Dear Friend of The Pencil Project:

Thank you for your interest in what we are doing to change the lives of children in both Guatemala and the United States! I am Douglas Rhodenbaugh, a public school teacher in Austin, Texas.  In the last 17 years, my students and I  have provided new and used school supplies to literally hundreds of thousands of poor Guatemalan children. The Pencils for Guatemala drive is an effort that my students look forward to every year, and many return year after year to participate. The Pencil Project now has Member Chapters in public, charter, and religious schools in several states, and now has an official Chapter at Brown University. For many of my students here in the United States, it is their first important experience to reach out and give, and feel the pride of opening their hearts to less fortunate others.