Hello. My name is Pat Pannell, but I'm better known as Tia Pat in a certain town in Northern Guatemala. I want to tell you who I am and why I started this campaign.

I'm an American woman who first went to the Northern Guatemalan town of San Andrés in 2000. I had just turned 40 and wanted to get to work on a bucket list goal to get fluent in Spanish. I was graciously hosted by Lola Pacheco, a grandmother of 10 who spoke no English.

I became enamored of the slower pace of life, the easy smiles and robust laughter that radiated throughout the town. I continued to return year after year to improve my Spanish but more importantly to spend time with Lola and her family. On one visit I discovered that some of the children were not attending school because they couldn't afford books or uniforms. $175 later, 10 kids were back in school.

It got me thinking about my personal affect in the world. I saw these smart kids heading toward another generation of poverty with no concept of how or why to choose a different path. I made a decision.

I promised all 10 of Lola's grandchildren that they could go as far as they wanted with their educations. I would make it happen. 24 years later I can report that all 10 of them received a high school diploma. Some continued with career training in Early Childhood Education or Mechanics. Some earned Bachelor’s Degrees. Candida Teresa Gálvez Acosta (Tere), now 32, earned a Master’s Degree in Social Services Administration. My husband Loren and I attend every graduation!

She has worked for the municipality with women in remote areas to educate them on basic nutrition, how to cultivate and cook with fresh fruits and vegetables.

She is bright and kind. I'll never forget when she was 15 and I told her that she needed to transfer to a college prep school 30 minutes away. She was devastated. She wailed that she didn't want to leave her friends. It was agonizing (for me anyway.) Two weeks later I spoke to her and she had new friends and was on track to apply for university in a few years.

After completing her education, she married Carlos Patzán Vitzil, her high school sweetheart

Tere is special to me. She and I have spent many hours discussing human motivation, traditions, life choices and the difficulties involved in working with people who cannot imagine life being different than it is.

The scrawny little girl I met 20 years ago is now making her own affect on the world. I couldn't be prouder. With the income she and Carlos have earned they've begun to build a home. It’s a lovely 2 bedroom place that will someday have a working kitchen and bathroom.

In 2021 they were thrilled at the prospect of welcoming their first child. Sadly, their daughter was stillborn.

When Tere was ready to return to work, the governmental staff had changed and she had difficulty getting a regular employment contract. She was the primary bread winner. Without her income, they had to stop work on the house.

A few months ago, she texted me to announce that she was pregnant again. Carlos had a job that required him to be away during the week. He would return home for the weekends.

Tragically, Carlos was killed in an auto accident on his way back to work on March 9th.

Tere will now be a single mother. She will not be able to work again for 10-12 months. She will only receive $60 a month on her husband’s Social Security. When the baby arrives, she’ll get another $60. To put this into context, Tere earned $900 a month in her job and Carlos earned $650.

• Tere has no medical insurance.

• She will have to pay for a cesarean out of pocket.

• She has virtually no income.

• Her house has no doors, functioning bathroom or kitchen.

• The baby is due in July.

• She won’t be seen as employable until 2025.

Without our help she could lose all the gains she worked so hard to achieve. Here’s a person who has:

• lifted herself out of poverty through education and

• chosen a field that allows her to lift other families up and to improve educational outcomes for children in her community.

Please help to keep her from regressing into poverty and hopelessness. Help allow Carlos’ legacy to be the completion of their humble house. Help to provide a healthy and safe environment for their baby girl when she arrives in July.

I propose that we focus on providing $1,000 a month for her living expenses for 10 months ($10,000) and then work to raise another $12,000 for construction costs to finish her house.

For those of you who know me personally, you know how much Tere and her family mean to me. For those of you who follow Chick Boss, you know that our primary mission is to uplift families through training and living wage work. Tere's mother is our Lead Beader and her brother Reginaldo was our Lead Artisan (until he completed his Bachelor's degree in Communication,) her cousins are Metalsmiths and her Aunties are Beaders.

We, all of us, are one human family. Tere will be moved beyond measure to know how much we truly care. Please join me in providing a real solution to one family in Guatemala. By supporting Tere, we are supporting her entire family and her efforts to bring better living conditions to others in her community.

With love and hope, Pat