Six students from Valparaiso University have recently been accepted as interns through the YMCA in Valparaiso, IN to work for the YMCA in Valparaiso, Chile for 12 weeks this summer. Valparaiso is the second largest city in Chile and is located two hours northeast of Santiago, the capital of Chile. Although the YMCA in Chile is generously providing a new hostel for us to stay in free for the summer, the rest of this trip is individually funded.
In order to cover expenses for this exciting opportunity, these YMCA interns will be hosting/sponsored through two events:
- The Interns will be hosting an All-Area Middle School Dance on Friday, April 23 for middle-school students (grades 6th-8th) from 8:00 to 11:00 pm in the Community Room of the Christopher Center at Valparaiso University. This dance will include middle school students from all around the greater Valparaiso area. An entrance fee of $5 per student includes free drinks, pizza, snacks and great music. Students must have their middle school ID card (if their school distributes them) and a waiver signed by a parent or guardian to enter. Valparaiso University Police personnel will be supervising the dance. We hope to use this event as a safe time for students from different schools in the area to meet and have an enjoyable Friday night!
- On April 27th from 5:00- 9:00 pm, Noodles will be donating 25% of their profits to help support this cause!
Because of the recent earthquake in Chile, the city is in need of volunteers to help them clean up. Even the YMCA building in Valparaiso, Chile was badly damaged. Thus, the students selected for this internship will be first of all helping restore the YMCA and the community to its working condition before the quake. In addition, the interns will be able to use their talents in order to serve the community in other ways as well! The YMCA in Chile organizes a variety of programs that the students will be able to assist with. This not only helps the organization and its members receiving the help but it also creates a strong bond between the two cultures! These programs include serving at schools, foster homes, orphanages, drug rehabilitation centers and student centers organized by the YMCA.
Want to support this cause? Please consider taking advantage of either or both of these opportunities to help support our sister city in Valparaiso, Chile. 
The profits will primarily go towards paying for the travel expenses. Beyond that, the profits will be used to reach out to the community of Valparaiso, Chile. This primarily entails purchasing supplies for them that they are in need of.