TEAM 2576 from CHILE needs your help!

[Scott Sedam]

Hey all! I was sent this plea for help by our friends on Team 2576 from Santiago, Chile who will be competing in the Great Lakes (Ypsilanti) Regional. Although I don't have any affiliation to the team, I'm contacting the FIRST supporters I know, and I thought the great CD community might be able to lend some support. I'm sure you'll agree it's exciting to see FRC grow beyond the borders of the US, so let's see if we can help them have a great competition. I have abbreviated their message somewhat, but I'm sorry it's still a long-ish post.

Dear friends:
Could you please share this information with whoever you think might be able to help: so far only 15 of the 20 or so students have purchased their tickets. There will be 2 adult leaders with them, possibly 3. The robot was already assembled by this young team and sent to Michigan.
1) These youngsters (between 12 and 18) will be traveling from Chile on Tuesday March 25, going back to Chile March 30. The competition will take place between those dates)
2) There are several young people in the group who do not have all the means necessary for this trip, and the leaders are in contact with a team leader in the Ipsilanti area who is trying to make contacts with Latin-American or Spanish speaking families to host some of these young people.
3) About the students: they come from different schools and areas of Santiago (Maipu, La Florida, Nunoa, Las Condes, La Reina, Santiago, Cerrillos) they are mostly High School students, one girl from Elementary School, from middle and high middle class background, educated, good students, from nice families.
4) The team has been interviewed by newspapers and some radio and TV programs, but no help has come from all of that.
5) Many of the parents had to ask for loans and get into debt in order to finance the trip, and they have received some help from relatives and some of the schools' faculty
6) The leaders are available to be reached for questions about the trip and about how to help this group:

JOSE IGNACIO FERNANDEZ
CIVIL ENGINEERING STUDENT U.N.A.B.
email: robot[at]unab[dot]cl

GEORGE GROMSCH
CIVIL ENGINEER
email: ggromsch[at]neosecure[dot]cl

This is a battle against time, and any donations (all tax deductible) will be welcome! THEY WOULD ALSO WELCOME ANY CONTACT WITH CORPORATIONS.