Dear Colleagues, Friends and Associates,
I have very mixed feelings as I write this message. As most everyone knows, we unexpectedly lost Juan Guillermo Ochoa Sierra, a tremendously important supporter of the Colombia-Purdue community, just a few days ago. His support, enthusiasm and friendship are sorely missed. This loss is as sobering as his accomplishments are inspiring.
With Juan Guillermo in mind, I want to send a special thanks to all of you for your interest and support of efforts that bring Purdue closer to Colombia. Secondly, I wish to thank you all for the wonderful response we had during Purdue's Day of Giving. The generosity and enthusiasm of the Colombia-Purdue community never ceases to amaze me. Finally, I want to ask you for your suggestions as to how we can improve our efforts to strengthen the Colombia-Purdue collaborations.
One of the outcomes from Purdue's Day of Giving was a new and improved version of the Purdue anthem you can see here. In total, the Colombia Purdue Initiative (CPI) raised $109,675 from 34 donors. Also, the Colombian Student Association at Purdue (CSAP) received $4,490 from 61 donors. Other accomplishments included:
All told, it appears that interest and support for Colombia-Purdue is strong and growing. We are definitely going in the right direction! Click here to visit our photo gallery from the day.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to add a special thanks to Natalia Siegert, Clara Vasquez and Maria del Rosario Uribe whose hard work keeps us informed about Colombian related events each month in this newsletter. Their dedication and enthusiasm give me hope for future generations.
Sincerely,
Jeff Stuart