Almost Complete!
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As we near the completion of the main construction phase by the end of this month, we are taking a look back at how we got to this point. We are humbled and immensely grateful for the support and generosity of everyone who has contributed to getting this home built which will be a temporary home for vulnerable children in their time of need.
There are three groups in particular who have stepped forward recently to make significant contributions to help us put the finishing touches on this vital initiative.
We extend our deepest gratitude to the Sea to Sky Rotary clubs, including Squamish, Whistler, Whistler Millennium, Royal City, and Pemberton Rotary clubs. Their unwavering commitment to service and their generous donation have enabled us to equip the home with industrial kitchen appliances, ensuring that the children in our care will have access to nutritious meals prepared with care and love.
Most of the Rotarians from these clubs have never been to the area, let alone Mexico, yet they held fundraisers and advocated for children they will never meet. We were thrilled when, last month, three Rotarians from these clubs joined us in Los Barriles to visit both homes they have supported. They drove out to New Creation Kids to meet some of the children there and check out the home that they had supported in the past through grants. Then, they not only visited the John Gullo Home for Children, they got their hands dirty by getting some of the remaining painting completed. Thank you to all the Rotarians involved in contributing to this project in any capacity!
We are also immensely grateful to Pamela Engstrom, a local resident who worked tirelessly to help us secure a generous donation from Ashley Furniture for all the beds and mattresses for the John Gullo Home for Children.
Pamela also helped us pick out the best suited funiture which will not only provide comfort and warmth to the children but also create a welcoming and nurturing environment where they can feel safe and secure. Thank you to Pamela and Ashely Furniture for this incredible contribution!
Additionally, our heartfelt gratitude extends to Yacht Aid Global for their remarkable support. Their generous contribution toward the perimeter wall, their provision of the remaining furniture for the home, and the funding and installation for the solar panels and batteries, is instrumental in ensuring the sustainability and functionality of the John Gullo Home for Children. This support enables us to create a safe, eco-friendly environment where children can thrive.
A highlight for us was when they sent some people from their organization to actually participate, hands-on, in the projects they were supporting. This crew stayed for several days and built an entire wall!
We must also shine a spotlight on ACV Logistics. Yacht Aid Global worked with ACV Logistics who agreed to ship all of the furniture without charging their shipping fee. Thank you to Yacht Aid Global and ACV Logistics!
We are eternally grateful for all the organizations who have been so generous in their support of this project. We would also like to thank all the individual donors who have been primarily responsible for the funding of the home… some who have agreed to share their commitment to supporting vulnerable children publicly and others who have done so anonymously.
As we celebrate these remarkable milestones, we remain focused on our next steps. Our attention now turns towards creating outdoor spaces where the children can play, learn, and grow.
This includes developing shaded areas and a playground (the photo is just an example), as well as landscaping the surroundings to create a serene and inviting atmosphere. Furthermore, we are committed to hiring dedicated staff who will live at the home and provide the love, care, and support that every child deserves.
The journey towards creating positive change and building a brighter future for vulnerable children is made possible by the collective efforts of individuals and organizations. Together, we are creating a home where every child will feel supported and safe. Thank you for your continued support in this important mission.
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PARTNER UPDATES
Líderes Para Dar / John Gullo Home for Children
Recently, Leaders2Give President, Adam Greenberg, shared an afternoon with Caasper, who is an intern with YachtAid Global, and Brea Brodinski who is the President and founder of the UCLA chapter of Leaders2Give, and Brea’s friend Miles.
They had a meaningful conversation over lunch about leadership, philanthropy, community engagement and more. Included, were discussions on the importance of empowering others, delegation, team work, visualization, transparency, communication, and accountability.
Next, they took a trip to the John Gullo Home for Children where Caasper and his colleagues had recently invested a week doing hands on work (they built a wall!) They were also able to meet with Belen Meza Sandez to hear the story that inspired this project.
Special thanks Brian Andrews and Zoran from Yacht Aid Global for their contribution to the John Gullo Home for Children and for sharing Caasper with us, and to Brea and all the members of Leaders2Give At UCLA for their contributions.
These young people are making a measurable difference. How inspiring!
