Puerto Rican Fencing Fund
Donation protected
It's hard to believe how much has happened in the weeks since I was forwarded an email from the Puerto Rican Fencing President. (please read his email below). Juan Carlos' plea was to the American fencing community and in a short time, a lot has happened within our community, and we have organized the effort to bring fencers to the United States to live and train.
Video of one of the Puerto Rican fencing clubs post hurricane.
Helped by social media, US fencing clubs and owners have quickly come together to find places for these young athletes to train.
The Rochester Fencing Club will be hosting Lorenzo Sanchez Vigier (epee) from Thanksgiving to mid-January.
(Pic of Lorenzo arriving to upstate NY on 11/14/2017.)
Jennie and Jeffrey Salmon, owners of the Mission Fencing Center , will be hosting 6 fencers in December-January.
(*NEW* pic below of the kids headed to Jeff and Jennie!)
(Great pic of Jeff getting their apartments ready!)
Amgad Badawi, owner of the International Fencers Alliance of Dallas , will be hosting 6 or more fencers at his fencing club also December-January. Update as of 11/15: The first Puerto Rican fencer, Juan Carlos De la Cruz will be arriving in Dallas on December 9th.
*NEW UPDATE* 12/11/2017
Thank you to Manhattan Fencing and Coach Yury Gelman as well as Fencers Club and Coach Kornel Udvarhelyi for their generous donation of a few spots to their elite winter camps and practices. Thank you!
Another thank you to:
Cathy and Mariel Zagunis for taking up the cause and collecting and donating slightly used equipment and coordinating equipment donations after the Portland NAC.
Absolute Fencing Gear for donating equipment! Thank you Gary and Amanda!
Our community is ready to embrace these athletes with time, energy and emotional and logistical support but we really need help in meeting the daily costs of housing, food, competitions and travel. All funds raised will go directly to support these costs for the athletes.
Jennie Salmon estimates that it will cost upward of $5000 for the apartments, food, and travel expenses for the group staying at her fencing club.
We are still working on equipment donations. Any questions regarding equipment, please contact Iris directly at [email redacted].
Thank you in advance. Please read the email from the President of the Puerto Rican Fencing Federation .
World Federation and Clubs…
As you might know from following the news the island of Puerto Rico and many of the adjacent islands in the Caribbean have recently been devastated by the passing of hurricanes Irma and Maria through our region. We thought we were going to dodge the proverbial “bullet” after Irma’s passing, but this was not to be. Maria was a direct hit on the island on September 20, 2017, causing unthinkable devastation and a level of destruction which we were not prepared for. As of today, most of our island remains without electricity and only about two thirds of the island have running water. We have spotty cell phone service at best, and the internet is practically non-existent. We are doing our best to get to a level of normality, but it is extremely difficult within these conditions. We do have a working airport which has been a bright spot for many.
Two weeks before hurricane Maria we were in preparation for Barranquilla 2018, World Cup Junior/Panamerican Games and a new year of copetition to take place in 2018 of net year. We have a new Board of Directors of the Fencing Federation and we were diligently scheduling practice in preparation for the event, but unfortunately, this event took us by surprise. Our facilities have been completely destroyed and we have no means of training in the island currently. We are in desperate need of assistance, in particular with the ability provide continued training to our athletes, which right now we cannot fulfill. HELP US¡¡¡ With equipment to our facilitys...Help US¡¡¡Send our athletes to do trainning outside PR.
THANK YOU…
Juan Carlos Ramírez
Video of one of the Puerto Rican fencing clubs post hurricane.
Helped by social media, US fencing clubs and owners have quickly come together to find places for these young athletes to train.
The Rochester Fencing Club will be hosting Lorenzo Sanchez Vigier (epee) from Thanksgiving to mid-January.
(Pic of Lorenzo arriving to upstate NY on 11/14/2017.)
Jennie and Jeffrey Salmon, owners of the Mission Fencing Center , will be hosting 6 fencers in December-January.
(*NEW* pic below of the kids headed to Jeff and Jennie!)(Great pic of Jeff getting their apartments ready!)
Amgad Badawi, owner of the International Fencers Alliance of Dallas , will be hosting 6 or more fencers at his fencing club also December-January. Update as of 11/15: The first Puerto Rican fencer, Juan Carlos De la Cruz will be arriving in Dallas on December 9th.
*NEW UPDATE* 12/11/2017
Thank you to Manhattan Fencing and Coach Yury Gelman as well as Fencers Club and Coach Kornel Udvarhelyi for their generous donation of a few spots to their elite winter camps and practices. Thank you!
Another thank you to:
Cathy and Mariel Zagunis for taking up the cause and collecting and donating slightly used equipment and coordinating equipment donations after the Portland NAC.
Absolute Fencing Gear for donating equipment! Thank you Gary and Amanda!
Our community is ready to embrace these athletes with time, energy and emotional and logistical support but we really need help in meeting the daily costs of housing, food, competitions and travel. All funds raised will go directly to support these costs for the athletes.
Jennie Salmon estimates that it will cost upward of $5000 for the apartments, food, and travel expenses for the group staying at her fencing club.
We are still working on equipment donations. Any questions regarding equipment, please contact Iris directly at [email redacted].
Thank you in advance. Please read the email from the President of the Puerto Rican Fencing Federation .
World Federation and Clubs…
As you might know from following the news the island of Puerto Rico and many of the adjacent islands in the Caribbean have recently been devastated by the passing of hurricanes Irma and Maria through our region. We thought we were going to dodge the proverbial “bullet” after Irma’s passing, but this was not to be. Maria was a direct hit on the island on September 20, 2017, causing unthinkable devastation and a level of destruction which we were not prepared for. As of today, most of our island remains without electricity and only about two thirds of the island have running water. We have spotty cell phone service at best, and the internet is practically non-existent. We are doing our best to get to a level of normality, but it is extremely difficult within these conditions. We do have a working airport which has been a bright spot for many.
Two weeks before hurricane Maria we were in preparation for Barranquilla 2018, World Cup Junior/Panamerican Games and a new year of copetition to take place in 2018 of net year. We have a new Board of Directors of the Fencing Federation and we were diligently scheduling practice in preparation for the event, but unfortunately, this event took us by surprise. Our facilities have been completely destroyed and we have no means of training in the island currently. We are in desperate need of assistance, in particular with the ability provide continued training to our athletes, which right now we cannot fulfill. HELP US¡¡¡ With equipment to our facilitys...Help US¡¡¡Send our athletes to do trainning outside PR.
THANK YOU…
Juan Carlos Ramírez
Organizer
Iris Zimmermann Nowack
Organizer
Pittsford, NY
