Save Meeting House
Donation protected
Hello there ‘Parcero!” (Colombian Spanish word for friend). Thank you for visiting our GoFundMe page! We have been fighting hard to survive these past months but the time has come to ask you for your support!
For those who may not be familiar with Meeting House and what we’re about, please take the time to read the following paragraphs; this project means so much to us and we hope it could mean something to you too!
Meeting House is (was) a restaurant-bar-café-disco where just about anything and everything happens, but first and foremost, language practice! Our slogan, "Seamos bilingües" means "let's be bilingual" and applies to everything we do and represent. "Seamos bilingües conversando, comiendo, riéndonos, bailando, etc!" (Let’s be bilingual talking, eating, laughing, dancing, etc!)
We founded Meeting House to provide a place where all Colombians can go (whether or not they can afford an English class) because at MH they are all welcome to come, practice, and have a good time. But how can (could) they practice language, you may ask? Many ways in fact...By:
1) Taking advantage of our collection of over 60 English-speaking board games.
2) Using the "Parceros Games Books" - that include instructions to play the board games and have an entire section of speaking activities, organized by level, so that no matter your speaking ability, you'd have something to play.
3) Bilingual hosts, Colombian and foreign, who might recommend or play a game with you, and who (would) certainly help guide your language learning (as well as your dining and entertainment) experience.
4) Language Exchanges - every Wednesday and most Saturdays we (would) host language exchanges, with native speakers from different countries of different languages hosting different tables, each table marked with a country's' flag to represent the language spoken there.
Colombians and foreigners can (could) not only meet and chat at MH, they can enjoy some of the best pizza in Bogotá, as well as locally sourced Colombian coffee and cerveza!
Meeting House is basically a Cultural Center (just without the title nor the financial support from the government). We exist to bring together everyone from everywhere - both locals and foreigners - and not just to practice language but to experience other cultures, their arts and entertainment.
Just have a look at the other activities we (would) host...
5) Free Dance Classes (every Thursday) to teach latin dance moves (salsa, bachata, merengue y reggaeton).
6) International Karaoke Night (also Thursdays) where you win free drinks when you sing in a foreign language, and where there is always a karaoke champion!
7) Open Mic Night (Tuesdays) where foreigners and Colombians alike can enjoy from the best local (and sometimes traveling) talent.
8) Live Music (on the weekends) hosting a variety of bands and different genres such as salsa orchestras (a Friday night favorite), latin fusion bands, rock bands (the Beatles cover band was especially superb) and so many more!
9) "Rumba Colombiana” (weekends) with our local DJs often playing "crossover" music, which includes a mix of salsa, merengue, reggaeton and other latin beats--exceptional fun and essential for any authentic Colombian party!
10) International Thematic Parties - once every two Saturdays we would host an even larger Language Exchange and always have a thematic party afterwards, such as "Brazilian night" (when we raised money to support the Amazon rainforest) "Independence Day (for a variety of countries) or the much loved "Traffic Lights Party."
At Meeting House we did all that and more!
But now, we do most of it virtually. We continue to host Language Exchanges with a variety of languages and we stay active on our Social Media to give people a reason to practice language or to enjoy live music feeds, random karaoke nights, quizzes, jokes, memes and more.
The problem is, of course, that since March (and the Covid-19 pandemic) we've been closed to the public. Our debts continue to accrue, and all we can do with the large space that we rent is make pizzas for evening deliveries. While it’s enjoyable (and the pizzas delicious), just selling pizzas is not enough to pay the bills. It looks as though we won't be able to open our doors to the public for another month or two, and even when we do, it will be extremely limited service considering the large space we occupy.
In order to survive, we are asking for your support. We haven't paid the rent since March. Last weekend the gas was cut and we didn't have enough money to pay it, so we arranged a payment plan with the gas company but have now missed an entire week of sales. Unfortunately, just like most other bars and restaurants, our financial situation is grim, and the current situation in Bogotá has our doors closed to the public for the foreseeable future.
We want to become the cultural haven we once were! We want to be able to host language exchanges and international parties again, and to be able to pay bilingual hosts to help Colombians practice English! We want to be around for a long time, and make a difference in Colombia, but we can’t do it without your help.
With your help...
...there could be a light at the end of the tunnel.
...we could continue to be a cultural and linguistic center for everyone.
...we could pay the rent, and continue to provide a wonderful place for our lovely guests!
With a small donation from you, we would not only be forever grateful for your generosity, but would be happy to provide you with VIP (Very Important Parcero) treatment whenever you visit us once we open again!
To be more specific about where your donation would go, we owe 800 dollars rent for April and 800 for May. The rent for June and July have not been agreed upon yet, but we will likely be charged closer to 1500 dollars per month. Normally, we pay 3500 dollars per month for rent (including “administration” and tax), so it could increase to as high as that! Any money raised from this platform would be directly transferred to pay the real estate agency. The idea is that the income we make in these coming months is used to pay the services, the employees, and all other variable costs. Of course, any questions you may have we are more than welcome to discuss with you, and we promise to keep you as informed as you wish to be!
(Another way to help is to share the link to this page in your social media!)
We hope that in a year's time we are still renting our beautiful Bogotá property and providing such a necessary space for so many great people to enjoy.
