Letter from the President

Dear Friends of Colombia,

As most of you know by now, we are well underway with our plans for a conference/reunion in Cartagena in February 2008. Most people will arrive on February 4 for the conference dates of February 5, 6, and 7. We are receiving assistance from several sources, including the Embassy of Colombia, Los Cafeteros, the Hotel Santa Teresa, Avianca, and Fiesta Travel. The conference headquarters is the Hotel Santa Teresa.

The purpose of the event is many-fold: to reconnect
with Colombia, reunite among ourselves, learn about
modern-day Colombia, learn about projects we have
been supporting and meet some of the recipients, identify
ways in which we can continue to be involved in the
process of change in Colombia, and have a great time in
a city many of us remember well and a country we have
never forgotten.

We have asked for reservation extensions, so if you
did not reply by the July 31st deadline, contact the
travel agency for further details—Mery Patterson at Fiesta
Travel, 202-862-5570 or mpatterson@fiestatravel.
com. If you did not receive information about
this event, please contact me at arlches@aol.com with
the subject CARTAGENA.

Our webmaster, Jim O’Reilly, has designed and implemented
a new website. Our web address remains the
same, friendsofcolombia.org. The Cartagena conference
materials can be accessed on the website. Thank you,
Jim.

We have received some interest in volunteer opportunities
in Colombia. Maureen Orth, Mary Ray, and
I have had planning sessions with Juan Esteban Orduz,
President of the Colombian Coffee Federation. He is
looking for ways to upgrade English language training
and computer technology education in these schools.
See the article “Update: Cafeteros’ Invitation” on page
6.

I hope you are making your plans for Cartagena!
Please send in your conference registration forms. The
registration fee will cover some of the expenses of putting
it together. If money is left over, it will go towards
the projects we sponsor. We are planning social events
for conference participants only. We hope to find sponsors
for these events. If we do not get sponsors, you may
sign up for the events and pay at the door.

I’m happy to report that by April we had received
membership dues from 200, not 20. Our organization
remains vital and growing

Sincerely yours,
Arleen Stewart Cheston
President, Friends of Colombia
Volume 21, Number 2 August 2007