Cancer’s Collateral Damage in BCS
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Amid life's challenges, two moms found each other while navigating the tough road of illness with their kids.
One mom was looking after her 10-year-old daughter, Paloma, while the other juggled her 1-year-old and 12-year-old sons. Paloma and the 1-year-old boy had cancer. The two moms became tight as they tackled hospital visits and treatments together for their sick children.
Paloma when she was receiving chemotherapy treatment for bone
marrow cancer.
That was almost 10 years ago. Fast forward to today, and both of those sick children are now doing great! As for the older son, he is suffering from depression, anxiety, bulimia, and he recently dropped out of college.
His mother explained how she couldn’t care for him while she was away seeking treatment for his brother.
The impact of that early abandonment resulted in emotional trauma for the boy.
The toll on children who are abandoned while a single parent is dealing with a medical crisis is real. When they are abandoned in places like the slums of San Jose, (like the children who inspired the John Gullo Home for Children) they also face food and water scarcity, while being exposed to crime, drugs, and worse.
Paloma’s mother is Belén Meza Sández, the Subdelegado of El Cardonal, BCS, and Vice President of Líderes Para Dar Mexican AC (nonprofit). Líderes Para Dar is Leaders2Give’s sister organization which is helping to build the John Gullo Home for Children in El Cardonal and will be responsible for the daily operations of the home once it is built.
Belén with her daughter,
Paloma, last year after she
was declared a childhood
cancer survivor:
This story underscores why the John Gullo Home for Children is so important. When families such as the one in the story above experience a health crisis, they're all too often torn between caring for the sick child and making sure the rest of the children are being properly cared for. In too many cases, children are abandoned in dire circumstances right here in BCS; this is particularly true for single mothers.
The good news is we are close to having the construction of the home finished!
We just need the BCS community to help finish it off and get home operating.
You can help us turn $100,000 into $200,000 so we can start accepting children into the John Gullo Home for Children.
We have most of the funds to complete the capital construction but not all, and we need 3 years of operational funding before opening the doors.
Our all-volunteer Board of Directors along with Los Barriles resident and philanthropist John Gullo, have pledged a combined $100,000 if the community can match it.
Make an even bigger difference by doubling your donation!
Whether it's a large or small donation, every bit counts and makes a significant difference in the lives of these vulnerable children, particularly when you can…
☑︎ turn $25 into $50
☑︎ turn $250 into $500
☑︎ turn $1000 into $2000
Naming rights are still available for visible areas within the facility such as the children’s dormitories. Consider creating a legacy for your family or loved one.
If you can help us reach this goal, the entire home can be built and furnished, landscaping completed, and the shade pavilion erected.
In other words…… the home will be ready for children!
All US taxpayers receive a 501(c)(3) tax deductible receipt. In addition, Leaders2Give can receive donations that have even greater tax benefit to you such as donating from your IRA or through donating Securities.
Click on the green button below to see all the options available for donating and let’s start helping the families in BCS that need this home!
*When donating, be sure to indicate your donation is for the John Gullo Home for Children in order for it to qualify for the donor match.
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PARTNER UPDATES
Líderes Para Dar / John Gullo Home for Children
Leaders2Give is hosting a Christmas Painting Party at the John Gullo Home for Children in El Cardonal from 11am - 4pm on Friday, December 23rd.
Come join us and help make the facility a welcoming refuge. Lunch, refreshments, paint, brushes and a beautiful beach bag will be provided.
We ask for a $100 donation for your consideration to help cover our costs and to contribute to getting this home finished!
You can reserve your space today by making a donation. Select the John Gullo Home for Children in the drop down menu when paying by credit card or Paypal and write ‘Painting Party' in the comments section.
New Creation Kids (NCK) Children’s Home
International Children’s day is celebrated on 20 November each year to promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children's welfare.
This year’s theme was, “For every child, every right.”
New Creation Kids is a temporary home for children whose families are experiencing a crisis.
Let us celebrate this home and the children whose rights are protected by it!
