Vantage Pro Helps Kids in the Philippines

Br. Dan Fenton, FSC, who teaches science at De La Salle North Catholic High School in Portland, OR, sent us this charming photo of a Vantage Pro hanging out with a bunch of new friends in the Philippines. He told us that De La Salle North is a special school for low-income students, all of whom have jobs that pay for most of their tuition.

“This year our students raised money to purchase a Davis weather station and software for a project in the Philippines. The project, called Bahay Paga-asa (House of Hope) is a residential center for boys who have been previously incarcerated in jails on the island of Negros. These boys are from extremely poor families and most of them have suffered great abuse in jails and police lockups. Since this center is run by teachers in our organization (De La Salle Brothers) we decided to help provide an educational opportunity by purchasing and sending this weather station.

“I traveled to Bacolod City in the summer of 2004 and, with the residents at Bahay Pag-asa, set up the station in the courtyard of the center. It was an ideal project for these kids since they are still under court sentence and cannot leave the property. The installation of the equipment was easy and the kids were thrilled to see immediate data arriving at the console. I taught lessons in weather science to the students and our laboratory was the Davis weather station and the wild weather provided by the Philippines. After a week of practice, the students began to report their weather findings on a small radio station run by a nearby high school. You can imagine how much it means for boys, who have previously given up all hope, to have a chance to provide an important service to their community.

“The weather station, along with the WeatherLink software provided a unique educational opportunity that will continue to educate and motivate these kids long after my departure. Thank you for your excellent products!”

What a great story for the holiday season!

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