Best Banana Benefits!

Bananas weren’t coined the “superfood” for nothing! Not only are bananas tasty and convenient snacks, they’re also packed with healthy enzymes, sugars and nutrients that can be beneficial to your health and wellness. Famous for substantial energy boost, bananas can help improve numerous health issues. Here are just a few:

1. Depression: Bananas contain a protein called tryptophan, which can help improve mood and encourage relaxation
2. Anemia: Bananas are naturally high in iron and can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood
3. Blood Pressure: The high levels of potassium found in bananas help to reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke
4. Fatigue: The potassium levels also help to increase alertness, while increasing energy levels
5. Mosquito Bites: Rub the bite with the inside part of a banana skin. It’s known to decrease swelling and irritation

Looking for more? Click here to find out more ways this superfood can work its wonders!

Leonel's Story

GROW gives kids more than the resources to keep studying. The program gives these kids confidence in themselves as well as a community that offers them support and friendship. Today, Leonel tells us how he found new friends and new goals through the program:

“My name is Leonel Elizarraraz Arroyo. My dad works in the fields. My mother is an assistant at the school cafeteria. This scholarship that GROW gave me is very important to me, because without it, it would have been very difficult for me to continue studying. Before I learned of this scholarship I did not plan on starting a career, much less finishing one, but after experiencing the support that GROW gives me, everything changed because now I have set a goal and little by little I feel that I am reaching it.

The first day of the homework club I was nervous because I did not know anyone except my cousin Cesareo. It was very difficult for me to go because I did not know anybody, in fact sometimes I got there late or didn’t show up, but every day the group got closer to me and I got closer to the group. Some Saturdays and Sundays we go to the beach to do social service cleaning up trash left by people). It makes me so happy that I have found a big family in them.

For me, this scholarship has been the best thing that has ever happened. Currently in my junior year of high school, I’ve been with this scholarship for three years and I am very happy because since I've been here my grade point average has gone up, I am more responsible, humble and sociable. I am grateful to my sponsors Mayra and Manuel for the great opportunity they are providing me that is helping me become a better person.

Thank you so much to my sponsors from GROW.”

Support GROW and help give kids better lives by buying GROW bananas or donating through the facebook Donate tab.

Potassium the New Wonder Nutrient?

While doing some recent leisurely reading, we came across this article featured in O Magazine's August issue. We all know that the potassium found in bananas is good for you, but did you know it's now being touted as the "Essential Nutrient for a Healthy Heart?"*

Potassium helps to bring down blood pressure, and it has been found to reduce the risk of strokes and counter the effects of excess salt. According to the article, Americans only get half their recommended daily allowance of potassium. Luckily, this means you need to eat more bananas!

Here are some recipe ideas that take our already nutritiously delicious Organics Unlimited bananas and transforms them into delightful treats.

Enjoy!

*Click on the image to enlarge article

Cezar's Story Continued

As you may be aware, I am spending the remainder of the month in the Colima area, involved with Project Amigo, which receives a great deal of funding from GROW. Yesterday (Saturday) was a very special day. It was the day that we went to Queseria to do a work project. Queseria is a poor, migrant village that was established by six sugar cane companies. The workers live in the camp with their families, and many of them are there for six months or less, while there is employment. Others live in what we were consider some pretty bad conditions for years on end.

So what was so special about yesterday? Well, earlier in this blog we wrote about Cezar. He is a young boy with cerebral palsy who has been unable to walk, but through the help of GROW, has received a wheel chair that allows him to sit up and to be somewhat mobil. He's still a little boy, maybe 6 or 7, but through the attention he has gotten, he has progressed greatly over the past year.

My joy? Yesterday I gave Cezar a haircut while he sat in his chair. First we trimmed a little, but he wanted it short, and his mother wanted it short. So we gave him a nice summer haircut that is cooler in the hot, humid weather. And he was so happy with it. He is now able to be out on the playground with the other children in his chair, and Cezar's life will continue to improve while Project Amigo looks for special schooling for him. Cezar will have a brighter future than anyone ever imaged. And yes, I got to give him a haircut and be part of something special that happened in his life yesterday. It made my life special too.

