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Funding
Program Funding:
Currently, CREAR and Intercultura assume joint administrative and organizational responsibility for the program, donating a large portion of the costs for salaries and scholarships to CREAR and the After School Program. However, CREAR is fast becoming autonomous as funding arrives from local and international sponsors in the educational arena. The local population, through their time, efforts and financial sponsorship, have joined our efforts to ensure the continued educational and creative growth of the town’s youth, who represent the future of our community.
Our objective is to expand our offering, increase the quality of our program and become accessible to all, independently of each family’s economic status. In order to achieve this, we turn to the community and independent donors. The registration and materials fee each child pays per month provides some funding assistance, but we remain limited in our ability to expand and improve our curriculum without further help. Donations of money, materials, time, expertise and/or teaching all help determine the future of this program. The success of the ASP project depends on an operating budget of roughly $10,000 USD per year. Imagine: if just 50 people donated $200 each, our entire budget goal would be completed for the entire year.
Summary:
With further donations we plan to do the following:
* Offer need-based and merit scholarships to cover children from low-income homes.
* Offer free transportation so that children from other nearby areas (such as El Torito, Carrillo, Buena Vista and Estrada) can participate in the program.
* Manage the town library, starting with over 1000 children’s books already donated.
How can you help?
If you are interested in becoming a donor, there are many ways to help: financial, your time, teaching expertise, materials, organization of events, and more.
If you do choose to donate funding, there are several benefits for you as a donor. These are described below.
Donor Benefits:
CREAR continues to promote the program throughout the year via public announcements, monthly bulletins, fundraising events, etc. with the cooperation of teachers, administrators and the community. By pledging a yearly donation of $50-$250 ($4-21 per month) USD you will receive:
1. Inclusion in the list of sponsors on any and all propaganda dealing with the program.
2. Your name or business name on the back inside cover of our quarterly bulletin distributed in the area.
3. Inclusion in the list of sponsors in the quarterly update article released in the Revista Del Sol distributed to all major tourist areas in the Nicoya Peninsula and selected areas of San Jose
4. Sponsor Link from the CREAR website to your website
OR, by pledging a yearly donation of $300-500 USD ($25 – $42 USD per month) you will receive:
1. Inclusion in the list of primary sponsors on any and all propaganda dealing with the program.
2. Your name or business name on the front inside cover of our quarterly bulletin distributed in the area.
3. Inclusion in the list of primary sponsors in the quarterly update article released in the Revista Del Sol distributed to all major tourist areas in the Nicoya Peninsula and selected areas of San Jose.
4. Primary sponsor link from the CREAR website to your website
5. Link from Intercultura’s website to your website 6. Option to publish directed-theme articles in Del Sol magazine, with your business information included in the byline.
In Closing:
Your donation will directly benefit the children of Samara. CREAR sincerely appreciates your help in developing the program and providing the ongoing support needed to ensure that our young population is provided with creative educational opportunities. We and the community thank you for your generosity and willingness to believe in and nurture our youth, and of course, for your donation.
Crear Sponsors
Primary Donors:
Hotel Giada
C&C Surf Shop
Bar Las Olas
Intercultura Language & Cultural Center
Donors:
Restaurante La Casa de Coco
Lic. Fabiola López
Skynet Internet Café
Seanet Internet Café
Dr. Freddy Soto
Revista Del Sol
Marijke Scholten
Lucie Angers
Cassie Clinton
Laura Ellington
Edgar Meza Mora
Volunteer Program
CREAR is always seeking qualified and caring individuals to volunteer in our programs. You can live on the beach in beautiful Costa Rica, while helping the children and the communities of Playa Sámara. We accept both long-term and short-term volunteers.
Long-term volunteer requirements:
Long-term volunteers need to arrive in Costa Rica with a conversational level of the Spanish language and commit to a 4-month minimum stay and approximately 20-30 hours of work per week. Our long-term volunteers have the responsibility of heading a specific project as a Project Coordinator. There is no fee for long-term volunteers, but they must cover their food and housing costs. These costs need not be too expensive, depending on the needs of the volunteer. We will gladly help you secure living arrangements that will suit your needs. Long-term volunteers may eventually establish a permanent position with a small stipend.
Long-term Positions:
We are specifically looking for someone with interest in developing their experience in the areas of: volunteer coordination, teaching, fundraising, grant writing, website development/maintenance, computer technician, project developer, and fieldworker. Fieldwork may include the following; teaching (English, environmental studies, art, music, dance, theater, etc.), construction, murals, librarian duties, and more. If you are interested in becoming a long-term volunteer for CREAR, please send your application (link to download app.) to volunteers@asociacioncrear.org with any questions, dates, cover letter, a copy of your resume, and contact information. A phone interview in Spanish will also be required before securing a position.
Short-term volunteer requirements:
Short-term volunteers commit to at least 1 week of services and may stay as long as they would like to. There is no Spanish language requirement for short-term volunteers, although a basic sense of the language will prove helpful. There is a minimum $100 donation required for the first 1-4 weeks for a short-term volunteer: this goes directly towards covering the Association’s current program needs (e.g. materials, program expansion and construction/renovation supplies). Volunteers who wish to receive housing placement assistance can opt to pay an additional $50 for this service, which offers options with local families, apartments and hotels. Volunteers cover the costs of their own food and lodging. There is a suggested donation of $25 per week after the first month.
Short-term positions
Short-term volunteers work an average of 2-4 hours/day, but are welcome to work more if they wish. Volunteer duties may include community clean-ups, assisting in the classroom and library, construction/renovation assistance, newsletter maintenance, tutoring and more. If you are interested in staying in beautiful Sámara, Guanacaste and becoming a short-term volunteer for La Asociación CREAR, please email volunteers@asociacioncrear.org with a completed volunteer application (link to application file) and any questions, dates of interest and preferred areas of work.
