Reviewed February 2007
- American Legion Post #11: Their post's motto is "Aid the children." They do it primarily with an annual "after Christmas" fund-raising dinner and raffle in January. They make donations to the Boys' and Girls' Scout Troops of Mazatlán, along with various orphanages. They also established a Children and Youth Scholarship Memorial Fund in 2001.
- Amigos de Los Animales It's the Mazatlán humane society. Their primary purpose is to assist homeless dogs and cats in Mazatlán. The group raises funds to help pet owners who cannot afford veterinarian care for their pets. They also have a shelter near Gigante supermarket. Here is the website http://www.herseydawg.com/amigos/home.htm
- Asilo de Ancianos - Old Folks Home This is a full-time care facility for older folk who would otherwise be living on the streets. But without any government assistance, this home is run on donations. Provisions that are always needed include cleaning supplies, curtains, sheets and medicine. Donations help to improve the lives of those living and working at the home.
- Bomberos - Firefighters In Mazatlán, the firefighters are a group of mainly volunteer men and women (only the drivers are paid minimum wage) who donate their time and energy to this essential community service. As this service is not government funded, the Bomberos depend on donations to run the department. The station is in dire need of many things, including new equipment to safely fight fires and resources to restore their crumbling fire station. In addition, the fire station sponsors a program for aspiring "Bomberitos," between the ages of seven and sixteen. This program keeps these kids off the streets, teaches them a variety of skills, including discipline and first aid, and encourages good grades and good behavior.=
- Conrehabit, A.C: An association of Mazatlecos and foreigners that was formed for the rehabilitation and conservation of the local wildlife. It was created to honor the memory of Kittie Jepsen and Aldo Barragan, two people who dur- ing their lives gave their time to help others. Injured or captured wild animals are taken in, healed and arrangements are made for their release back into the wilds. <spam://www.conrehab>*
- Cruz Roja– Red Cross is familiar to most of us and is there to assist in medical emergencies for those who can't afford the the hefty doctor's bill. In addition, the Red Cross offers medical consultations for a minor fee. Monetary donations are always welcome.
- DIF– Family Services Agency this government program is designed to aid impoverished families living in the colonias just outside of Mazatlán. Every Friday, the mayor and his wife, accompanied by city council members, municipal department heads, doctors, a dentist, barbers, students, and volunteers, visit a colonia and provide free services, such as haircuts, dental work, and doctor visits. The mayor speaks with colonia residents, and tries to satisfy all requests (ie: land for a sports field) and the mayor's wife distributes clothes for one peso per item (to deter residents from taking more than their share). DIF has also established a home for street children. If you'd like to help, donations in the way of clothes, household items and unused prescription medications are always welcome.
- Father Tolvars Orphanage Boys' Home – The ages of the boys in Hogar San Pablo range from 10-19 and they are often the product of broken homes or parents who cannot provide for them. The home is run by 80 year old Father Tovar with the help of two nuns. The building itself is old & rundown - definitely in need of repair - and essential daily items of cleaning supplies, toiletries, clothes & food are usually in short supply. Any donation would be appreciated. Friends of Mexico Friends of Mexico A.C. is a registered non-profit Civil Association founded in December, 1998. They meet monthly throughout the year. Membership is comprised of all nationalities, both residents and visitors, who are joined by their love of Mazatlán and an interest in getting to know each other better. Their purpose is three Pur is Three Fold: 1. To provide services, information, friendship and assistance to the members of Friends of Mexico. 2. To promote better understanding among people of all nationalities. 3. To contribute to the local community by making it possible for elementary school age children in poorer colonias to attend school. Hands Across the Borders meets the 2nd Friday of every month at 00am at the Inn at Mazatlan. There is always a guest speaker who has something interesting to say. The doors open at 30, and breakfast is served for around 5 dollars. The breakfast is bacon, scrambled eggs, and hash browns, and is always quite tasty. No reservations are necessary, so just show up. They also sponser an annual dinner and silent auction. Each year many businesses and individuals make generous donations which are auctioned off during the dinner. This is really a great event, and if you are in town you should make it a point to get tickets and attend. Whatever monies are collected from the monthly meetings and the annual dinner are given away to various needy causes around the city. There isn't really one specific target charity. La Familia was founded about eight years ago to help the families of Genaro Estrada, a colonia about ten miles outside of Mazatlán. Familia's biggest project is a community center designed to help the community help themselves. The community center has a built-in daycare, a sports court, a feeding program for 60 to 80 children every day, tri-weekly doctor visits, weekly dentist visits, scholarships for children and self-help programs for adults (sewing, cooking, English, first aid). They have 10 computers and a salaried instructor to give lessons every day. Familia is privately funded and donations help maintain the existing facilities and programs and buy necessities, such as dental equipment.
- Friends of Mexico - Supporting Education for the Young People of Mazatlán.
http://www.mazinfo.com/fom/index.htm
- La Vina The Vineyard Christian Fellowship This international church group is committed to helping the less-fortunate communities in Mexico with clinics, dental programs, feeding programs and outreaches (when teams of about five people visit the colonias and distribute groceries). In Mazatlan, much of La Vina's work centers around Valles del Ejido, an impoverished colonia on the outskirts of the city. La Vina built a clinic in this colonia where they now operate a feeding program that feeds 120 children every week. The clinic also provides dental, medical and church services, free to members of the colonia.
Their website
- Make A Child Smile Project Everyone knows Mazatlán is a great tourist destination. What few realize is that just a few miles away from the beach, thousands of families live in a state of poverty that few of us can imagine. Many people make their living digging through the garbage at the city dump to find items they can sell for a few pesos. For Christmas each year, Hands Across the Borders, The Vineyard Church, and the Pacific Pearl Magazine partner together to put a smile on the faces of some of the poorest children of Mazatlan by giving them a pair of new tennis shoes. For many of these children, it will be the only pair of shoes that they own. This program has been aptly named “Make a Child Smile.”
The Make a Child Smile Project´s success has grown each year. This year over 1,300 children received a new pair of shoes. However, there are many more children in the poorer communities in Mazatlán who need shoes, and we want to help as many of them as we possibly can. Their goal for Christmas 2006 is 1,500 pairs of shoes.
- Pro-Mexico: This is a private, non-profit institution which was created in 1976 with the goal of helping to elevate the quality of life of the less fortunate. There are numerous branches within Mexico, but all funds generated by the charity events remain in Mazatlán. Its major support is in educational programs. Pro-Mexico sponsors a health program covering general health care, family planning, dentistry, and a laboratory for clinical analysis and access to a psychotherapist. Their major fundraiser is a home tour, usually in February of each year as mentioned under today’s announcements.
- Salvation Army Orphanage Perhaps you have been outside the Pacific Pearl office at Christmastime to see the children sing and entertain. These adorable children live at "Hogar de Ninos," or the "Children's Home." This orphanage is located in a barren area just north of Mazatlán. The home consists of three buildings: a girls' dorm, a boys' dorm and a recreation / dining room. The home is always in need of furniture and household items, such as sheets, blankets and clothes.
- Pearl Donation Center
Last but not least is the Pearl Donation Center Several years ago the Pacific Pearl, Mazatlans free monthly newspaper and visitors guide, transformed some of its office space to accommodate a box station for donations to various charities in Mazatlán. The Pacific Pearl office accepts clothes, blankets, school supplies, leftover pharmaceutical supplies and other useful contributions (but no money, please) directly at their office. So if you have a little extra space in your suitcase the next time you visit Mazatlán, stop by their office and drop off donations. They are centrally located, across from Bing’s Ice Cream and behind Farmacia Moderna. They will be happy to accept these donations for the charity (ies) of your choice.
JackMoreau Feb 19, 2005
GERMAN EVERS ORPHANAGE
This struggling, under-funded orphanage for abandoned kids of all ages was abandoned by its own administrators and now, under new direction, is fighting to provide a home for these children. For more information on this worthy cause, see THIS ARTICLE The Orphanage is located at 227-A Zaragosa Centro, telephone 981-2214, email: mailto:orfamaz@hotmail.com. Attention: Cristina Pena de Herrera, President, Board of Directors. Donations can be dropped at the Pacific Pearl Offices or Royal Spa downtown.