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Asociación CREAR

La Asociación CREAR (Creatividad, Arte y Responsabilidad Social) is a not-for-profit organization located in Playa Sámara, Costa Rica. CREAR's goal is to provide supplemental educational, recreational, and professional opportunities to the communities surrounding Playa Sámara, including Sámara, Cangrejal, and El Torito.

CREAR was founded by Laura Ellington in 2005 as the non-profit branch of Intercultura Spanish Language School. Ellington sought methods of giving back to the local community, which resulted in the early stages of CREAR. Over time, CREAR began to develop different programs, such as school assemblies (charlas) on relevant topics such as environmental change, proper nutrition and exercises, and sustainable development.

Activities

Activities sponsored by CREAR include after-school programming daily for children in both Playa Sámara and El Torito. Activities are both fun and educational, ranging from recreational sports such as soccer to music classes. While programming is for children aged 5-12, as of summer 2013 CREAR has created a program for teens entitled "Teen Night." Teen Night is open for students aged 13-18 and mixes recreation with discussions about what it means to grow up, further educational and job opportunities, and how the teens can leave a positive impact within the region.

In 2012, CREAR implemented a local fundraiser named CREAR Combate for the first time. Combate is an annual event that consists of teams accomplishing different tasks along the beach. Tasks include biking along the beach, running, swimming, surfing, and creating a merperson. Combate is a popular event among the community, bringing together participants in these various sports to support CREAR and its community outreach.

Also in 2012, CREAR organized its first annual beach cleanup. As part of a community engagement initiative, CREAR worked with local businesses to spread the message of the need to keep the beach clean. These methods have been successful, as Sámara has received the Bandera Azul for two consecutive years, meeting standards set by (Costa Rican Environmental Agency?) for minimal environmental impact.

In the summer of 2013, CREAR cosponsored a pharmacy restoration in nearby Cangrejal with Nourish International, an organization that looks to fight extreme poverty worldwide. Volunteers from Duke University and Vanderbilt University worked with CREAR to restore the clinic, which had been damaged by the earthquake that shook Sámara in 2012.

Self-Sustaining Programs

Two of CREAR's initiatives are self-sustaining ventures which lend support to volunteers and the local communities. CREAR has its own fleet of bikes which can be rented out by volunteers for a small weekly fee. CREAR also maintains a small public library of donated books. The library has selections in English, Spanish, German, Dutch, Italian, and Portuguese. Anyone can check out books for a small donation and will receive 2/3 of that money back upon return of the book. Both of these ventures have allowed CREAR to expand its programming and ability to service Sámara and neighboring communities.

Materials

As a small not-for-profit organization and environmentally conscious organization, CREAR recycles and reuses almost all materials. However, CREAR also depends on small donations from other organizations and private donors. CREAR is always in need of school supplies, such as pencils, paper, crayons and markers, paint materials, and coloring books. CREAR also accepts monetary donations, which help to replenish supplies and provide field trips for the students involved in CREAR programs.

Volunteers

CREAR volunteers are multicultural and provide the office many separate guiding philosophies. Volunteers in 2013 originally come from the United States, Costa Rica, and Switzerland. The Board of Directors includes both private and public organizations in the United States and Costa Rica.