Terry checking out the local bus.

First, Terry Nielsen from the Courtenay Rotary club had been in Mexico for nearly 2 weeks and really wanted to see what was happening with the rural Mexican schools we had been helping for the past 7 years.  Terry and I met up as soon as I landed in Puerto Vallarta and early the next morning we set off on a tour of Cabo Corrientes.  We were able to visit many villages and schools in the area and saw many completed projects and other projects that badly needed help.  While we were there we were fortunate enough to stay with my good Mexican friends in the pretty fishing village of Tehuamixtle and Terry got to see the broken down bus that services this area.  After a very productive and fun couple of days I drove Terry back to Boca Tomatlan where we had a great lunch on the beach watching the young kids surfing in the bigger than normal waves; then it was time for him to hop a bus back to Puerto Vallarta and then Canada, while I headed south towards Bara Navidad where Bob and Annette were staying.

fun mural

Bob Mason and kids at the orphanage

Second, Bob Mason and his good wife Annette had asked me to visit and possibly do some painting at a nearby special needs center if I was in Mexico around this time. We had never met but had corresponded over the years and they had been a great help with our fundraisers.  As I have described in an earlier post the Masons had dedicated their lives for many years to running an orphanage in northern Mexico, and they had only recently moved to this area.  I had a fun time painting at the school where one of the children’s fathers had just painted one of the cutest murals I had ever seen.  It was also very nice catching up with the Masons.  I learned a fun game of Dominos called Mexican Train, saw huge crocodiles that lived on the property, and possibly got a great lead on some wheelchairs that were badly needed at the new center in Cabo Corrientes.  As soon as I returned to Puerto Vallarta I got in touch with their Bob and Annette’s friends Nigel and Phillipa Gow.

Wheelchair/Walker for young boy at Sp. Needs center in El Tuito

The Gows were the third good reason for my quick return to Mexico and Lady Luck was surely shining down when I contacted them.  They belong to a great organization called “Amigos de Teacapan” who help with medical, educational and just about any other kind of need in this area.  Their president Rod Buranen gave them the go ahead to help us out and boy did they ever!  They helped us locate a great wheelchair and a sturdy walker for a young boy in El Tuito that was without both.  Then their friends Ken and Janet Jones from Richmond B.C, who were in the area, volunteered to deliver the wheelchair and walker down to Puerto Vallarta where they delivered them right to where I was staying.

New kindergarten school in Corrales

Condemned house for 3 teachers in Corrales

Fourth, my wonderful amiga Barb Crompton who has helped so much the last couple of years wanted to take her good  friend Joel from Napa California on a tour of  Cabo Corrientes to see what was happening out that way.  What a whirlwind fun tour this was and it could not have gone any better.  In one day we were able to: deliver the wheelchair and walker to the new special needs center in El Tuito (where it was greatly appreciated); meet the local government which is really dedicated to helping their people; visit several villages and schools; see the new 4 room teacherage that Barb had helped to build in Villa del mar; and vsit the brand new kindergarten school that had just been completed in the very remote village of Corrales.  BOY DO THEY NEED A NEW HOUSE FOR TEACHERS THERE.

The fifth good reason for my return took place only 2 days before I was due to trade in my beach wear for winter skis one more time.  On this day I headed out by bus to where I met up with the local government in Cabo Corrientes to discuss what projects they needed help with for this year.  It is always a fun time getting together with this group as they so dedicated to helping their people, and work so hard for not a lot of money.  No corruption out this way, just lots of pride, happy people and beautiful new buildings!

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Terry checking out the local bus.

Who would ever believe that I could break down in 3 different vehicles in 3 different countries within one month. The Universe must know I am no mechanic!

Just before leaving Canada my old van came to a grinding halt after getting off the Quadra Island ferry; the fuel pump gone (it is only money). Two days later I picked up the van that the Wachiay Friendship Center in Courtenay was so kind to give me the deal of the century on. This 15 passenger was going to be donated to the HIV/ AIDS Center in Pt Vallarta Mexico and to be used for testing in the poorer communities. On my way I stopped by my good friends Jim and Marlyn Ainsley for a coffee, before I hopped on the ferry for Vancouver, then the US of A. They had some clothes that I was going to take down and donate and asked if there was anything else I could use like MATERIAL. The light bulb went ON – for years they had worked craft fairs selling their fabrics and now had all this material left over. Soon we were loading bolt after bolt of material into the van and, guess what, not a problem at the border. California here I come! or so I thought.

