“There Is A Purpose for Everything” (This year I decided to give a detailed description of our week. I thought if you opened this document, you might want some specifics.) This was the first year that our trip occurred in March, during our spring break time. We took a very small team of 4 teachers…
The trip in 2022 was called by the team the ‘Great Escape’. In spite of the circumstances, strange situation and harrowing trip home, 5 of those teachers, plus Terry and Bob Lancaster, made the decision to return in June, 2023. The team of 2023 consisted of Kathi Ritchie, Ellen Nicholl, Amy Manzcuk, Ann Matoushek, Terry Lancaster…
As the pandemic eased and restrictions were lifted, we realized that we would be able to make the 6th Cotinga Trip to Ecuador a reality. A team of 11 teachers met throughout this past winter and spring to create seminars and curriculum to help the teachers in Cayambe, Ecuador. Their students were out of school…
After 3 long years, we have a team that is headed to Ecuador from June 10 th to June 20th . There was team ready to go in June 2020 when the pandemic hit, so a team hasn’t been there since 2019. I (Terry) was able to go in March 2022, to meet with the…
Everyone knows the story of 2020: the year of ‘It had to be canceled’. That is what happened to the June 2020 Cotinga Foundation Trip. There were 11 teachers and one support person that had tickets purchased, supplies gathered, curriculum written, seminars planned, and THEN . . . . . CANCELLED. But for the story…
On June 4, 2019, a team of 9 teachers and one support person took off from St. Louis for Quito, Ecuador. This was the 5th year of the Cotinga Foundation. We took a total of 1,680 lbs. of luggage, which included over 1,100 lbs. of supplies for the teachers and students. Although the team left…
The fourth official trip of the Cotinga Foundation is complete. From June 7th until June 18th , 2018, Terry Lancaster led a team of 11 teachers and 3 support staff traveled to Cayambe, Ecuador to work at Escuela de Educacion Especializada Cap. Geovanni Calles. Of the 11 teachers, 8 of them had been to Ecuador…
The third official trip of the Cotinga Foundation is complete. From June 8th until June 18th, 2017, a team of 11 teachers traveled to Cayambe, Ecuador to work at Escuela de Educacion Especializada Cap. Giovanni Calles. This was a trip that included many firsts and created some great connections and building blocks for future trips….
In June of 2016, the Cotinga Foundation sent a team of 9 teachers and 3 support members to the special education school in Cayambe, Ecuador. This was the second year for Cotinga Foundation and the third year for the founder, Terry Lancaster. We spent the mornings working in the classrooms, interacting with the students and…
The first trip of the Cotinga Foundation is officially complete! From June 12th, 2015 to June 22nd, 2015, the team traveled to Cayambe, Ecuador and worked at Instituto Fiscal de Educacion Especial Cap. Giovanni Calles. The team consisted of three special education teachers: Terry Lancaster, Jennifer Paris and Nikki Sneed, and two college students studying…