Reconnection with Proyecto Horizonte in New York City

In January, I had the opportunity to meet the founder of Proyecto Horizonte, Christian Ruehmer, and work with other volunteers in supporting Proyecto Horizonte at the LatinFinance Awards Gala at Gotham Hall in New York City.  LatinFinance provides financial markets intelligence on Latin America and the Caribbean and publishes a magazine and daily news alert.  It also hosts conferences and other events, such as this one.  For the awards ceremony, Proyecto Horizonte was selected as the “charity of choice” and featured throughout the evening.  The gala showcased Proyecto Horizonte through an auction, a speech and video presented by Christian, and beautiful pledge cards, which highlight Proyecto Horizonte’s own children appreciatively thanking the new donors with their short, extended arms waving paper with letters that spell out, “GRACIAS”.

I first worked with the children of Proyecto Horizonte about two years ago when I volunteered onsite, tutoring after school in reading and writing and supporting the Tantakuna women’s group through marketing and research.  Since then, I have worked remotely with translations and marketing, still supporting the organization, but at a distance.   

As a part of preparing for and supporting Proyecto Horizonte at the LatinFinance event, volunteers supplied tables with pledge cards, set up the auction table, and talked about PH among ourselves and with potential donors.  Ramping up for the event was exciting and filled with anticipation, but after an evening filled with drinks, dinner, an awards ceremony, and the auction, we were exhausted. However, at the end of the four-hour event, we paused and gave a toast to Proyecto Horizonte, satisfied that what we did that evening would translate into changing lives.

The venue was beautiful, the evening went smoothly, and thankfully, our work that evening did raise funds for Proyecto Horizonte.  What was most meaningful to me was the chance to meet Christian and his family and other volunteers, like Brittany Denter, who are excited about and engaged with Proyecto Horizonte’s work.  Collaborating as a remote volunteer can sometimes be challenging, even with Facebook, Skype and all of the other technologies connecting us.  This event has helped me reconnect with Proyecto Horizonte’s mission and remember why it’s important to me to support the community of Mineros San Juan and to share the happiness I experienced while I was there walking through the bright Bolivian sunlight and chatting with the children.

---Ashley Lacy, Volunteer