Summer Updates from RISE PV Shelter for At Risk Children Louise Martin - RISE PV
August 21, 2019

We hope you are having a wonderful summer! We have so many exciting things to share with you about RISE since our last newsletter.

As you know, it has been our mission to “Provide a safe and caring home for children who are at risk” and each day we look for ways that we can carry out this mission.

We think it is important to explain that our children come from homes where their parents are alcoholics, drug addicts, or the parents may either be incarcerated or too poor to care for them. We can house up to 50 children and they can be as young as a newborn or up to 12 years of age. Some children have been there a short time and some for years. These children cannot be adopted as it is the hope of the Mexican Social Services that someday they can return to their family.

We receive a very small amount of support from the Mexican government but the majority of our financial support comes from private and corporate donations.

We have had a very exciting year so far and have made many beneficial changes.  Last June the Board of Directors met and elected the following new Board Members:

President:   Padre Luis
Secretary:   Raúl Martínez Gallardo  / Suplente:  Eduardo Rincón-Gallardo
Treasurer:   Madre Leticia  / Suplente:  Ann Louise Martin
Vocal 1:     Nino Vaghi
Vocal 2:     Christian Flamant
Vocal 3:     Professsor Daniel García
Vocal 4:     Dr. Enrique Díaz
Commissar:   Víctor M. Bernal
 
In addition, we are excited to announce the creation of 6 committees that were formed to assist the Madres in the operation of RISE. The new committees consist of professionals and volunteers and are as follows:

• Education & Psychological Help
• Volunteers, Activities and Events
• Physical Health
• Technology
• Food Inventory & Nutrition
• Maintenance

Each committee has a Committee Chair and Vice-Chair and a specific purpose. In addition, we have hired Eduardo Rincon-Gallardo as a Coordinator and Fund Raiser to be a liaison between these committees, the Administration and the Board.  We are striving to ensure all aspects of RISE are managed well and the children receive the best care.

For more information about these committees and how you can volunteer, please refer to our web site (RISEPV.COM) and select Volunteers.

Lastly, in June, 11 children were baptized and 2 made their first communion at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish.   The children wore white attire and either their family or sponsors were there to support them.
 
Summer fun for the kids!!!!

The kids had a blast this summer. They have attended two summer camps (Centro Cultural Cuale at the Cuale River Island and the Summer Camp at the Stadium) where they enjoyed activities such as Badminton, Dance, Drawing, Soccer, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Karate, Football, Track and Field, Basketball, Volleyball, and Tennis.

In addition, they took a tour of the airport sponsored by the Fire Department.  The children were able to see the staging area among other places in the airport. The best part was when the children were being moved by the small shuttle buses from one area to the other, the guide was speaking to them in English and they understood!

They were also visited by a children’s group from California with their leaders Glenda and Fabricio Maritza who spent a day with the kids doing activities. They had a wonderful experience with our kids and are looking forward to returning next summer.

This summer, the children in the nursery have benefited from a new volunteer who specializes in early childhood development. She has helped them further their English, as well as learning classroom behaviors. They know their colors, shapes, classroom objects and are developing fine motor skills and creativity through art projects. In addition to education, they have had lots of fun playtime sessions with our other volunteers.  We have 2 children under 12 months who are not quite ready for pre-school but are thriving with the wonderful care of the Nannies.
 
An outing to the El Salado mangrove to see wildlife was also planned but it was unfortunately canceled due to rain.

All in all, the children had a wonderfully educational and entertaining summer!
   
Back to School – We need your help!

Many hours have been spent this summer by our Education Committee in screening and selecting the most appropriate schools for the children, and we are still in the process of receiving our final costs for each child and doing our best to negotiate discounts. The private schools offer more opportunities for learning and activities so we hope to send as many children as possible to these schools. We have found that the children have done well and thrived in that setting.

The education costs are borne solely by RISE and we are grateful to our donors for their generosity but these costs continue to increase. Each year we must pay registration, tuition, uniforms, insurance, books, supplies, and meals besides hiring a driver and maintaining a van to take the kids to and from school.

As you read and enjoy this newsletter, please remember how important education is to the daily lives of our kids and how important it is to their future.

If you can donate to this important cause, please click here to make your donation. Please indicate Education Campaign in your donation. Every donation helps!!!
                        
We are so grateful to each of you for all you do to help our children!

Again, if you wish to donate to our Education Campaign or volunteer your time, please click here.

Best regards,
Louise Martin
Treasurer/ Donor Relations
email: contacto@risepv.com

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