lexington, KY

859.231-5559



Supported in part by a grant from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State through Partners of the Americas.

Ecuadorian guitarist Terry Pazmiño next Friday, October 10th at 4:00 p.m.

Please join us for a presentation by Ecuadorian guitarist Terry Pazmino next Friday, October 10th at 4:00 p.m. in The Gallery of the W.T. Young Library on the UK campus.

Terry Pazmiño is a classical guitarist and composer from Quito, Ecuador who, in addition to performing, researches, writes, and lectures on the popular and classical music traditions of Latin America. In his youth he mastered the forms of popular Ecuadorian music such as the sanjuanito, pasillo, danza and subsequently went abroad to study classical guitar with three Latin American masters of the instrument: Antonio Lauro, Alirio Díaz, and Alberto Ponce. Mr. Pazmiño studied in Sydney, Austrailia where he took an advanced degree and wrote on the popular South American music tradition. Many of his own compositions derive from Quichua and Spanish music of the Andes.

This event is sponsored by the UK Latin American Student Organization, Kentucky-Ecuador Partners, and the UK Office of International Affairs.

A New Facet to the Dental Project

by Rankin Skinner

In February, Rankin, Ruthi, Roberta, and Donald Skinner spent three weeks in Ecuador. We delivered 3,400 toothbrushes, applied a new fluoride varnish that remineralizes enamel and dentin and causes teeth to absorb 200% more fluoride, and delivered sealant material to participating clinics. We recruited firemen, policemen and Red Cross volunteers to help us accomplish this large task. This was the first time we have had help and it was GREAT! We also attended the indigenous soccer tournament in Peguche, where my Compadre's( Jaime Yacelga) team won the championship. The pregame show was three hours of dance and music. David Coffey's group took another 2,200 toothbrushes, which have been distributed in Ibarra. We also shipped 5,000 toothbrushes to the Peace Corps to distribute to the victims of Tunguarahua. We are working towards a national program in dental health, but that is another story.

Following the Skinner family’s visit to Ibarra, the following article appeared in the local newspaper:

La organizacion altruista denomindada "Companeros de las
Americas" combatira las caries en la ninez imbaburena aplicando
un barnez sellante recientemente inventado. El programa en el pais empezo en el 2002. El doctor Skinner entrego su sellante al Ministerio de Salud en esa occasion trabajo bien con ninos de algunas escuelas de Ibarra y el sector de La Esperanza, hasta el momento se ha traido al pais ciento cincuenta mil dosis del sellante. El objetivo de este ano seria llegar a cubrir todas las escuelas de la provincia de Imbabura como un plan piloto. Posteriormente se ampliara a nivel nacional. Para esto "Companeros de las Americas" intentaran conseguir el apoyo economico de la Fundacion Gates, de Bill Gates de Estados Unidos. Es un programa social. El programa odontologico para los ninos favorecidos es gratuito. Su objetivo, la prevencion de las caries en la ninez y tendra una duracion de 5 anos, solo en
Imbabura. Paralelamente al desarrollo del programa se sumara una provincia por ano. La segunda provincia seria Esmeraldas, por el regimen de estudios costa-sierra, y poder copar los tres meses de vacaciones escolares.

Observations from a Veteran…

Each year WKU Agriculture sponsors an 11-day Study Abroad to Ecuador. This is the 14 year agricultural and business students have visited the highlands of Ecuador. This year 22 students and assistants David Coffey, Melissa Stewart and
Kristie Guffey dug potatoes, ate guinea pig, studied floral exportation, and enjoyed the fellowship of former and current Kentucky-Ecuador Partners of the Americas as hosts. Medical supplies and appliances and 2300 toothbrushes were also distributed to enhance current Partners projects.

Below is a statement from Natalie Denney about her second trip to Ecuador, this time without strikes by indigenous populations. Natalie is a senior business major and has completed study abroad excursions in Ecuador, India and Costa Rica….

