SMILES FOREVER - SATURDAY NOV 1ST

I want to tell you about a Seattle woman named Sandy Kemper because I think her cause is outstanding.

Her organization is called SMILES FOREVER, and it's devoted to helping elevate the people of Bolivia in three ways:

1) by training indigenous women as dental hygenists, they are able to sustain themselves and their families,

2) increase access to preventative dental care, which is rare in Bolivia and much of South America, and

3) elevate entire communities, by getting individuals out of poverty who then inspire others.

Sandy's hosting the 7th Annual Live and Silent Auction Dinner, called Dancing with the Latin Stars, and featuring terrific Brazilian musician/dancers. Penny LeGate is MCing.

It's on Saturday, November 1st at the Edgewater Inn starting at 6:00pm and costs $70.
Please please please consider a night out to help this amazing work Sandy and her team are doing!

You can purchase tickets on-site or contact Sandy directly:
sandykemper@comcast.net or 206-719-7163

The site is http://www.smilesforever.org/ but it's a work in progress and there are no ticket sales for this event through the site.

If you can't attend the event, please consider donating directly to Smiles Forever.

¡Fiesta! Bolivian Day

SATURDAY NIGHT started at 4pm at Jorge's house in Bothell. I would guess there were more than 100 people there, gathered to celebrate Bolivia's independence from Spain. Most of them were of South American roots, but there were a few tagalongs like me there, too. We all had fun.

It was a potluck, and all kinds of delicious foods filled the outdoor table: macarones, sopa de maní (peanut soup), stewed pork, and other hot dishes. We drank beer and visited, until the program started. Yes--there was a program! We listened to a poem in Spanish called "If Simón Bolivar lived in these times," heard from some terrific musicians who really put their heart into it, and watched some of the traditional Bolivian dances. Some of their dress was quite bold, even sequinned (think: Liberace) while others were more what one would imagine: modest and hand-embroidered. At intermission, the dancers broke for a quick swig of coctél de naranja (OJ mixed with singani) from a shared tutuma.

As night fell, people were still coming through the front door. All ages, kids and grandmas and everybody in between. Latinos seem to enjoy making their parties a family affair, everybody sharing, and the more the merrier, no matter what time they arrive. Offering food, offering their seat, offering to dance.

The gringa left the party on the early side (hey, I had climbed Mt Si that same day!). As I left I could hear the whistling of the Andean quena and enthusiastic clapping. I'm told that the party carried on until the last guests left at 6am...14 hours after the red, green and yellow balloons out front beckoned the first guests.