March 2007

ENCOUNTER EL SALVADOR BRINGS DOWN THE HOUSE WITH A GRAND FIESTA

BALTIMORE, MD - In order to help fundraise for this program we initiated an event we call "La Fiesta" in 2002. Since then it has grown and is becoming a popular and fun event. The week before La Fiesta we will be selling arts and crafts we have purchased in Salvadoran fair trade cooperatives, raffle tickets for great items such as an IPOD, an original painting, a Salvadoran hammock, etc., and for the first time we will be selling "Encounter El Salvador t-shirts." La Fiesta will host two Loyola bands to entertain the crowd, and burritos from Chipotle. We will draw the winners at the Fiesta and highlight the Encounter El Salvador program with decorations and photos. Please join us on April 3, 2007 at McGuire Hall from 5-7pm. Tickets for the food will be sold at the box office.

Encounter El Salvador is an international immersion program sponsored by the Center for Community Service and Justice. The first trip was in 1998 and it has grown and evolved over the years. Encounter El Salvador is a 10 day immersion experience in partnership between Loyola College's Center for Community Service and Justice and CRISPAZ (Christians for Peace in El Salvador). The group spends the majority of their time in the capital city of San Salvador, learning about the many issues facing the Salvadoran people as well as the work that is being done by social service agencies and NGO's, religious and educational institutions, and the government.

The Loyola group spends the weekend in a rural community northeast of San Salvador, living with host families, joining them in some of their everyday activities, and learning about the community.  This year's team is made up of 9 undergraduate students, 2 graduate students, 1 faculty, 1 staff and/or administrators and the 2 co-coordinators. The trip to El Salvador happens after graduation in late May.

The event is free, and open to the public. For more information or to make a donation, please call 410/617-5823 or visit www.loyola.edu/ccsj/immersion/international/EncounterElSavador/index.html

Loyola College in Maryland is a Jesuit comprehensive university comprising a College of Arts and Sciences and The Sellinger School of Business and Management. Established in 1852, Loyola enrolls 3,500 undergraduate and 2,630 graduate students from across the country.

Persons with disabilities who may require special services should contact the Office of Disability Support Services at 410/617-2062 or (TDD) 410/617-2141 at least 48 hours prior to the event.