The East Cape Health Center
We love to share the East Cape Health Center’s successes, especially the recent story of little Dylan. Although the clinic has witnessed many miracles, Dylan’s case was particularly gratifying. Dylan’s mother came to the clinic around 2 years ago when she learned her young son was born with congenital hearing loss.
Because of Dylan’s age, he was a perfect candidate for cochlear implants which would allow him to learn language skills and attend school in a normal classroom setting. However, until the necessary funds could be raised for the implant surgery, Dylan was required to make multiple trips to the Mexican mainland for testing, and, after special training, to adapt to the use of hearing aids.
Hoping to help Dylan avoid the stigma of hearing aids and gain better hearing, the East Cape Health Center began a fundraising campaign on its website and social media channels. Once again, the community stepped up to change this child’s life. The clinic raised $5,000 USD which, when matched by a generous local donor and with financial assistance from the Los Cabos Children’s Foundation, was sufficient to fund Dylan’s surgery. Dylan is now attending school, speech therapy sessions, and is thriving at home having received the gift of hearing.
The East Cape Health Center’s goal is simple, to continue to provide the East Cape region with exceptional medical, dental, laboratory, and pharmacy services and to expand its donor base so it can care for more families like Dylan’s.
We are so very grateful to all of you who contributed to Dylan’s surgery and have given so generously over the years. The East Cape Health Center could not provide the excellent care they do without your support. As the year comes to a close, we invite you to consider the East Cape Health Center in your tax planning. There are 9 ways to donate with Leaders2Give, several of which offer tax benefits.
Feeding The Hungry
Your chance to be Santa!
Christmas is the season for giving and receiving gifts. Can you remember, when you were a child, how excited you were to open your Christmas presents? Truly receiving a gift is wonderful. However, even more rewarding is giving a gift, especially one that would change someone’s life.
Feeding the Hungry works with the least fortunate in our community and provides them with food security by issuing vouchers that can be exchanged for food at Chapitos supermarket.
300 pesos supports a family for a week
1200 pesos supports a family for a month
15600 pesos supports a family for a whole year (and gives them a little extra for the Christmas season.)
There can be no better gift than to relieve hunger and give hope? Make this Christmas the one where you make a gift that will change someone’s life.
Go to the Leaders 2 Give website, choose Feeding the Hungry, and make a tax free donation.
SNAP - Spay, Neuter, and Prevention
One of the core strengths of SNAP is their dedicated volunteers. We want to shine a spotlight on a remarkable volunteer who truly went above and beyond the call of duty. Karla, a passionate and trusted SNAP volunteer, recently embarked on a challenging mission in El Cardenal.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Norma, the roads to El Cardenal became treacherous, making it even more difficult to transport animals to the clinic in Los Barriles. Karla, using her own vehicle, braved the rain and bad roads to assist a family with 23 cats.
Yes, you read that right—23 cats! Anyone who has ever tried to herd cats knows it's no easy feat, but Karla managed to transport 11 of them during her first trip. Because of the road conditions and the rain, she and her husband had to find these cats shelter until they could get them to the clinic for surgery and then return the cats home. Karla’s husband supports her in all her adventures with SNAP and was able to quickly convert the bathroom at the tire shop into a “catdominium” for the evening. She then made a second-round trip to ensure that all 23 cats would no longer contribute to the overpopulation problem. Karla's dedication and resilience exemplify the spirit of our community, and we're incredibly grateful for her unwavering support. Helping is Helping!
SNAP kicked off 2023 celebrating a decade of service to the East Cape communities. SNAP started 2023 with its most lofty goal of providing 1,500 free spay and neuter surgeries for the year. We are happy to report that they are steadily inching closer to reaching that goal and have surpassed 1,300 surgeries this year. Each surgery performed not only prevents the birth of unwanted litters but also contributes to reducing financial stress on local families in Los Barriles and surrounding communities.
Thank you for your unwavering support and dedication to SNAP cause. Your contributions, whether big or small, help make a difference in the lives of animals and families in our community.
To Donate to Leaders2Give and any of our Partners, visit our Donate page.