In the mid 60′s a few brave ExPats found the beautiful valley of Boquete and moved here to raise their families. Some 30 years later, in 2002, when ExPats began to come to Boquete in more numbers, residents Sylvan & Barbara Cohen began to host a monthly potluck in their home to discuss issues such as where to find things, and how to work with the local construction industry, etc. Attendees included Kent & Phyllis McNaughton, Hershel & Mikey Stolebarger, and Jack & Kathleen Bales, and as more people arrived, these early pioneers wanted to welcome newcomers and to discuss the challenges and joys of living in their new hometown. This gathering grew too big for the Cohen living room, and with the help of Sonia & Scott Yates, eventually the Tuesday Morning Meeting began in the patio lounge at the Panamonte Inn. A $1 charge was applied, and speakers were scheduled to bring more and more valuable information to the ExPat community of Boquete.
At some point, Hershel Stolebarger began gathering email addresses and agreed to be the collection point for information that he then distributed to the entire list. This became known as “Hershel’s List”. The list is now owned and managed by Penny Barrett , a Michigan transplant who gives tirelessly of her time and effort for many things in our community.
Thanks to these two efforts, new arrivals and visitors were able to connect quickly with others and make their transition to Panama easier. Because of this spirit of “community” others began to visualize efforts dear to their hearts, and several groups organized for a variety of purposes.
* A local orphanage was founded with assistance from the Patricia Price Peterson Foundation, and operates as the Casa Hogar Trisker Home on the main highway to David. Volunteers help in many ways to give these children a chance in life;
* The organizing efforts of Susan Peterson and many other volunteers convinced the city to donate land for a handicap foundation, and solicited funds to build a building. The center gives handicapped Panamanians a place to gather and provides equipment donated from the US. The center is aligned with Fundacion Pro-Integracion with headquarters in Panama City;
* Animales de Boquete began a spay/neuter clinic which has eliminated the possibility of over 2,000 dogs and cats delivering many more thousands of unwanted animals on the streets. Dozens of volunteers work tirelessly in the clinics, which occur about 6 times each year, with services and medications provided by veterinarians from the United States, Costa Rica and Panama;
* Amigos de Boquete is a foundation was begun to feed almost 1,000 school children every day in several local schools….enrollment has increased by 30% just because the children are receiving a meal. This increases literacy in the area and involves local farmers, volunteers providing transportation for the food, and students’ mothers who prepare the food;
* Bid4Boquete conducts an annual charity auction held each early December which benefits 4 worthy local charities through a 2 day event that includes a Live Auction on Saturday evening and a Silent Auction on Sunday that includes a Kid’s Area, Patio Sale and Rummage Sale and has a organizing committee of over a dozen volunteers;
* The Lion’s Club of Boquete has begun a project for a new library which is almost completed, for Boquete’s young people and adults. The lovely three story, modern building will be completed in 2010, and is another project supported by the Patricia Price Peterson Foundation;
* ReAL Boquete Recycling is a program begun by Jennifer Bennett that not only recycles cardboard, paper and glass, but also educates the Panamanian population through school programs and public information, about the benefits of litter control and recycling through an imaginative animated film;
* Buenos Vecinos is a program that collects donations of food and money all year and holds food drives in front of Romero’s Market 3 times each year. Food is non perishable and is divided into bundles and taken to 82 people who are handicapped, elderly or living on subsistence income.
….and, the Boquete Community Players theater group was formed to give ExPats a place to create stage play performances and be involved in the theater experience. Many dedicated volunteers gave of their time and money to renovate a building to use to create the BCP Theater & Events Center, which is quickly becoming the very hub of ExPat life in Boquete.
The Tuesday Meeting has grown to include the Tuesday Market, held weekly at the BCP Theater & Events Center, across the bridge on the right. It was decided that with the extraordinary growth of the Boquete ExPat community, the monthly Friendship Potluck Luncheon idea would once again help newcomers and more long time residents become acquainted and give them a place to share their experiences in their new country.
To learn more about volunteer opportunities in Boquete, go to Volunteer Boquete.
