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La Gran Noche del Cine Charity Gala

Calling all film lovers! On March 12th, Caribbean Cinemas will be hosting La Gran Noche del Cine, a charity gala where donations will be raised for 4 non-profit organizations to improve their facilities, equipment and services provided to the community each one serves. The funds will be raised through ticket sales of $150 each. This donation gives you access to the event that will take place during the night of the 95th Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards (The Oscars). It will be a grand night that shall include cocktails, an all-night buffet dinner and the opportunity to see one of the award-nominated films. The itinerary starts at 7:00 PM with a reception, cocktails, and a buffet; 8:00 PM will be the screening of the film nominees; and at 9:00 PM will be the live screening for the 95th Oscars. The four non-profit entities that will benefit are: Hogar Cuna San Cristóbal, CODERI, YMCA and La Fondita de Jesús. Hogar Cuna San Cristóbal is a non-profit established in 1992, that became the first orphanage in Puerto Rico with a license for adoption, and houses children that are removed from abusive or neglected households. CODERI is a non-profit institution whose philosophy is based on giving an equal chance at a better life to every person with an intellectual disability and/or autism. Their vision is to be the best Special Education and Rehabilitation school in Puerto Rico, providing quality services and excellence. The YMCA is an international non-profit, Christian-based, ecumenical organization of recognized world prestige. With 176 years of experience and presence in more than 160 countries, its objective is to offer various social, cultural, recreational, educational and sports activities to contribute to the health and well-being of the community. At the YMCA of San Juan they offer different recreational, sports, educational, physical efficiency and health programs, among others. La Fondita de Jesús is a non-profit dedicated to transforming the lives of homeless people, and people living in vulnerable communities in Puerto Rico. This years 95th Academy Awards frontrunners for best picture include: Top Gun: Maverick, Women Talking, Everything Everywhere All At Once, The Banshees of Inisherin, Triangle of Sadness, The Fablemans, All Quiet on The Western Front, Avatar: The Way of Water, Elvis, and Tár; some of which will be screening during Caribbean Cinemas’ gala event. This will be a fun night to look forward to if you’re passionate about film, and it will be a great opportunity to meet and socialize with like minded folk who love cinema. Caribbean Cinemas appreciates your interest in supporting any of these causes, with missions to improve the lives of those who need it the most. When purchasing your tickets online you can choose the charity of your choice, or an option where the funds will be divided equally among the four entities. La Gran Noche del Cine will be held at Montehiedra Cinemas on Sunday, March 12th starting at 7:00 PM. Be there or be square, cinema lovers!

Volunteer & Donate: Tech My School

Based in Rio Grande, Tech My School (TMS) was founded as a 501(C)(3) non-profit in the winter of 2021. After the founders of TMS visited several classrooms it became apparent that many schools in Puerto Rico are unprepared to meet the demands of current and future technology needs. Tech My School was founded not only to help provide technology to schools in Puerto Rico, but also to train the teachers on how to use tech to enhance the classroom learning experience. Their mission is “To modernize the education of Puerto Rico by better leveraging technology in schools.” Their vision is, “To retain the talent of Puerto Rico's next generation by empowering them with 21st century skills.” In order to grow a more prosperous Puerto Rico, today's students will need the skills to be competitive on the island and abroad. In order to meet those goals they aim to make sure that every child receives an education that is rigorous and contemporary through their platform. A core team of 14 individuals composed of volunteers, former teachers, technology integration specialists, fundraising individuals and various board members make up the Tech My School organization. They currently serve four schools: Kingdom Christian Academy in Río Grande, Robertson private school in Luquillo, Foresta Rincón in Rincón, and East Point Academy in Las Piedras.According to CareerExplorer.com teachers make a median income of just $29,000 a year. Many teachers can’t make a living in Puerto Rico so there is an extreme shortage of qualified teachers. The teachers that are in the classroom have made do without tech over the years so they often don’t have the training to use current technology in the best way possible to enhance the education of their students. TMS volunteer Polly Reavis has been to several schools in Puerto Rico and noticed that they often don’t have access to basics such as books, libraries or even a standard curriculum to follow. Tech My School provides in person training on how to use various online curriculum programs. They help formulate a tech road map for each school so that they know how it will impact their students and staff. Teachers are provided an opportunity to learn about teaching programs such as Khan academy, Seesaw and the virtual library program, Epic. Khan academy is an online based program with free online courses for students of all grade levels. They have curriculums available for teachers to implement as well as the ability for parents to have access to the information their child is learning. It is a valuable resource because it enables teachers to tailor learning for each child, meaning they can move as fast or as slow as they need to learn new information. Seesaw is a learning platform that allows students to share their work with the teacher as well as other students. It helps to increase engagement and interactivity in the classroom. Many schools in Puerto Rico lack a physical library and even books in the classroom. Having an online library resource such as Epic allows students access to over 40,000 books and reading material, fostering a love for reading that is so necessary and critical for the future of Puerto Rico’s students. Teachers learn how to use sites such as Google for their classrooms. Recently they received a grant for $60,000 towards Google licensing, so that one of the sponsored schools can use products such as Google Workspace for education. TMS recently had 50 computers donated which will go to local schools. Stateside partner schools rotate out about 20% of their tech each year. This allows those schools to pass on their old tech to Puerto Rico based schools. Much of their funding comes from donations, Act 60 donations and various other fundraisers.If you’d like to volunteer for this worthwhile organization they could use help in the following areas: - Lawyers to help with CECFL status, contracts, Puerto Rican law, and hiring advice- CPA's to help with the books, taxes, and other financial matters- Marketing and media specialists for brand awareness- Grant writers- Individuals to help with fundraising efforts- Event coordinators- IT professionals who can help consult and lead on infrastructure projects- Networkers and influencers who can help consult and facilitate the brand- Volunteers to help with donors- Website programmers to help with partner school sites- Administrative leaders who can help with strategic planning- Curriculum developers and writers- Educational professionals to help in classroomsThey are also seeking partnerships with other companies, non profits, etc. in order to leverage resources into the hands of teachers and students.‍To donate or volunteer visit their website:https://www.techmyschool.org/howyoucanhelp‍