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Guatemalan children feel Loving Arms from Oakville by John Bkila Oakville Beaver Staff 3 | Friday, July 12, 2013 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com A local Oakville-based charity is helping send Guatemalan children to school by clothing them with mandatory uniforms and reducing education costs for their parents. It's one of the many initiatives Loving Arms undertakes since it was founded in 2005 and officially became a registered charity three years later. Linda Coghlin says she founded the organization after going on a trip to Guatemala with a friend of hers. "I just felt that from what I had seen, and realizing how really fortunate we are here in Canada, I had to do something more," she said. Education in Guatemala is free, notes Coghlin, but parents must pay for mandatory school supplies, and in 2011, the Guatemalan government announced all children who attend school must wear a uniform. "The parents were beside themselves, saying `not only do we need to buy supplies, but now uniforms'," she said. "Uniforms are extremely expensive and very difficult to find, meaning that many parents living in rural areas are unable to send their children to school." That's when Loving Arms approached the Oakville Christian and St. Mildred's-Lightbourn schools to have their uniforms donated to the cause. Each Guatemalan school can select their own style of uniforms as long as all the children attending wear the same outfits, explains Coghlin. The Oakville Christian School has dressed students in the village of Paraxaj, while St. Mildred's uniforms have helped out a school in Chitaburuy -- the mothers in those villages then take We work with the elected leaders or mayor of those villages and we all decide together what's needed. We don't go in as Canadians and say, `Here's what we think you need and here's what we're going to give you.' Loving Arms founder Linda Coghlin Loving Arms founder and president Linda Coghlin with one of the Guatemalan children her charitable organization has helped since its inception in 2005. | submitted photo the uniforms and tailor them when necessary. The uniform program has become so successful that Loving Arms is now looking to outfit a school in Corrales, a larger village that has between 150-160 students -- the smaller villages usually have between 40-50 children attending a school. "Now that we've got two villages uniformed, so to speak, we're looking at the third village, which is quite large to fill," said Coghlin. "We currently don't have enough for the whole school, so we're stock piling... and we'll also be looking at other local private schools as well for more donations." The uniforms are transported with the help of volunteer teams who cover their own flight and accommodation costs and pack the uniforms in their luggage. Using a Central American airSee Charity on p.11 BURROWS SUMMER SALE UP TO 60% FROM LAKE JOSEPH TO LAKE COMO, WE'LL MAKE YOU LOOK LIKE YOU BELONG. ENJOY SELECTED EUROPEAN COLLECTIONS, EXPERT ALTERATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL ADVICE AT GREATLY DISCOUNTED PRICES DURING OUR SUMMER SALE! ON SELECTED ITEMS DRESSING UP DOCKS SINCE 1976. FOH01ZK Not valid with any other offers. Limit one coupon per customer. Valid only at Ford Village (601 Ford Drive). Expires August 9, 2013. Not Not valid valid with with any any other other offers. offers. Limit Limit one one coupon coupon per per customer. customer. Valid Valid only only at at Ford Ford Village Village (601 (601 Ford Ford Drive). Drive). Expires ExpiresAugust August 9, 9, 2013. 2013. 200 LAKESHORE ROAD EAST, OAKVILLE 905 842 0232 | BURROWSCLOTHIERS.COM FOH01ZK $ .99 6 Taxes Extra haircut $ .99 6 Taxes Extra haircut