A. Initial Schedule (updated December2, 2012)
Proposed for the TEAA Reunion Program
inColoradoin 2013on the Future of TEAA
The Colorado Planning Committee for TEAA’s seventh biennial Reunionhas established dates from 10-13 September. We assume dinners on the 10th and 11th, lunches on the 11th and 12th and breakfasts on the 11th, 12th and the 13th, after which some would depart for either the airport in Denver or for a road trip safariin individual private vehicles. A large group might travel through Rocky Mountain National Park across the Continental Divide and Trail Ridge Road to perhaps enjoya (personally paid) luncheon in Grand Lake before continuing either to the west or once more crossing the Divide over Berthoud Pass to the airport in Denver or (for those who so choose) other destinations for longer private visits.
Tuesday, 10 September
Arrival; registration, settling-in, informal get-together in the lodge’s great room, dinner in a reserved section of the cafeteria followed by return to our lodge fireplace or a gathering around a campfire to mingle longer and remember Lloyd Sherman and others of our now departed colleagues. Ellen Dudley has agreed to bring her guitar and invite others to do the same as she organizes a sing along featuring songs Lloyd and his family (the Jane Shermans Band) sang and loved including his EA version of “This Land is Your Land.”
Wednesday, 11 September
9-noon SESSION I(Coordinator Wes Brewer) will include (1) at least one formal
presentation by a local NGOcurrently operating a sustainable development
program in Kenya, (2) a formal presentation by TEAer Anne Martin Williams
on Friends of Kenya Schools and Wildlife ( and (3) brief
reports fromregional groups (consult the following Document C) who will
have metorconferred to report on suggestions for the future of TEAA with a
shortwrittenhandoutpresented with or without a brief oral presentation. He
might also consider inviting a representative from Friends of Kenya
12-2 p.m. Lunch
2-5 p.m. SESSION II(Coordinator Lee Smith) will include (1) formal presentation by
AficAid a Denver NGOcurrently operating a sustainable girls education
development program in Tanzania, (2)possibly one presentation by a TEAAer
working on a project in Tanzania and(3)brief reports from regional groups
(consult the following Document C) who will havemet or conferred to report
onsuggestions for a future of TEAA with a shortwrittenhandout presented
with or without a brief oral presentation. He has also invited the president and
secretary of Friends of Tanzania ( who were at our 2001 reunion
in Washington to update us on FOT (primarily returned PCVs and TEAAers)
5-7 p.m. Free time for discussion, reflection and recreation offered by the YMCA of the
Rockies
7-8:30 p.m. Dinner/informal get-togethers and a continuing songfest around the campfire
Thursday, 12 September
9-noon SESSION III(Coordinator Gene Child) will include (1) at least one formal
presentation by a local NGOcurrently operating a sustainable development
program in Uganda, (2)a formal presentation by TEAAer Gene Child on his
AfriPads efforts in Uganda and(3) briefreports from regional groups (consult the followingDocument C) who will havemet orconferred to report on
suggestions for thefuture of TEAA with a shortwrittenhandout presented
with or without abrief oral presentation. He might also consider inviting a
representative from Friends of Uganda
12-2 p.m. Lunch
2-3 p.m. SESSION IV A(Coordinator Jim Blair) will chair a “Where do we go from
here?” group summing up discussionof earlier sessions suggesting continued
reflection and possibly leadingto on-the-spot organizational groupings and/or
other structures
3-4 p.m. SESSION IV B(Coordinator James Williams) will chair a “What Next for
Minnesota 2015?” with Brooks Goddard, Henry Hamburger and Ed Schmidt
where and when wecould be prepared to fully discuss plans for any future
for TEAA as anNGO or other options reflected upon and offered as
possibilities during the over two-year interim between now and Minnesota
2015 with Linda Lenhardt Donaldson and her 2015 Planning Committee.
