During the pandemic in Guatemala, as girls were no longer able to attend school and missed out on studies, it became evident that the lack of digital platforms in the high schools was having a big effect. These platforms enabled their course work to be uploaded and help the student keep up with studies. Since 2020, BFB Foundation provided digital platforms to four high schools providing opportunities for students to continue their studies during interruptions like the pandemic. Students have continued to use the platforms to study at home.
Promoting Economic Mobility in Charlotte & Guatemala by Making Girls Aware of Opportunities through STEM Related Jobs
Events: Voices : Voces featuring Shayla Rivera and Diane Feinstein. Providing a Series of Speaker Events presented by CPCC and BFBFoundation targeting economically underprivileged girls to expose and promote an interest in STEM careers and provide financial scholarships in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).
Purpose: To immediately and positively impact the Economic Mobility marker in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County by providing an on-going interest in degrees or certifications in areas of STEM. The goal is to quickly improve the earning power of girls and promote their interest in continuing to further their education and careers in STEM related jobs. In Guatemala, to bring awareness to girls of the opportunities that STEM can provide in studies and jobs.
STEM Education for Teachers in Guatemala
In 2021 and 2022, through a partnership with the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG), BFBFoundation provided a certification course for 30 teachers in our four partner Bethlehemite high schools to be able to provide training and awareness for our high school girls in the areas of science, technology, math and engineering. The certifications were very successful and the high schools have been very engaged in providing this type of education and awareness to the students in the last several years.
A Special Thank You
We would like to thank two generous donors for allowing us to provide 56 pre-owned, refurbished laptop computers to under-resourced students in our partner schools in Guatemala. These students have been challenged to learn remotely during the COVID virus when everything went online. We want to thank the anonymous individual who donated the 56 computers (and has donated over 150 computers just in the last 4 years!) We also want to thank Corporacion Radio Electonica S.A. in Guatemala for donating the cost of shipping the computers from Charlotte, North Carolina to Guatemala. This was a huge undertaking. THANKS to both donors who are helping the girls who will now be able to do their schoolwork remotely!
ALL 4-1 Campaign
As many of you already know, BFB stands for Burns Fazzi Brock, the two Co-Founders, Chris Burns-Fazzi and Rich Brock, business partners for 25 years. In November 2021, Rich and Shelly (his wife and BFB board member) hosted the first, since the pandemic, ALL 4-1 event in their home. The gathering brought together supporters and scholarship sponsors for girls in Guatemala. Five new sponsor groups were added on to support girl’s University Education!
Thank you, Rich and Shelly, for opening your home to BFB and promoting this wonderful, impactful program!
The ALL 4-1 Campaign brings together small groups of people who want to make a difference by sharing their giving power to support one girl’s scholarship for five years. To put a girl through University in Guatemala costs about $600 annually, so each person commits to paying $150 each year for the 5 years. It pays for the student’s tuition, books, internet, transportation and housing.
Why are programs such as STEM so important...
"How can you know possibilities you have before you if you don't even know that they exist?"
Chris Burns-Fazzi
CO-FOUNDER BFB
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