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: Waterloo man se : to raise funds for "My mother asked me if I could help people," Serrano recalled, referring to those who lived in a poor area near Guatemala City. "So after a hurricane in 1973, I wrote to the wife of the president of Guatemala, telling her I wanted to help. Serrano told the first lady of his plans to collect a variâ€" ety of items from the comâ€" munity â€" everything from clothing and shoes to mediâ€" cine and other medical supâ€" plies â€" that he felt would increase the quality of life for the country‘s children. With her blessing, Serraâ€" no started out helping a group of 100 children, selected by the Guatemalan government. "There was a time we were sending 2,000 Ib. down every two or three weeks." Serrano, with the help of his wife, Olga, has kept the program going all these years. He assured the need is still strong. The gesture is merely Serranc‘s latest addition to a long list of acts of kindness â€" a list he started almost 30 years ago at the request of his mother. "My wife thought I was crazy, but when I got to Guatemala, there was a letâ€" ter waiting for me from the president‘s wife, saying she wanted to see me." orge Serrano has comâ€" bined his life‘s passion with his giving nature, and the result will soon put smiles on the faces of thouâ€" sands of needy children. The Waterloo resident will use the profits from the sales of his books on ballâ€" room dancing â€" his artistic specialty â€" and poetry to purchase school supplies for a group of Guatemalan children. But by 1976, he found the need had greatly increased. "The need was all over the country," he said. Fancy footwork Waterloo man sells books on ballroom dancing to raise funds for needy Guatemalan children But, he recently came up By Anorea Baey _ Chronicle Staff with a new way to bring a touch of wealth to the chilâ€" dren, using one of his greatâ€" est loves in life. Serrano has practised the art of ballroom dance since childhood. Jorge Serrano is selling copies of his book on Ballroom dancâ€" ing to raise funds for children in Guatemala. _ ... .., ... ... "My mom and dad used LIFESTYLE to dance," he said. "And I started ballroom dancing when 1 was 13 years old. It was part of having a good time. "You got to be with a lot of people, and enjoy others‘ company." |Aberle Farms| ANDAEA RailEy »HOTO ae STEPHEN AND CHRISTINE ABERLE 2639 NORTHFIELD DR E. RR #2 ELMIRA, ON. N3B 272 669â€"2097 Full or Half Shares available, for more information please call LOCALLY GROWN FRESHLY HARVESTED ORGANIC DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR Community Shared Agriculture Com® Grow With Us! "People can follow the diagrams as guidelines," Serrano said. In his spare time, he‘s also written books containâ€" ing short stories and poetry, "People get tired of dancâ€" ing by standing in one place and bobbing up and down," Serrano said with a laugh. "What you see now in the clubs, we call upperâ€"body dancing. It‘s the easiest dance you can do because you don‘t have to move your feet. But, he‘s noticed, when the lessons wrap up, his stuâ€" dents still want to learn more. That‘s why he‘s created books on Latin American dancing from his own perâ€" spective, and old style ballâ€" room dancing, which many of his students have found helpful in their learning. He walks his students through bigâ€"band era touchâ€"step dances, includâ€" ing the Rhumba, the Conga, the Chacha, the Paso Doble and the tango, as well as lead instructions for the Foxtrot, the Swing, the Polka, the Vienna and the America Waltz. "Ballroom dancing is far more graceful. You can do far more things." After moving to Canada from Guatemala in 1950, he kept up with the hobby, and, as a former partâ€"time Spanish and ballroom dance instructor at Conâ€" estoga College, he also taught others some fancy footwork. "I take great enjoyment in watching others learn," Serrano explained. "There‘s nothing better than watchâ€" ing a person, who started out with two left feet, dance as a unit, without having their feet wrestle each other anymore." Now, Serrano instructs ballroom dance classes at Clarica, as well as the Victoria Hills Community Centre in Kitchener. HRONMICLE | Continued on page 1 1 Simmonds‘ amazing story of hope and devotion has been featured on television and in newspapers. She shares this incredible story to encourage and motivate people towards finding healthy resolutions during times of personal and family conflict. The presentation starts at 7 p.m. in council cham bers at Kitchener City Hall and goes to 9 p.m. Admis sion is free and everyone is welcome. For more information, call 745â€"7280 or visit ww.bfowaterloo.on.ca. Volunteers are needed for the program to spend two to three hours per week visiting a lonely senior. The group is hosting a volunteer information session on April 23 at Luther Village, located at 139 Father David Bauer Dr. in Waterloo. Drop in anytime between 1:30â€"4 p.m. For more information about the program, call 742â€"6502. Bereaved Families of Ontario, Waterloo Region chapter, presents a community evening with inspiraâ€" tional speaker Karen Simmonds sharing "Angel‘s Story" April 24 at Kitchener City Hall. Simmands will be speaking on an unusual family tragedy and the effects it had on her entire family. Angel‘s Story starts with the disappearance of her younger sister in 1977 and takes the audience through 22 years of searching, suffering, hope and triumph. The panelists include Susan Child representing Buddhism from the Waterloo Riverview Dharma Cenâ€" tre, Sabira Hudda representing Islam from the Islamic Humanitarian Community, Jan Sherman representing native Canadian spiritualism from the Guelph Native Community, Brice Balmer representing Christianity, the chaplaincy director of the House of Friendship and a representative of the local Jewish community. There is no charge for this event, which promises to be an engaging night for all involved. However donations to Hospice of Waterloo Region are welâ€" come. Refreshments will follow the panel discussion. Did you know many seniors in the community spend the week without seeing anyone? The Kitchenerâ€"Waterloo Friendship Group for Seniors, a nonâ€"profit visiting program, has been reaching out to such seniors since 1978. Hospice of Waterloo Region hosts a panel and audience discussion about the interesting and diverse aspects of death and dying in a variety of cultures within the community. The panel discussion is open to the public and will be held April 24 at the Freeport Health Care Centre Auditorium from 7â€"9 p.m. For more information, contact Rosemarie Baker, manager of programs and services with Hospice, at 743â€"4114. Friendship group reaches out to lonely seniors Seminar looks at cultural differences on death and dying Local Bereaved Families organization presents ‘Angel‘s Story‘ w valid with any other offer TA THE WORLD A WHOLE NEW WAY! susaoannr ui. in Waterloo A1â€"ra4»â€"] â€" 7s6â€"i666 u a a Ask for details WATERLOO NORTH Northfield at the Parkway |°/o FINANCING wwrw. waterloomazda. com: