CSR Program

An Opportunity to Support a Community and its Lost Culture
 

School Supply Drive - Bring school supplies

The IRF supports Corporate Social Responsibility. We need your support!

In 1517, the Spanish first arrived on the shores of the Yucatan. The Spanish arrivals were awed at the size and complexity of the Mayan cities. The Spaniards systematically destroyed the Mayan identity, forcing their own Hispanic culture on the native people. The Spanish language, culture and way of life were imposed on the millions of New World colonial subjects. In 1847, a new Mayan offensive was launched which came to be known as the Caste War. It lead to the eventual freedom and restoration of the identity of the Maya.  The Mayas Today, the descendants of those who built the amazing archaeological zones live within the Mexican States of Chiapas, Campeche, Tabasco, Quintana Roo and Yucatan as well as the Central American Countries of Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador.

Our goal is to support the Museum of the Caste War in Tihosuco - located in the heart of the World of the Mayas, close to Valladolid, a very important colonial town between Cancun and Chichen Itza.   This project will benefit over 300 people who take Mayan workshops at the museum, but also all surrounding local schools that don’t have the resources to provide basic books for the students in these rural communities.  The museum is the only link to the Mayan culture and offers workshops in Mayan history, reading, writing, traditional medicine, yarning cotton, hurricane protection, etc.

IRF Invitational attendees are encouraged to bring a few new school supplies to donate to support these Mayan workshops to keep this culture alive and ultimately provide basic school needs to students in within the community.  Please view a list of suggested supplies below.

In addition to the school supply drive – support an onsite Mayan Book Drive.  Every $20.00 donated will provided new books written in Mayan and too expensive for these students to own.  The CSR Pavilion will open to all attendees – the museum will bring some of the Mayan villagers to demonstrate some of their craftwork.  We promise a memorable cultural exchange.

SCHOOL SUPPLY WISH LIST (just a sample):

• Any kind of supplies (pens, crayons, markers, pencils, notebooks, white paper, etc.)
• Backpacks
• School shoes for students (any size) - (most of the kids have no shoes and walk long distances to school)

Your donation will support the Mayan community for generations!