To support GROW, please buy GROW bananas or donate online. Volunteer opportunities are available through Project Amigo.

Luis Nava's Story

Each and every personal account of the children whose lives have been transformed by the GROW fund touch our hearts. We continue to share their stories with you. Today Luis tells us about how he longed to join the GROW group and how GROW has made his dreams a possibility:

“My name is Luis Nava Quiroz, born on August 7, 1996. I am currently in Emiliano Zapata Technical High School #7. I live in the town of Cerro de Ortega, Tecoman, Colima.

Before obtaining this scholarship, I was was already a child who wanted to study but had almost no money to buy my supplies and uniforms. I would see the scholarship recipients from GROW and Project Amigo walk around Cerro de Ortega doing social service; I would go to the summer courses that the scholarship recipients put together. That is when I met the teacher that helped them put together the courses, Miss Julieta. I learned a lot from the courses that I didn’t know before and after a few weeks the teacher asked if I wanted to become part of the club, she told me I met all the requirements that were needed and I had good grades. When I was accepted into the group, I committed myself to always get good grades. I did everything the older scholarship recipients did and I felt happy with my new friends. From that day until today I always do what I promised to do, I serve my community and I really enjoy doing it, we have put together many campaigns, we have put on Olympic sports competitions, we put on shows for our community’s celebrations and we participate in the competitions as a group.

When I grow up I want to be a CPA, that is why I want to stick with this scholarship for a long time, because I don’t have the resources to study. I also attend math courses to help me succeed in the profession I want to study when I grow up.

Thank you to my sponsors Manuel and Mayra from GROW and thanks to Proyecto Amigo, for the great support they give me. Someday I want to be like you, after I get my degree and start to work, I want to help kids who can’t study because they don’t have the resources to do so.

Thank you so much!”

GROW continues to give bright young kids like Luis the opportunity to continue studying and to achieve their dreams. These kids look forward to reaching their goals and paying forward, like the scholarship recipients before them. Help kids like Luis by buying GROW bananas or donating to the GROW fund through the facebook Donate tab.

Does GROW Work?

I'm writing this blog from the small town of Cofradia de Suchitlan in the state of Colima, Mexico. This is the center of much of the GROW activity in Mexico, and the area that has now received funding for a number of years. I had the opportunity this summer to come here to spend three weeks learning more about the people who have received benefits from GROW, the culture of the area, and what is really working in the program. I'm also learning it all totally immersed in Spanish, so before I write anything here, I am trying to make sure I understand it as completely as possible!

Project Amigo, which has received GROW funding almost since GROW's inception, is incomparable. Under the direction of Ted Rose and Susan Hill, Project Amigo gets applications from students, usually starting in about the 7th grade. These students are extremely poor, and they have reached the end of the education they will receive without help. And without education, they will continue to live in poverty and with a high degree of social problems, including problems with family structures, alcohol, early teen pregnancies, and subsistance existance.

The students who receive funding from GROW are students who live in the area where bananas are grown most, near the Pacific Coast. They are the shining stars, but they are also incredibly caring and giving people. They choose to educate themselves, but they also choose to use the education they get to help the lives of their families and of their communities. Once they are selected to be GROW scholarship recipients, they can continue their schooling with the help of the program, provided they do well in school and continue their service to the community.

Ted and Susan were compared to Mother Theresa by a friend who is here with me immersed in the GROW experience. They are selfless, serving, energetic and enthusiastic about their adopted country. And they realize, as does anyone who is fortunate enough to spend time here, that our hopes for a better world often come through education. In the US we take it for granted. For those who are GROW scholars, this can mean the difference between sleeping on a dirt floor at night for the remainder of what would probably be a short life and being able to provide for themselves, their families, and their communities. Through GROW, they are learning to understand the problems and the opportunities, and they are passionate about bettering their lives.

Life is a celebration for those who are fortunate to be GROW scholars, and they never forget the opportunity that is being given to them. Their favorite word seems to always be "Gracias."

Viva Iniciativa Mexico!