My second trip to Ecuador with Dr. Coffey was simply amazing! It was interesting to see the reactions of the first time visitors that were in the group to the beauty of the Ecuadorian landscape, its people and growth. Some members of our group had never even flown. Additionally a student from Kuwait and one from El Salvador added variety to the group. Everyone enjoyed learning about a different culture and was surprised by the generosity and hospitality of the people.

I visited Ecuador for the first time in spring 2006, in just two short years significant change had occurred in numerous areas. The airport was much nicer, the hotel had expanded and changed décor, roads were better, and there were more restaurants and development. Quito was cleaner and the colors and designs of the textiles were different yet beautiful. The disco was loud and crowded but the style of dancing had become more Americanized! We visited several farms, including the delphinium plantation that I went to in 2006. Exciting to see was their expansion into other varieties of flowers, including several greenhouses of Gerbera Daisies. Next, we dug potatoes on Ricardo Cobo’s farm. For lunch we ate locro, the typical soup of the Ecuadorian highlands; it was delicious. We also visited the pottery project and made our host happy since we purchased many types of work. Dishes, vases and animals proved to be very popular.

A favorite of the trip was Jose Martinez’ dairy farm near Puyo, where everyone had to purchase boots to walk through the mud. It was quite an adventure walking through the fields, falling in streams and getting stuck in knee high mud! We appreciate the trials for farmers in the Puyo area. Miguel Castanel’s observations and fellowship were always fun. My highlight of the trip was revisiting the studio of local Quito artist Enrique Alvarez. Enrique is becoming famous for painting faces of Ecuadorians in a specific color, which he gets from the aura of the persons after talking to them. It was exciting to see his development and his work being implemented in a government billboard project. Rarely does one witness an artist becoming famous!

Submitted by David Coffey

Items for Ecuador

Kentucky Partners gathered wheelchairs, walkers, canes, toothbrushes, books, and
children's items for distribution to Partners members working in Ecuador, including Miguel
Castanel in the oriente and Rich Mier and Rita Caufield in Santo Domingo de los Tsachila.
David Coffey and his students, as well as Bob and Judy Baumann and other travelers
assisted with transportation and distribution.

Thanks to those helpful travelers!

Communicate with the whole chapter!

All members of Kentucky Partners have been added to the Kentucky-Ecuador
Partners listserv. KYECUADORPARTNERS@lsv.uky.edu is a discussion list for
announcements, news, and discussion about Kentucky-Ecuador Partners activities and
programs. Everyone should have received instructions from the listserver for changing the
settings or leaving the list. If you have any questions about the listserv, contact list owner
Mary Molinaro molinaro@email.uky.edu. To communicate with the list members, send an
e-mail to KYECUADORPARTNERS@lsv.uky.edu.

Kentucky Partners Board of Directors 2008-1010

President and Fellow - Deborah Hill dbhill@uky.edu
President-elect - Peggy McAllister peggy@lexpublib.org
Vice-president Membership - Susan Cantor slcantor@insightbb.com
Vice-president Fundraising - Brenda Oldfield brendas@qx.net
Secretary - Louise Halsey lmhalsey@earthlink.net
Treasurer - Nancy Chesser nechesser@peoplepc.com
Immediate Past President - Mary Molinaro molinaro@uky.edu
Executive Director and Fellow - Kay Roberts roberts@uky.edu
At-large - Rankin Skinner 2domes@bellsouth.net
At-large - Ryan Quarles ryanquarles@aol.com
At-large - Kathy Stutland kaqs@yahoo.com
At-large - Juan Pablo Espinosa Juan.espinosa@uky.edu
Fellow - Frank Hutchins fhutchins@spalding.edu
Agriculture co-chair and Fellow - David Coffey david.coffey@wku.edu
Culture chair - Steve Driver stephend@brescia.edu
Education chair - Linda Gonzales Linda.gonzales@wku.edu
Rehabilitation chair - Nancy Chesser nechesser@peoplepc.com
Sports chair - Charlie Spiegel cspiegel@insightbb.com
Honorary member and Ex-officio - Ed Caicedo eciengineers@yahoo.com
Board Positions yet to fill: Emergency Preparedness and Health