top of page

Joe Hartman Student Sponsorships 2020-2021


Dear Joe Hartman School sponsors:

We want to start this letter by saying THANK YOU for your continued support of the Joe Hartman Evangelical school! Certainly 2020 so far has been unlike anything we could have ever imagined and yet you still show up to support students abroad. Before getting into the details of what has been happening at the school and the plans ahead, we want to take the time to encourage you to take care of yourself emotionally and physically. As an organization, the Joe Hartman school believes in spreading hope and love to those around us. You, our sponsors and supporters, continue to show this and we want you to know that we are eternally grateful and here to encourage you to take care of yourselves during this time. The following information provides an overview of what has been happening at the school and the plans we have moving forward, including important information regarding sponsorships.

SO…What’s happening?

SCHOOL

As many already know, the schools in La Romana have been closed since March and many people have lost their jobs. Joe Hartman has continued to give class and provided take-home materials to students so that their education does not have to suffer as a result of the school closures. However, as many who teach probably know, this transition is difficult. It is increasingly difficult when most families do not have access to reliable electricity, internet, or laptops. Many teachers have been sending lessons and materials through WhatsApp but this has proven to be difficult and frustrating for many. In efforts to improve the dissemination of class materials, the team in the La Romana, has been hard at work discussing the possibility of using Google Classroom. This is still in the works and may not be fully implemented by the end of the school year but we intend to develop a plan to successfully transition to Google Classroom for the fall should schools still be closed by then. If you are a teacher who has experience with Google Classroom, please email us (gaby@drmissionteam.org) with any tips or tricks you may have.

SPONSORSHIP

We acknowledge that our communication with you has not been ideal. We apologize for this and are committed to doing better. Please understand that not having a volunteer English teacher present at the school may result in slower information sharing, and pictures of students may or may not be available for the next school year.

  • Tax Return Letters: Many sponsors who filled out the sponsorship form last year have expressed the desire to have a tax return letter on file. We are currently working of finalizing this and hope to send them out in the next couple of days. If you are unsure if you paid for this school year OR want a tax return letter and are not sure you filled out the form, please email us to confirm (gaby@drmissionteam.org)

  • SPONSORSHIP 2020-2021: Please fill out this year’s online Sponsorship Form by July 1, 2020 to let us know your plans for the coming year. This information is incredibly important for us to keep track of payments and sponsor information and reduces the need for follow-up emails. The feedback you give is incredibly useful to us. This year, sponsorship prices have been raised to $250 for the year or $20.84/month. This was a difficult decision to make and we understand that these times may have negatively affected you financially. If this price increase is too much but you would still like to help the school, please email us (gaby@drmissionteam.org) to find out other ways to help. Of note, this is the first time we have raised prices in three years.

  • Monthly sponsorships via PayPal: Your monthly subscription payments will be changed to the new fee starting August 1, 2020. If you wish to cancel your subscription payments, we ask that you please email us by JULY 1, 2020.

  • Yearly Subscriptions via PayPal: If your automatic payment has already been processed for the year, you will receive an email notifying you of a $30 balance to be paid. If you wish to cancel the subscription and receive a refund, please let us know and we can work something out.

NEW MAILING ADDRESS

If you wish to send things directly to your sponsor child, please be aware of our new mailing address. Jessica Phanord will be able to pick them up. Please be aware that there is a pick-up cost (about $6 for 0-1lb and then increases per ounce) when she goes to retrieve the packages. The heavier they are, the more it costs.

Fundacion Rev. Jean Luc Phanord

D01-132061

1603 N.W. 79th Ave.

Miami, FL 33191-3939

USA

While the address is in the United States, the package will get to the DR. This is the most secure way to send packages. Please email us (gaby@drmissionteam.org) any time you send a package so that we are aware that something is coming.

If you have made it this far, THANK YOU for reading through and sticking with us. We know a lot of information has been thrown out and we are here to answer any questions. As a Recap:

Important dates:

JULY 1, 2020 – last day to fill out sponsorship form and cancel monthly subscriptions

AUGUST 1, 2020 – New monthly sponsorship price takes effect.

THANK YOU! And God bless you all!

Best,

The Joe Hartman School Team

bottom of page