Thank you for your time, your consideration and your good will,
The Meeting House Family
For those who may not be familiar with Meeting House and what we’re about, please take the time to read the following paragraphs; this project means so much to us and we hope it could mean something to you too!
Meeting House is (was) a restaurant-bar-café-disco where just about anything and everything happens, but first and foremost, language practice! Our slogan, "Seamos bilingües" means "let's be bilingual" and applies to everything we do and represent. "Seamos bilingües conversando, comiendo, riéndonos, bailando, etc!" (Let’s be bilingual talking, eating, laughing, dancing, etc!)
We founded Meeting House to provide a place where all Colombians can go (whether or not they can afford an English class) because at MH they are all welcome to come, practice, and have a good time. But how can (could) they practice language, you may ask? Many ways in fact...By:
1) Taking advantage of our collection of over 60 English-speaking board games.
2) Using the "Parceros Games Books" - that include instructions to play the board games and have an entire section of speaking activities, organized by level, so that no matter your speaking ability, you'd have something to play.
3) Bilingual hosts, Colombian and foreign, who might recommend or play a game with you, and who (would) certainly help guide your language learning (as well as your dining and entertainment) experience.
4) Language Exchanges - every Wednesday and most Saturdays we (would) host language exchanges, with native speakers from different countries of different languages hosting different tables, each table marked with a country's' flag to represent the language spoken there.
Colombians and foreigners can (could) not only meet and chat at MH, they can enjoy some of the best pizza in Bogotá, as well as locally sourced Colombian coffee and cerveza!
Meeting House is basically a Cultural Center (just without the title nor the financial support from the government). We exist to bring together everyone from everywhere - both locals and foreigners - and not just to practice language but to experience other cultures, their arts and entertainment.
Just have a look at the other activities we (would) host...
5) Free Dance Classes (every Thursday) to teach latin dance moves (salsa, bachata, merengue y reggaeton).
6) International Karaoke Night (also Thursdays) where you win free drinks when you sing in a foreign language, and where there is always a karaoke champion!
7) Open Mic Night (Tuesdays) where foreigners and Colombians alike can enjoy from the best local (and sometimes traveling) talent.
8) Live Music (on the weekends) hosting a variety of bands and different genres such as salsa orchestras (a Friday night favorite), latin fusion bands, rock bands (the Beatles cover band was especially superb) and so many more!
9) "Rumba Colombiana” (weekends) with our local DJs often playing "crossover" music, which includes a mix of salsa, merengue, reggaeton and other latin beats--exceptional fun and essential for any authentic Colombian party!
10) International Thematic Parties - once every two Saturdays we would host an even larger Language Exchange and always have a thematic party afterwards, such as "Brazilian night" (when we raised money to support the Amazon rainforest) "Independence Day (for a variety of countries) or the much loved "Traffic Lights Party."
At Meeting House we did all that and more!
But now, we do most of it virtually. We continue to host Language Exchanges with a variety of languages and we stay active on our Social Media to give people a reason to practice language or to enjoy live music feeds, random karaoke nights, quizzes, jokes, memes and more.
The problem is, of course, that since March (and the Covid-19 pandemic) we've been closed to the public. Our debts continue to accrue, and all we can do with the large space that we rent is make pizzas for evening deliveries. While it’s enjoyable (and the pizzas delicious), just selling pizzas is not enough to pay the bills. It looks as though we won't be able to open our doors to the public for another month or two, and even when we do, it will be extremely limited service considering the large space we occupy.
In order to survive, we are asking for your support. We haven't paid the rent since March. Last weekend the gas was cut and we didn't have enough money to pay it, so we arranged a payment plan with the gas company but have now missed an entire week of sales. Unfortunately, just like most other bars and restaurants, our financial situation is grim, and the current situation in Bogotá has our doors closed to the public for the foreseeable future.
We want to become the cultural haven we once were! We want to be able to host language exchanges and international parties again, and to be able to pay bilingual hosts to help Colombians practice English! We want to be around for a long time, and make a difference in Colombia, but we can’t do it without your help.
With your help...
...there could be a light at the end of the tunnel.
...we could continue to be a cultural and linguistic center for everyone.
...we could pay the rent, and continue to provide a wonderful place for our lovely guests!
With a small donation from you, we would not only be forever grateful for your generosity, but would be happy to provide you with VIP (Very Important Parcero) treatment whenever you visit us once we open again!
To be more specific about where your donation would go, we owe 800 dollars rent for April and 800 for May. The rent for June and July have not been agreed upon yet, but we will likely be charged closer to 1500 dollars per month. Normally, we pay 3500 dollars per month for rent (including “administration” and tax), so it could increase to as high as that! Any money raised from this platform would be directly transferred to pay the real estate agency. The idea is that the income we make in these coming months is used to pay the services, the employees, and all other variable costs. Of course, any questions you may have we are more than welcome to discuss with you, and we promise to keep you as informed as you wish to be!
(Another way to help is to share the link to this page in your social media!)
We hope that in a year's time we are still renting our beautiful Bogotá property and providing such a necessary space for so many great people to enjoy.
Thank you for your time, your consideration and your good will,
The Meeting House Family
Organizer and beneficiary
Christopher Poey
Organizer
North Kingstown, RI
Alan Poey
Beneficiary