Just before the California border there are a set of mountains that the van did not want to go over and it heated up quickly. I hobbled back into Grants Pass and found the only mechanic open on a Sunday. I spent the whole day at the mechanic’s as the crew tried to figure what the problem was – no luck and I was held over until Monday when the boss was due to arrive. I drove the van to the Walmart parking lot and spent the night there in the van, what an experience !!! There were half a million dollar motor homes on one side of the lot and on the other the displaced and homeless. It was quite the contrast. Back at the mechanics they discovered it was the radiator (only more money) : -) Next, I was off to see Ken and Sandra who have an organic farm just outside Santa Cruz. After a short visit a donated sewing machine plus lots more clothing from friends it was off to Puerta Vallarta where a group of Rotarians was waiting for me.

Three days later I arrived and quickly borrowed the small bus I had donated to this wonderful special needs center, Pasitos de Luz ( Place of Light), the year before so I could tour the rotary group around the remote area south of Pt. Vallarta. Then LIGHTNING STRUCK AGAIN. With everyone on board and way out in this remote area the transmission seal blew. Thanks to a Pepsi truck who towed us to the main town everyone was happy and a week later the bus was fixed (only money) : -)

WOMEN’S CO-OP: TOOTHBRUSHES FOR THE HUITCHOL INDIANS

Back in Puerta Vallarta I dropped the van off with ED and the folk doing wonderful work with HIV/AIDS prevention in the area. On the way I gave all the donated material to Vivian and the sewing machine to the Womens Co-op that she helps operate in the poor areas. I also gave my good friend Kevin, who runs the shop Peyote People, all the clothes and supplies collected for the Huitchol Indians that live high in the mountains. It was so good to hear from him that the tooth brushes and paste that we had sent up the year before was a big hit as they had never used them before.

CHAIRS, FANS, BOOKS AND MORE BOOKS

My good friend Margarito who helped start this project 7 years ago with his wife Eva had been collecting furniture and other materials needed for schools in the remote areas. Armed with a list of all the school materials that were needed it was time to load the truck up and go delivering. As always it was a lot of fun seeing old friends. Glenn Barron a teacher and good friend from North Carolina had arrived with his daughter Katie and 600 books that were going to be given to 3 separate schools so they could start school libraries. The year before he had noticed that there were hardly any books for the children to read and they do not even know the word library. We stayed out there for a couple of days and the books were a hit with everyone. It was a great trip.

PASITOS DE LUZ ( PLACE OF LIGHT) SPECIAL NEEDS CENTER

One of my favorite HAPPY Places. This year we helped to raise funds to finish their badly needed renovations. They look after over 100 children a day so the parents can go to work in an area the size of a shoe box.

One of their faithful volunteer/ workers Yuni ( Loved by all) had for the last 8 years wanted to attend a 2 year special needs therapists school in Guadalahara so she could return and help the children. My good friend Jim Boland decided to help right away and Yuni has now completed 6 months of the course and doing great.

HOUSE FOR 5 TEACHERS

This was our big project for the year that the local government, who does not have a lot of money, decided that teacher housing was a major priority and asked us to help. There are 5 teachers at the only high school in this very remote area ( Villa del Mar), and they are sleeping in make shift tents, on the school floor, or being passed around to different families in the community. This is a big problem as most teachers are from the cities and not used to these sparse living conditions. They get fustrated , some leave, and in other cases the school closes.

Thanks to Barb Crompton, Patsy Duggan AND MANY FRIENDS who threw a very successful, very fun, fund raiser for this project in Vancouver last year. Along with continuing support from the Sunrise Rotary Club of Medicine Hat AB this fundraiser allowed us to help see this project completed. The local people of the village have done all the work and we have been able to get all materials at cost..

NEXT YEAR

Kindergarten school in Coralles, special needs center in El tuito. Two houses for teacher,

SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL….FOR YOUR SUPPORT.

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!