Sunset, Kailua-Kona, The Big Island, Hawaii, March 11, 2024

Sunset, Kailua-Kona, The Big Island, Hawaii, March 11, 2024
Sunset, Kailua-Kona, The Big Island, Hawaii, March 11, 2024

Monday, April 22, 2013

Shared Beat - Mon., Apr.22

Saturday evening, after our Comfort Volksmarch and Costco shopping trip, we headed west to Boerne, Texas, for Shared Beat's Hill Country Crawfish Broil. Shared Beat is a 501(c)(3) volunteer organization whose focus is on Guatemala. Their mission: to empower children and their families through health and wellness care and education so they can achieve self-reliance and a positive future.

I had never heard of Shared Beat until Bob started working at his current job. The owner and his girlfriend support the organization. We were invited to attend the crawfish broil which had live zydeco music, silent and live auctions, and a big pizza-sized box full of food.

The event was held in the backyard of a large estate and was well attended. Tables were scattered around the yard. Our server brought us iced tea and we went inside the house to look over silent auction items. There were big baskets filled with themed items like coffees, or a movie night basket with DVDs, popcorn and candy, handmade items from Guatemala, a large doll house completely filled with furniture, artwork, wines, books, and more.

Also inside the home were instructions on how to eat crawfish. We did our best to memorize them for dinner.

When we returned to our table, our server took our dinner order and within ten minutes we had our "pizza box" filled with crawfish, beans, slaw, pasta salad and a cheese biscuit. An adventure in dining followed. Even after the instructions we read, I wasn't quite getting how to get at the crawfish meat. Luckily one person at our table loves crawfish and showed us how to eat them. I'm not sure we did what he did, but eventually I ate every single one of those spicily cooked "mud bugs."

For dessert, the servers brought around trays of cupcakes: key lime, German chocolate, apple, and chocolate with lemon frosting. My favorite were the German chocolate cupcakes.

After dinner was the live auction. I was amazed at the bidding! Wow, some people really got into it.

The money raised is for a good cause, to help support Shared Beat. Here's a little more about what the organization does...
  • Provides year-round vitamins for 4,800 children, pregnant and nursing mothers, and senior citizens living around the Guatemala City Dump and in 22 rural Guatemalan villages.
  • Parasite prevention
  • Medical support
  • Visual screens and glasses
  • Healthcare scholarships
  • Health education
Why did Shared Beat choose Guatemala?
  • Guatemala has the highest child and maternal death rate in Central America, six times higher than the United States
  • 49% of children under age five are chronically malnourished
  • 21.5% of Guatemalans earn less than $1 per day
  • 56.2% of Guatemalans live below the poverty line, making less than $4 per day
  • 60% of enrolled students finish sixth grade
  • 38% of secondary-school-aged students enroll in secondary school
  • 1% of Guatemalan children go to college
Shared Beat is an all volunteer organization. There are no salaried administrative staff or board members. Medical trip volunteers cover their own travel and lodging expenses.

We had a fun evening with lively music, good conversation and it was all for a good cause.

Travel Bug out.


7 comments:

  1. Susan, you're a true traveler, I can tell because you're so open to new experiences. I'm often surprised at people who won't try different cuisines let alone travel to a strange places. My husband and I travel a lot and enjoy cultural diversity; having said that, I haven't eaten crawfish yet ... not that I know of. -Belinda [A - Z participant]

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Belinda,
      Thanks for stopping by.

      The crawfish we had were cooked in spicy broth. I thought they were tasty.

      One other time I had crawfish, but they must not have been cleaned very well because they were gritty, as if there was sand still in them.

      Last Saturday night, the crawfish were not gritty. Just good.

      Delete
  2. I did try crawfish once...that was enough! But the rest of your dinner....especially those cupcakes...sounds yummy!
    As a retired Kindergarten of 34 years, I am all about helping children! Sounds like a great cause and a fun time!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I must admit the cupcakes were the best part of the meal. I had three!

      Delete
  3. What a great cause! Sounded like a fantastic evening. Looks like another Volksmarch after all that yummy food. Very creative using the pizza box for food.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I just found your blog as I was hunting for a spot to park our 5th wheel. My DH works in the Eagle Ford! Tonight, he is near Cotulla! We are headed to Floresville (SW of San Antonio) to work in a week. Do you have any advice or recommendations?

    We have 2 large well-behaved dogs who are like our kids ! So that is of utmost importance in finding an RV Park that allows dogs. My dream ? A dog park, shade., trees, not packed together like sardines in a can, friendly families nd safety!

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Have you checked out rvparkreviews.com? I looked on that website but did not see the park you mentioned.

      You might try Hidden Valley RV Park in Van Ormy, TX. Or the Bar M RV Park in Pleasanton (off I-37) south of San Antonio. Both have good reviews on rvparkreviews.com.

      I hope that helps.

      Delete

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