New Creation Kids (NCK) Children’s Home
New Creation Kids is an independently registered and operated Mexican nonprofit organization (Asociación Civil.) Roberto and Alma Osuna run the facility. Up to 30 children are under legal guardianship of this home for vulnerable children at any given time. Their parents are unable or unfit to take care of them for a myriad of reasons (e.g. addiction, violence, homelessness.)
Leaders2Give is but one of many organizations who help to support and/or improve their operations. We do this by raising awareness and by providing funding to cover daily necessities such as food, electricity, fuel, water, and education. We pay these bills directly to providers or through reimbursement after receipts are procured (such as with food and educational costs.)
Occasionally, Leaders2Give also takes on urgent capital improvement projects for the betterment of the children’s living conditions such as in 2021 when we had two 10,000 liter pilas (cisterns) installed on their property in an attempt to improve the water situation.
All this funding comes from the many people who, like all of us at Leaders2Give, want to help provide a healthier, safer, and better life for the children who find themselves there because their parents are unable or unfit to take care of them.
The East Cape Health Center
The East Cape Health Center Dental Clinic is thrilled to announce the donation of additional, cutting-edge dental equipment that will allow its specialists to perform numerous procedures with results comparable to the US or Canada.
The East Cape Health Center, which began in the early 2000’s by providing essential medical and dental services, has grown into a comprehensive medical and dental center with its dental practice now offering cosmetic and restorative care.
Earlier this year, Dr. Bill Blatchford, a long-time friend of the East Cape Health Center and its Dental Clinic, made special arrangements with Dr. Randy Mitchmore, a retiring cosmetic dentist from Houston, Texas, who graciously agreed to donate state-of-the-art equipment from his practice to the Clinic. In March, the Clinic received a new Trios 3shape intra-oral camera which was the subject of an earlier article in this newsletter. As previously announced, that camera offers a digital impression for various dental procedures without stimulating the gag reflex as is common with normal impression material.
The Clinic has now also received a Prexion 3D CT cone beam which provides precise tomography imaging for complex dental procedures like extractions, implants, endodontics, and orthodontic procedures. This new-to-us equipment rotates around the patient capturing images and data with a cone-shaped x-ray beam.
With these two pieces of equipment, the East Cape Health Center Dental Clinic is the only practice in the Los Barriles and East Cape area with precise 3D visualization of the bone structure for advanced dental procedures. The combination of theTrios 3shape intraoral camera and the Prexion Dental 3D tomography, significantly advances the practice of dentistry in these communities with more precise images, increased patient comfort, reduced chair time, increased patient and staff safety, and cost-effectiveness.
In addition, the East Cape Health Center Dental Clinic received a Biolase soft tissue laser, which allows the Clinic’s dental team to deliver advanced periodontal (gum tissue) therapy as needed during cleanings, and a
automatic lidocaine injector. Instead of the usual slightly painful shot prior to a procedure, the automatic injector provides a painless injection, which is particularly helpful for young or fearful patients. The donation of these surgical instruments provided the Clinic with some of the best dental equipment available.
In order to ensure that the Clinic and its patients would fully benefit from the donated equipment, Dr. Randy Mitchmore, a well as Dr. Bill Blatchford and his daughter, Dr. Christina Blatchford, spent three days in Los Barriles training the Clinic’s dentists on the donated equipment.
With all of this additional state-of-the-art equipment and personalized training, the East Cape Health Center Dental Clinic can now offer virtually every procedure that can be done in the US or Canada. Patients will receive the same care that they would at home, with the same great results, but at significantly reduced cost.
Beyond these incredible benefits, the Clinic prides itself on its commitment to helping local residents, especially youth in the community. Children ages 1-5 receive dental treatment from a pediatric specialist and those older than 6 join the Clinic’s “no cavity kids club,” with special offers for their families.
If you want to positively impact the local community and give back to those less fortunate, we encourage you to obtain your dental treatments at the Clinic. By doing so, you help provide needed dental care at a minimal or low rate to those that qualify for assistance.
Now is the time to focus on your dental health. The East Cape Health Center Dental Clinic looks forward to providing you with the beautiful, functional teeth you deserve. To schedule an appointment, please contact the Clinic at 624 141-0375.
Feeding The Hungry
This month, Feeding the Hungry wanted us to share with you their ideas about money. Here’s what they believe: After you have covered the basic expenses of living, there are really only two uses for money. The first is to send it out to work for you, by investing it. The second is to use it to have fun.
