Celebracion de Coprodeli-- a perspective of our intern

If there is a recipe for a great evening, Coprodeli seems to have struck on it. The secret ingredient? One great cause.

Celebración de Coprodeli, the 10th annual, is not the typical fare for a college student like myself. Walking up to the Blackstone Hotel, I really didn't know what to expect. Having worked on the Celebración event all summer as an intern for Coprodeli, I was both excited and nervous to see the final product. What had I forgotten to do? What if that great idea had turned out horrible in practice? What does one even wear to a gala?

Of course, in true Coprodeli fashion, everyone was welcoming, energetic and excited from the moment I walked in the door. That same energy that sustains the organization was truly evident that night, and as the first guests came in the door at 6pm, all the details that I had been stressing about turned out not to matter at all. People were here to have fun, spend some time with other philanthropically-minded people, and support the amazing cause of Coprodeli education programs. In the midst of that overwhelming spirit, it couldn't have mattered if a table tent or two was missing, or a display was misplaced. (Happily, all the details came off smoothly!) But I think there was a bigger lesson involved in this event. It's easy to wrap oneself up in the minutiae of a project, at the expense of the bigger picture. Celebración, in its actualization, allowed me to see with clarity the greater goal at hand - through the Padrinos and the Mission Drive - of helping secure a brighter future for Peru.

The layout of the program or the font of a brochure no longer mattered. What mattered was the spirit of altruism, in no place more evident than in Padre Ranera's speech on Coprodeli successes in education. The heartwarming sincerity of the speech meant for me that motivation and inspiration far and away outstripped worries over caterers and A/V equipment. It was, to say the least, a pleasant revelation.

The spirit at the event was infectious. Even I, fresh from 3 months of learning the ins and outs of Coprodeli, was reminded of our true purpose. I know that I - and I think I speak for everyone else at Celebración, supporters new and old - felt connected more closely to Coprodeli as an organization, and to Coprodeli as a dream, a goal, a success, and an inspiration.

Thanks, Coprodeli, for an inspiring summer! See you in Peru sometime!

-Erin Britton, Summer Intern 2010