At noon in the Commons, Ellen Urbani will give a reading from her book “When I was Elena,” describing her experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala in the 1990s.

Information will be provided about Los Romeritos and the group will also be selling craft items made by and purchased from the women of the Ruth and Nohemi Cooperative in Chohtola, Guatemala. Proceeds from the sales at Lewis & Clark will go toward purchasing school and medical supplies for Los Romeritos.

The Graduate School’s Dean’s Advisory Council would like to invite you to visit with the representatives from Los Romeritos to learn more about one way that you can make a difference in the lives of children.

For more information on Los Romeritos, please feel free to visit the school’s website at http://www.amigosdelosromeritos.org/.

Background:

In 1995, three strangers, Meggan Parkinson (Oregon City, OR), daughter of a Graduate School alumnus, Laura Romero (Spain), and Jaime Marcia (El Salvador), met in Guatemala City and were inspired to do street theatre with the homeless street children whom they were meeting. In talking with the children, the three learned that there was a pressing need for a safe place for the children to be during the day. With that, the dream of Los Romeritos, a day school for the children, was formed.

Meggan and Laura returned to their respective colleges to complete their degrees, planning to return to Guatemala City to launch Los Romeritos with Jaime. Sadly, both were killed in separate automobile accidents before they could return.

Moving forward in time, Jaime Marcia and his wife, Elisa, with assistance from the Parkinson and Romero families, launched Los Romeritos in 1997. The day school serves children in Guatemala City and at a new site in Amatitlan. Medical services are now also provided.