7-9:30 p.m. Registration-fee paid reception at the elegant 19th century period Stanley
Hotel (of “TheShinning” fame) or a formal dinner at a high-end EstesPark
Lake-side resort restaurant
Friday, 13 September
Check-out by 10 a.m. to depart for individual destinations to the north or the east OR in a caravan of personal vehicles for a 1 p.m. lunch on the western side of Rocky Mountain National Park overlooking the village of Grand Lake and the headwaters of the Colorado River,after which we will depart for other destinations to the west or re-cross the Continental Divide to access inter-state highways to the east, north or south. (Trail Ridge Road over Longs Peak closed on October 17th this year which was the earliest closing in at least a decade according to the National Park Service. Last year the road closed on October 27th and the average closure date is October 23rd. It will be reopened next May.The FernLake wild fire above Estes and RMNPark is still flaring due to unseasonable weather; we trust that it will soon subside and not affect the natural beauty or Reunion.)
C. Suggested TEAA Regional Presentations
for Colorado 2013 on the Future of TEAA
The CO’13 Planning Committee (Jim Blair, Wes Brewer, Gene Child, Lee Smith andJames Williams) want to insure that members of the TEAA Steering Committee along with those we have consulted as well as all TEAAers have the opportunity to participate in planning the program and setting the stage. Those already contacted are listed below and requested to communicate within groups and coordinate to poll and/or meet with TEAA friends and colleagues within their arbitrarily designated geographic region.
We suggest that the lead initially come from the person first named (in red)or (absent that) the first person listed in each region to start the process of providing a brief written summary which can be supplemented with a short oral presentation for attendees at the “future-focused” 2013 Reunion planned for September in Estes Park, Colorado. Those who do not wish to be involved, of course, need not participate; however, we ask that the “regional leader” inform us that there will be no response from that area.
In our discussions with various TEAAers, several ideas regarding the not too imminent future of TEAA have already surfaced. They range from ending the “season of TEAA” to providing structures that will keep the names TEA, TEEA and TEAA prominent for some time to come; to turning our attention to otherwell established organizations with objectives similar to our own. We anticipate that those emerging optionswill provide the basis for discussions high-lighted byinvited regional reports during 2013 at the Colorado Reunion and followed up on at the Minnesota Reunionin 2015.
Some of the projects we hope to feature include one proposing a TEAA Endowed Fellowship for teaching in East Africa, perhaps focused on Makerere University, fromSonia Hylton Bivens and various proposals made last year to explore ways to high-light TCCU Teachers College, Columbia University. School-specific TEAAer projects of the Childs, the Dicksons and the Schuchards should be reviewed. We imagine those participating in one of the regional discussions will keep in mind a possible USAIDlink (such as theexcellent, but unfunded project developed for Tororo Girls School by Shelby Lewis withBetty Castor and Henry Hamburger) as well as possible TCCU, and Makerere “connections” and ways to highlight the historic legacies of our various incarnations as TEA, TEEA and TEAA.
SUGGESTED REGIONAL E-MAIL CHAT GROUPS
New England (CN, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT):
Brooks Goddard; Catharine and DavidNewbury
“Middle States” (DE, IN, MI, NJ, NY, OH, PA,):
Bill Jones; Peter Moock; Mary Hines; Sue Nanka-Bruce; Jerry and
Joan Schieber
“CapitalCenter” (DC, MD, KY, NC, VA; WV):
Sonia Hylton Bivens;Emilee Cantieri; Henry Hamburger
South-East (AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, SC, TN,):
Betty Castor;Patricia Gill; Shelby Lewis;Ron and Keith Schuchard
Mid-West (AR, IA, IL, KS, MN, MO, ND, SD, WI):
Ed Schmidt; Linda Lenhardt Donaldson (Lead for Minnesota 2015)
Mountain West + Plains (CO, NE, NM, OK, TX, WY):
Kathleen Lyons; Lloyd Sherman (Volunteer Leader in spirit); Ellen Dudley, with Jim Blair; Wes Brewer; Gene Child; Lee Smith; James Williams
Pacific North-West (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA):
Leal and Audrey Dickson; Richard and Marty Lemke; Anne Martin
Williams
South West (AZ, CA, HI, NV, UT):
Lois Carwile;Patricia Colby; Sharon Hartmann
Overseas:
Gloria Lindsey Alibaruho; Vincent Battle; John Bennett,Fawn
Cousens; BobGurney, Donald Knies;JonneRobinson
Color Code: Steering Committee Member
Interested in Future of TEAA
Program/Planning Committee Suggestion
These pages are purely initial information for a “work in progress” that will continue to be refined as time, conditions and circumstances dictate.
