No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveNonprofit offers a helping hand

Nonprofit offers a helping hand

The John Ovens Foundation lends credence to the old saying, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” The nonprofit foundation connects people with educational and financial resources to improve lives and support families.

John Ovens, who founded the bilingual Canadian School in Curridabat, east of San José, after moving here from Canada, has also founded charter schools across Costa Rica. “In the latter stages of my life I asked myself what I can do,” Ovens said. “Although we can’t solve poverty, we can do something, even if it’s small.”

One woman Ovens met had dreams of opening her own soda, or café, but the rent, equipment and business knowledge necessary were beyond her reach. The Foundation helped her get basic training in accounting and supplied her with rent money. Milagro Montenegro opened for business in Pacayas, Cartago in 2011. Soda Milagro now serves casados, hamburgers and pozole to folks from the nearby school and clinic. “John [Ovens] is like a member of the family,” Montenegro said. “We’ve had some difficult times and he’s been with us all the way.”

Montenegro was diagnosed with cancer and has undergone treatment, and her oldest son has heart problems. The family has spent a lot of time in hospitals. “But both my children are in school and the soda is doing well,” Montenegro said. “For this we are forever grateful to John.”

People can receive a helping hand from the foundation by being recommended by others. “There are many things people want to be and we can give them the tools and scholarship to be just that,” Ovens said. “Everyone deserves dignified employment, health care, education and hope.”

If you would like to recommend someone or give to the foundation, email jofundacion@gmail.com or visit the website: http://johnovensfundacion.org/

Trending Now

Costa Rica Surf Film Festival Honors ‘Pura Vida Bodysurfing’ with Top Audience Award

Pura Vida Bodysurfing is an award-winning short film that strips surfing back to its essence—riding waves without a surfboard. Filmed across Costa Rica’s legendary...

Climate Change in Costa Rica Devastates Coffee Farms in Los Santos

In Costa Rica’s Los Santos region, famous for producing nearly half the country’s coffee, farmers are reeling from heavy losses driven by wild weather....

Costa Rica Identified as Key Maritime Route for Cocaine Trafficking

Costa Rica appears among the main maritime and aerial routes for cocaine trafficking between South and North America, according to the World Drug Report 2025 published...

Costa Rican Court Orders Release of Migrants Deported Under Trump Deal

A court on Tuesday ordered Costa Rican authorities to release foreign migrants who had been detained in a shelter after being deported under an...

Costa Rica’s Rare Birds at Risk as Human Activity Threatens Extinction

Costa Rica’s bare-necked umbrellabird, a striking black bird with a red throat pouch and crest, is in trouble. A new study in Nature Ecology...

Guatemala Makes History as They Face USA in Gold Cup Semifinal Showdown

Desperate to show progress under Mauricio Pochettino, the United States is looking to secure a return to the CONCACAF Gold Cup final on Wednesday...
Avatar
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica