Expat Exodus
[scroll down for Partner updates]
What happens to a town when its lifeblood leaves?
As the summer heat intensifies, Los Barriles and its surrounding areas in Baja California Sur experience a significant change. Many of the expats who call this community home during the cooler months leave for the season, seeking respite from the heat. While their absence is understandable, it leaves a void that impacts the local community and the charities that work tirelessly to support them.
The support and donations that come from our expat community are crucial to sustaining the vital services these organizations provide. When the expats leave, the donations often dwindle, leaving a gap that can be difficult to bridge.
We are reaching out to our generous donor community with an urgent plea: your support is needed now more than ever. This is a tenuous time for the local charities, and your contributions can make a significant difference in ensuring that essential services continue uninterrupted.
Our partners, each dedicated to a unique and vital cause, are all in need of support. From providing daily necessities to children, to offering educational programs, to ensuring medical care, food security, and safe housing, every donation counts.
We encourage you to read through the updates below from all our partners and choose one (or more) to support.
By donating during these critical summer months, you help to sustain the lifeline that these charities provide to our community. Together, we can bridge the gap and ensure that the local residents and the causes they rely on continue to thrive.
Thank you for your unwavering support and generosity. Let's come together and make a difference, even when we are apart.
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PARTNER UPDATES
Líderes Para Dar / John Gullo Home for Children
Construction on the John Gullo Home for Children is almost complete so we have started gathering the household items needed to make the home operational while keeping up to 24 children and up to 6 caretakers comfortable.
Can you help so we can start welcoming children ASAP?
Do you have gently used items that you can donate?
Do you want to make a monetary donation toward specific items?
Do you want to source and purchase some of these items yourself?
Please visit the needed items page to see what you may be able contribute. Donations can be dropped at the Ronival office in Los Barriles (across from Rice and Beans.) Thank you …it takes a village!
New Creation Kids (NCK) Children’s Home
New Creation Kids is an independently registered and operated Mexican nonprofit organization (Asociación Civil.) 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. drug or alcohol addiction, violence, homelessness.)
Through our partnership, Leaders2Give helps to sustain their operations by raising awareness and providing funding to help cover daily operations such as food, electricity, fuel, and education.
Occasionally Leaders2Give takes on urgent capital improvement projects for the betterment of the children’s living conditions.
The East Cape Health Center
The East Cape Health Center is thrilled to continue its pioneering health education series for junior high students aged 12-15 years. This initiative began a few years ago when a local school principal highlighted the urgent need for health education among students. The Health Center eagerly responded by developing a comprehensive curriculum covering general health, hygiene, and the crucial bodily changes experienced during adolescence.
The program's success is bolstered by the involvement of freshly graduated medical and dental school students, who are required to serve as interns in health-related programs.
In 2015, the Health Center launched its inaugural internship, welcoming a graduating dental student. Today, this former intern is a distinguished dental professional at the Center, boasting expertise in three specialties.
In 2018, the Center invited a high school graduate to shadow a physician, immersing her in the daily rigors of medical practice. After six transformative months, she applied to medical school and is now in her OB/GYN residency, on the cusp of specializing. These inspiring journeys underscore the profound impact of education and hands-on training provided by the Center.
This year, the Health Center is excited to welcome another promising medical school graduate for a one-year internship. Designed to bridge the gap between academic learning and professional practice, this program offers an unparalleled environment for growth. The new intern, ranked third in his class and fluent in three languages, embodies both intellectual rigour and unwavering dedication. His integration into the Center not only propels his career forward but also enriches the services offered to the East Cape community.
Through these initiatives, the East Cape Health Center not only nurtures future healthcare leaders but also strengthens the health and well-being of its community, illustrating the enduring power of education and mentorship.
Feeding The Hungry
Ancient Wisdom:
“If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap.
If you want happiness for a day, go fishing.
If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune.
If you want happiness for a lifetime, help someone else.”
Ensure a happy retirement by helping those most in need in your local community.
If you have retired to Los Barriles please contact Ben and Harriet Purkey purkeybh@gmail.com or Gordon and Joy Blackie gordonandjoy@gmail.com and offer to help with the Feeding the Hungry Charity. You will be happy you did.
SNAP - Spay, Neuter, and Prevention
In May, SNAP hosted another successful spay and neuter community clinic, treating 40 animals. This brings the year-to-date total to an impressive 775 spay and neuter procedures, significantly reducing the stray population in Los Barriles and surrounding communities.
In June, SNAP is excited to kick off a money match fundraiser, aiming to double donations and bolster their efforts through the summer. This initiative will ensure that SNAP can continue its vital work, providing essential services to the community and promoting responsible pet ownership during Curso de Verano camp for school aged children. Support from the community is crucial as SNAP strives to make a lasting impact.
Crescent Moon Project - Art for Children
The emerging artists of the Crescent Moon Projects have been hard at work this month! May saw the young artists making mini paintings to give to their mothers on Mother's Day, or Dia de las Madres. In 1922, a journalist named Rafael Alducin proposed that Mexico choose a day to pay homage to Mexican mothers. For over 100 years, children have honored their mothers on May 10 through gifts such as these paintings and also by spending the day celebrating mothers all across the country.
After these paintings were completed, work began in earnest to design T-shirts for the Los Barriles Día de Los Muertos. The Crescent Moon Project supports the local Rotary club in organizing the Día de Los Muertos parade and cemetery celebration. This year, a student designed T-shirt will be for sale as part of the activities. Not sure what to wear to the local festivities? This will be an easy way to support Crescent Moon and young artists!
And, if this wasn’t enough, the students recently started to learn embroidery! The youngest students create designs on paper, then transfer the designs onto plastic mesh canvas sheets. Doing more traditional embroidery, the older students are stitching directly onto canvas using pre-drawn patterns. For many students, this was an introduction to needle crafts and it will be exciting to see how this work continues.
Want to support the fantastic work of the Crescent Moon Project! Check out the Facebook page as dates are already being announced for next season’s adult art experiences and fundraisers.
To Donate to Leaders2Give and any of our Partners, visit our Donate page.