D. Possible answers to FAQs re Colorado 2013 TEAA Reunion, 10-13September
D1: Reunion Dates and Location
Earlier, the hosting Reunion Program/Planning Committee sent a draft of this missive to our President/Leader, Treasurer/Webmaster and Scribe/
Secretary and have incorporated their numerous suggestions here where we hope most FAQs will be answer. Having visited several sites and consulted many TEAAers, we agreed to convene the reunion at the YMCA of the Rockies Conference and FamilyVacationCenter in Estes Park, Coloradofrom the afternoon of Tuesday, September 10th through the morning of Friday, September 13th 2013 (three nights only). Those dates take advantage of normally less costly mid-week airfares; avoid Sabbaths, Labor Day and week-ends which are busier at the YMCA site. The dates also take into account no-work holidays (Rosh Hashanah 4–6 and Yom Kipper 13–14 September)and we anticipate typical Colorado Indian Summer weather.
D2: Character and Objectives of the Reunion
The Reunion Planning Committee have decided to change the format that has evolvedduring the first ten years (2001-2011). We aresuggesting a less formal structurewithout academic aspirations. To keep the meeting in-house, we have eliminatedinviting an ambassador and an Africanist as well asany cultural visits and the traditional Sunday morning session to determine where we next meet, as that has already been decided. We want to make it clear to those attending that they will find themselves in a mountain retreat center that is a rather isolated and restricted environment. The setting can be conducive to family attendance, notwithstanding timing of the reunion. We plan to invite representatives from several NGOs we have identified that are currently active in viable, sustainable development projects in East Africa to participate—using their own resourcesto make presentations. We herewith solicit updates from TEAAers about the several projects which they are currently pursuing in each East African country and invite submission of brief written updates on our TEAA projects and our financialstatus. We also hope to spend one afternoon focusing on TEAA’s direction forward through its educational mission in East Africa within a 501(c)(3) framework with input from regional group discussions or polling.
D3: ConferenceCenter Facilities and Reunion Fee
The Center ( can house over 2,000 attendees from multiple-conferences on its many acres with library, museum, café, gift shop, convenience store, meeting venues, 2-3 storied lodges, individual family log cabins (with kitchens; available to rent personally only early next April), a large indoor swimming pool, hiking trails, horseback riding stables, archery range and a variety of other scheduled activities. Central Lodges, meeting rooms, dining hall and administration building all have free Wi-Fi. The central meeting room in each lodge can accommodate about 200 people or be divided into two spaces and is available at no extra charge to TEAA. There is, however, a charge of $3/person/day for smaller break out rooms if they are needed and there will be a fairly hefty daily charge for our AV equipment and technical assistant, all of which we hope to cover with an initially estimated low conference fee of $75 per registrant. This fee may be increased or decreased as the reunion approaches depending on the number of participants we will have attracted.
D4: Rooms and Housing Units
We have been booked initially into the smaller of the new central lodges, the one with only40 rooms on three floors with elevators. Should we ultimately end up booking all 40 rooms, it is probable that we will remain there and it will be reserved for our sole occupancy. Check-in is at 3 p.m.; check-out is at 10 a.m. Each room has a full bath, with two queen beds and a futon mattress which can be spread out on the floor so it will sleep a group or family of five. The rooms are charmingly “modern rustic,” fairly large and comfortable. There are no TVs in any of the rooms but they do have free wireless internet access. The Center is designed to encourage getting out and about to take advantage of the magnificent Colorado Rocky Mountains through game viewing (the elk invade the site), hiking, birding, sports, etc.
