Even In Paradise
Yes, even in paradise, help is often needed. How fortunate we are in this community that there are extraordinarily caring people who provide that help.
Recently I had the great pleasure of meeting some of these incredible people. First I need to mention two of my friends who are prominent in this community of extraordinary people and are my contacts to avenues for providing assistance where it is needed. I go to Kory for contact with the numerous local groups who provide help and could use help themselves (she is also my interpreter) and Cheryll my contact for one of the mission groups working in the barrios (more about this group in a future article).
Recently Kory and I visited the piñata workshop of the group, Comunidad de Valores y Actitudes (Community of Valor and Attitude). I have written in prior issues about La Montaña school for special needs children – well, from that group comes two new groups, the first is CdVyA. This group has established a workshop for the kids who have completed their classes at La Montaña. One of their teachers, Melba, saw the need for a place for them to continue to be challenged to develop their abilities and, with the help of their parents, the workshop was created. Staffed by volunteers (all parents take a turn at volunteering) and led by Refugio, their Director, Melba, their founder and super volunteer moms, Rosa, Luz, Irena and volunteer and bus driver, Geraldo. Geraldo picks the kids up for a 4 hour stay at the workshop where they have learning and social opportunities as well as making the piñatas that they sell to buy supplies and support their activities. They also have lunch and then Geraldo returns them to their homes.
I must admit their location is a bit difficult to find so once again my friend Kory stepped up and agreed to sell the piñatas in the pharmacy that she oversees for her sister Eva. So stop in at Farmacia del Mar in Cholla Mall shopping area. After you cross the railroad tracks on Calle Revolución, it is on your left in the 3rdblock. The large piñatas are 150 pesos and the small ones 80 pesos. They make great decorations for a party, even if you don’t plan to fill them with candy and break them open in the traditional manner.
Fundación Mi Angel.
The second group to come from the La Montaña School is Fundación Mi Angel (My Angel Foundation). At present children with ADD and other learning disorders do not have special classes available to them in the public school system. They attend La Montaña where the goal is to help them get their skills up and return or start their classes in the public schools. Their situation is quite different than most of the students at La Montaña so Jessie, the mom of one of these children, has put together a foundation that is working to establish a facility more suited to their needs. I’ll write more about this foundation in another article.
How Can you Help? (I knew you would want to know)
Not to be confused with Fundación Mi Angel, is the annual Christmas Angel Program. This program, originally founded by Guy and Linda of the former Old Port Galley Restaurant and now residents of San Miguel Allende, is still working in this community lead by Ramón of La Cocina de Ramón in town and El Restaurant Ramón in the Sonoran Sea on Sandy Beach. This year there will be angels on Christmas trees in three locations: La Cocina de Ramón for La Montaña and Comunidad de Valores y Actitudes; Lighthouse Restaurant on Wale Hill for for Fundación Mi Angel and Segunda This and That on Alcantar (exit street from port area and downhill from Friendly Dolphin) for DIF (the social service organization to assist families in need, also more about that in a future article). Please stop by and select an angel and provide them with Christmas presents. The angels were made by the students at La Montaña and each one includes what you need to know in order to by appropriate gifts. Please wrap the gifts and return them to the location where you selected the angel.
Another opportunity to help
These groups do marvelous work with great efforts from their volunteers but they depend on the generosity of their friends, family and neighbors to support financial needs. Please know that you can always help all year by donating funds. Your contributions can always be left with the Rocky Point Times (another wonderful group of folks that we are lucky to have in our community) and they will see that they get to your intended recipients or with the host businesses for the Christmas Angel program.
Please remember, you can also help our community when you shop locally. Try to buy your gifts in Puerto Peñasco and help keep our paradise economically healthy!
I wish you a very wonderful holiday season and ask you to help where you can to make someone else’s holiday season just as wonderful.