People first chose to have fun with their money by spending it to do the things they enjoy doing. However, after a while many discover there are only so many golf balls they enjoy hitting, so many fish they enjoy reeling in, or so many gourmet meals they enjoy consuming.
The people who enjoy their money the most seem to be those who have discovered the deep soul-satisfaction they experience when they make a dramatic difference in the life of a fellow human being. Gabriela…
Gabriela is nearly 70 years old. She used to work cleaning hotel rooms. She now suffers from arthritis and can’t walk without a cane. All her life she has struggled to care for one of her children who is disabled. Her other child died a few years ago, and now Rose has the responsibility of raising 3 grandchildren. Life is tough for Gabriela. Every day is an uphill struggle.
Sometimes Gabriela feels her Feeding the Hungry food vouchers are the only thing that gives her hope.
Enjoy the satisfaction of knowing you are making a lasting difference to a Los Barriles family, Contact Ben and Harriet Purkey purkeybh@gmail.com or Gordon and Joy Blackie gordonandjoy@gmail.com
SNAP - Spay, Neuter, and Prevention
One of SNAP's goals for 2024 is to establish a robust youth education program for the children in Los Barriles and surrounding communities, while also providing opportunities for leadership roles.
SNAP is thrilled to welcome Isabella Geraldine Luna Márquez to their team. Isabella, a 15-year-old high school student from the community of Santiago who shares SNAP's passion for animals and family. She is determined to make a difference for future generations by leading and advocating for responsible treatment of pets while
promoting sterilizations for them in the community through SNAP's service, which covers the costs of these vital procedures.
Isabella sees this opportunity as a chance to acquire new leadership skills and have a positive impact on our communities. She will collaborate with her peers and Professor Jorge Manriquez from the primary school in Los Barriles to disseminate educational information to all schools in the East Cape region.
In other news, SNAP's campaign to raise awareness about the importance of spaying and neutering is gaining momentum. In 2024, the monthly surgery numbers have increased by 32 percent compared to the same period last year.
In rural communities like Santiago, El Campamento, and Mira Flores, located in Baja California Sur, Mexico, access to educational resources and the internet is limited, with a significant portion of the population having only completed eighth grade. Recognizing the importance of addressing the needs of these communities, SNAP has launched a series of community spay and neuter clinics aimed at tackling the issue of pet overpopulation and promoting responsible pet ownership.
The lack of internet access and educational opportunities can contribute to a lack of awareness of services available and understanding about the importance of spaying and neutering pets. Beyond simply addressing the issue of pet overpopulation, these clinics also serve as opportunities for education and outreach. SNAP’s veterinarians, volunteers, and staff work to educate pet owners about the importance of responsible pet ownership, including the benefits of spaying and neutering for the health and well-being of pets, as well as for the broader community. Through community engagement and collaboration, SNAP is working to empower residents with the knowledge and resources they need to make informed decisions.
Crescent Moon Project - Art for Children
Crescent Moon Project’s first large community fundraiser was held in late March and wow, was it a success! Preparation for the event started with ten local artists each working with a small group of students to create collaborative art pieces. It was a treat to see and hear the buzz from these experiences and to watch the work happening in the Art Studio. The artists were amazed by the ability and focus of the students. The students were so motivated to learn from professional artists.
The resulting art pieces, along with donated pieces from these and other artists, were auctioned off during a fun evening event. Nearly one hundred guests and volunteers gathered at a home for a delicious Mexican dinner. As they ate and drank, guests meandered throughout the property to look at the art pieces and decide what to bid on. Silent bidding took place for several hours, culminating with the live auction of three special pieces. One highlight of the evening was the Loteria, a Mexican version of a raffle.
The artist in the photo above is 15 year old Iram. He created this piece with artist Tanis Rovner as his guide. The winning bidder of this beautiful acrylic on canvas piece was local resident and philanthropist, John Gullo. Afterwards, John donated the painting to the children’s home in El Cardonal that bears his name.
Crescent Moon has received such positive feedback from guests and artists. The goal of providing a fun event that also helped meet the goal of providing free art experiences to the children of Los Barriles was most definitely met!
To Donate to Leaders2Give and any of our Partners, visit our Donate page.