Seattle Salsa: Dance For A Cause

I'm sitting in my living room, soaking up everything that is being said around me. The conversation taking place is inspiring, if nothing less. The person in the center of it is a role model of a young professional woman doing good smack in the middle of a harsh business world. Myra is sharing the hopes and fears for the fundraiser that she's organizing for the non-profit, Adelante, on Saturday, November 21, 2009. The numbers that she's throwing out shock me to the core. "We're hoping to raise $10,000, does that seem like a lot?" No, it doesn't. "But there's SO much you can do with that money in Nicaragua!" She continues to share just how much can be done with so little money. $50 will provide a notebook, pencil, and pen for up to 100 students. $1000 sponsors a teacher for six months to a year. $5,000 raised last year fixed a roof, built a security fence around a school building that was robbed of its food and school supplies, fixed 3 outhouses with doors and new paint, and provided 480 students with all the school supplies they needed, including text books.

I tell her that her determination and business knowledge is impressive. Her response shows passionate humility. "You would do it too, if you went there. You can't come back and do nothing once you've seen the conditions that people live in." Still, the Herculean efforts the woman is putting into the fundraiser are noteworthy. Adelante is a non-profit that concentrates on building sustainable community programs in Nicaragua. Myra volunteers her time for it OUTSIDE a regular marketing job AND running Adelante's sister non-profit, Vecinos, with another friend. When she sleeps is a mystery to me.

Yes, there IS a reason why this story is on my Salsa blog. The aforementioned fundraiser is a Latin dance night, featuring performances of local talent, a silent auction, and an update from Nicaragua. It will take place on November 21, 2009 at the Sole Repair Shop at 1001 East Pike St., Seattle. Door open at 7:30 and the event is 21+. There is a suggested donation of $20.00.

We all love to dance. Many of us are known for spending a lot more money than $20.00 for tickets/hotels to various Salsa events around the country and even the world. But this time the money you spend will actually be used for something meaningful, so doesn't that make it so much more appealing? (Besides the fact that you don't even have to fly anywhere...) Come out and dance for a good cause. I rarely come out these days (hence the silence on the blog...) and even rarer do I COMMIT to attending an event. But I'm committed to attending this one. No mind-changing. I'm there :)

Fixing the Roof

Outhouses Vecinos repaired