D5: Meals and Boarding Considerations
The usual quoted prices per person per room include three cafeteria style meals for each night’s stay. One must walk about 200 yards from the lodge to the main dining hall which can seat several hundred at one time. The food is standard, but tasty and healthy cafeteria fare. Any meals that the ENTIRE group does not take reduce that day’s per person board and lodging rate by $7. We have signed the contract to ensure our posted rates (see pfd attachment, Document B,on the website) which eliminate lunch on Friday and dinner on Thursday so we can go out as a group to a more up-scale location for dinner OR host a reception with hors d’oeuvres on Thursday. The Center also provides catering for more formal banquets (should costs limit us to staying at the YMCA rather than going to a more expensivenearby restaurant or hotel) as well as coffee, tea and snacks in the meeting rooms; all available for a part of our registration fee.
D6: Registering To Reserve Your Place
We already have confirmed sevenroom commitments from Jim/Shirley Blaire, Wes/ Juliet Brewer, Gene Child/Joe Berserker,Dave/Jeanette Hummel,Lee/Léo Smith, Anne/Tara Williamsand James/Lorine Williams (who were the first to already reserve a room) although we are more than 10 months away from the event. Gene and Lee have pooled their credit card resources in order to guarantee the first 20 rooms with a non-refundable blocking fee of $50 per room payable when we signed the initial booking contract. Details of the costs of the rooms can be found in the pfd attachment from the Y’s non-profit group specialist on the TEAA website (Document B). We would appreciate it if those who plan to attend would (1) make their personal reservations with the YMCA with their 35% room deposit and, at the same time (2) send TEAA Treasurer Henry Hamburger at 6400 Wynkoop Blvd; Bethesda, MD 20817;a check payable to "TEAA" for the $75 conference fee for each conferee as soon as shared or individual rooms are reserved. This will allow us to block more rooms without paying additional fees if we anticipate larger attendance. Rooms can be shared with colleagues, friends or family; however, you must make these arrangements as the YMCA cannot assign roommates, only one person per room need make the reservation. Final room balance payment can be split when you check out at the Y’s front desk. We urge early registration to avoid being left out since we are able to block only a limited number with our personal funds. We will establish and utilize a list of those seeking to share rooms to assist in greatly lowering their room and board costs.
D7: Transportation Issues
The YMCA site is surrounded on three sides by Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) on the outskirts of the village of Estes Park (7,755 feet), so is fairly isolated, but with spectacular views of the surrounding mountains. The Airport Shuttle Service from Denver International Airport (DIA) is $45 one way and $85 round trip. Rental cars are also available at DIA and the trip from DIA to EstesPark is 77 miles—about one and a half hours drive. Your Planning Committee has begun attempts to arrange special reduced rate van service and rental cars for TEAAers. We encourage the private group rental of vehicles, especially for those who wish to join a personal caravan safari from Estes Park on the eastern side of RMNP to Grand Lake on the western side of the park and then on to Interstate 70 and who are planning to visit the region.
D8: Post-Reunion Suggestions
You should recognize that the YMCA conference center is fairly isolated and self-contained, so any other RockyMountain visiting or sight seeing should be planned outside the scheduled reunion time. We have implied such eventualities in ending the reunion after breakfast on Friday and in offering to organize a road trip convoy through Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) over the highest continuous paved road in North America—Trail Ridge Road (12,183 feet)—(bring a warm jacket, scarf and gloves) to the head waters of the Colorado River and a festive lunch of rainbow trout, Colorado lamb, bison, etc. in Grand Lake Lodge before continuing on over Berthoud Pass (11,315 feet) to Interstate Highway 70 which you can follow to either Grand Junction and Utah in the west or Denver and Kansas in the east, Both Wyoming and New Mexico are accessible on Interstate Highway 25 out of Denver to the north or south. The Golden Age National Park Life Pass for seniors allows free vehicle entry with passengers into all national parks and costs $10, so purchase one upon your next National Park entry and bring it with you. One other possibility is the “Peak to Peak” Scenic Route from Estes Park south through the ghost towns of Central City and Black Hawk now reborn with gambling casinos back to Denver or south to Pikes Peak. Brooks Goddard is organizing a trip to the “four corners” area where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah meet. We’ll be glad to suggest other touring options for both pre- and post-Reunion upon request.