Tarantulas and Pigs Set Up Road Block

I have just returned from Mexico with lots of good news and adventures. This was a shorter visit than most, but very productive. There had been an election last year in Mexico, so we needed to connect with the new government to see if they were still interested in helping with projects in the remote areas. As luck would have it our good friends Margarito and Eva from Puerta Vallarta, who helped start this program five years ago, knew the leaders very well.

They are very excited about working with us and want to get all school bathrooms in the area working and maintained over the next couple of years. At present 75% of bathrooms in 50 schools are not working for one reason or another.

It was so nice that our good friends Sandra, Bruce, Ed, Sandy and family from Alaska, came down to Mexico this year. With their generous donation, our first project will be putting in all new bathrooms at Villa del Mar, the only high school in the area. There are over 100 students in this school with bathrooms that are in terrible shape, or not even working.

Enough wonderful things can’t be said about our wonderfulfriends from Medicine Hat, Carolina and Randy (the hosts with the most), who along with their Rotary Club continue to take on much needed projects in the area. It was so nice to see Renee and Jim down for a visit and meet their friends Reg and Eddie, along with Carolina’s dad Ollie.

Latest News: Recently our good friends,Sandra & Ken from Santa Cruz, have donated one of their older vans that will aide us in getting into rural areas more easily.

This year we were able to supply all schools in the area where we volunteer with necessary supplies and sports balls.

Projects we are looking at helping with this year:

1. Putting in new bathrooms in Villa del Mar High School
2. Putting in a new eating area in Villa del Mar High School, where the mothers make hot food for the students everyday. At present it is a dilapidated wood and thatched structure that is a haven for scorpions.
3. Fix the school eating area in the village of Tehuamixtle, that was recently damaged by high winds.
4. Help replace the scorpion infested kindergarten school in Tehuamixtle that is such disrepair that it is beyond belief.
5. In Puerta Vallarta there is a wonderful special needs center, Pasitos de Luce (Place of Light), in a very poor area that presently day cares 85 children with severe disabilities. This service is provided so their parents can go to work. They are in dire need of a van with wheel chair access so that some of these children can be picked up each day. Our plan is to drive a donated van down for them in October. If anyone out there hears of one, please let us know.

It was so nice to see the new roof on the school in El Refugio that Carey, Derrick, family and great friends raised funds to fix. These funds also enabled us to paint the primary and special needs center in El Tutto.

There are so many who have generously donated to our upcoming projects the year:

• Glenn and his students in North Carolina
• Bernie and students in Fort Francis, Canada
• Bob and Pam in Victoria, BC
• Puntledge School in Courtenay, BC
• Norma in Whitehorse who has supported us from the beginning
• Eva, Margarito and family (River Café Staff)

And a special thank you to anyone else I have not mentioned and to friends and family everywhere, who make this happen!