RECENT SERVICE ACTIVITIES
By Miles Standish
Cottonwood, Arizona 

Early in 2011 I received a request to provide more computers this year to the Indian school at the tiny town (village might be a better term) of Crystal, located about 30 miles north of Gallup, New Mexico. The request came from Zelda Cantrell, who is teacher of the 4th grade class. She came to visit us last year and I gave her two computers to take back with her. This year I happened to be getting some donations just in time to deliver before school adjourns for the summer. Zelda is a long-time friend from our days in Georgia. She "house sat" for us when my wife, Lea and I went to Costa Rica for two months in 1984 or thereabouts. The computers were donated through the Verde Valley Computer Club for "refurbishing" and further donation.

This photo is of the classroom, showing teacher Zelda Cantrell.  It was at the beginning of the class day. A couple of the parents have already arrived for receiving the computers at 9:00 am.  This school, on part of the Navajo Reservation, is run by the Bureau of Indian Education.

On May 3rd these computers were given to five students who posed with their parents for pictures. It's almost 300 miles from Cottonwood, so I drove there on May 2nd, spent the night in Zelda's cabin on the Navajo Reservation, and presented the computers the next morning.  In the picture with computers and students, the students' names (left to right) are: Ryan Begay, Tyrel Lee, Irina Joe, Jamie Brown, and Marty Sarracino. I was given "media press permission" signed by one of the parents of each. 

One planned event was a failure. I had bought into a two-year contract to provide Internet service using a wi-fi mobile hotspot, for the students to share, like each student having it one day a week, but the Verizon coverage in that area is unusable.

The Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota is not out of my picture. I bought 25 new US Army winter wool blankets to take to them for next winter, but have sent, rather than delivered them.  The blankets were distributed by a veterans organization on the Reservation to military veterans, of whom we are told some are homeless.

I also have two backup computers to send for the publisher of the tribal newspaper. I'm hoping to get some contributions to share the expense, and I think that will be forthcoming.

If you would like to participate in these activities - or initiate another - please contact us.  Donations by check or money order can be mailed to the Treasurer at the address below or given to the facilitator at any of our meetings.  Please make a note of the purpose in the "For" block of your check.  Our organization is now tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.  Thank you for participating in this type of service.

Theosophical Society in Phoenix
703 E Desert Jewel Drive
Cottonwood, AZ 86326