2010 is a big year of celebration for Mexico, it is the centennial of the Mexican Revolution and the bicentennial of Mexico’s Independence. In commemoration of these events and in order to promote the transformation of the country through the efforts of its people, major media owners, entrepreneurs, and academic institutions launched Iniciativa Mexico. This initiative, which will award grants to the best projects, aims to recognize people’s efforts to transform Mexico.

We’re proud to announce the participation of GROW in this event. We recognize the value of a project that aims to make this country a better place and want to share our achievements. GROW brings together two neighboring countries to change the world one child at a time. This union of the United States and Mexico to give back to the community, through educational and medical assistance to needy children in the banana growing areas of Colima, truly makes GROW a unique project. We firmly believe that through the power of education, we are enriching the future of the world. We are happy to share our participation in this exciting project and will keep you updated on how you can support GROW in Iniciativa Mexico.

VIVA INICIATIVA MEXICO, VIVA GROW!

Reaching Goals and Paying It Forward

Last week you read Carlos Daniel’s story. His story told us how GROW has given him hope and the opportunity to pursue a new future. Most importantly, he shared that he wanted to use the opportunity given to him by GROW to help others in the future.

Today Carlos Daniel tells us about how he has reached his goals and is now developing programs to help children in his community:

“My name is Carlos Daniel, I have always wanted to succeed. I fight for what I want and reaching my goals makes me happy.

This year I saw some of my dreams become a reality, among these are two achievements that I wish to share. The first is a goal I reached in high school but completed one month ago, I am now legally an accounting assistant. I now have the title in my hands and that makes me very happy, I have now reached one of my dreams.

Another achievement is that I started a project which consists of helping kids who have problems with math, to help them learn easily using their abilities, and to help children in their last year of pre-school to learn to read. Last week I completed the work for these groups and I observed the results. I have decided to continue this project and am thinking about looking for financing to do it with more groups, but that is still in the preliminary stages. All I know is that I am truly happy now because of what I achieved with these kids and I hope to be able to continue with this dream. It is something that I achieved this year and I wished to share.

Thank you GROW for making my dreams come true.”

GROW is helping young people with limited resources create a better future for themselves and their families. Carlos now has an accounting assistant title and is paying it forward by helping other children in his community. Help children reach their dreams by buying GROW bananas or donating directly to the GROW fund through the facebook page’s Donate tab.

Carlos Daniel's Story

What is GROW? Let’s read the answer in the words of a young man who has experienced the benefits of the program:

“Who or what is GROW? You could say that it is a foundation that helps field workers and their families but for me GROW is so much more.

My name is Carlos Daniel Arias Vazquez and I am from Ixtlahuacan, Colima. I was born into a poor family and we have never had the opportunity to enjoy any luxuries. My father has always supported my three brothers and me. I have always been a good student, I attribute this to my constant motivation to succeed in life. I did not learn about GROW until after I finished high school. Before I learned about GROW, I was a boy who dreamt about succeeding and achieving my goals, getting my family out of the difficult economic state we were in, to give them a good future and be able to help others, values that my parents have instilled in me since I was a young boy. That dream however, was crumbling, it was slipping away from me like water slips from one’s hands and I couldn’t do anything about it. My future and my family’s future were disappearing fast because of our financial situation. What could I do? I didn’t give up, I said, “I’m going to succeed” I am not going to let my dreams fall apart before my eyes” and that is how I began the search for organizations that could help me continue my studies. This search is what lead me to find GROW through Project Amigo.

Thanks to GROW today I am enrolled in my third semester of college. I am studying a major in psychology and because of GROW, the opportunity of a new future has appeared. Thanks to GROW my family counts on the hope and happiness of having a son who will help them move forward and thanks to GROW I will be able to help many other people in the world. Therefore, to me, GROW signifies much more than a program to help field workers and their families. To me, GROW is hope and a new reality, it is the valuable opportunity to succeed and build a better future for me, my family, and the world. And in the future, I will be able to say with great pride: “Thanks to GROW and Project Amigo I am who I am today.”

GROW changes lives each and every day. Help people like Carlos find hope and build a better future by buying GROW bananas or donating directly to the GROW fund through the facebook page’s Donate tab.