Our beliefs are guided by the Bible so we took the words “feed the hungry”, “see to the widows and orphans” to heart and in doing so became “facilitators” of Volunteers Without Limits. We didn’t start it or nor are we officially part of the the organization. We are just helpers. We help with some of the food delivery, shopping and picking up donations. Sometimes we help with fund-raising events. But the heart of the organization is the Director, Paty Orozco. She is the one who oversees the distribution. She also screens all applications and visits the homes of the clients. Paty came to the food bank one day in the early days and offered to work as volunteer and run the thrift store if in exchange she could set up a space to help the parents of children with severe disabilities by teaching them about resources available for their children’s care. She also petitioned to get help supplying nutritional supplements and disposable diapers for these children.

When the founders of the original food needed to leave town due to health reasons, Paty jumped in and formed a new non-profit association under the name of Voluntarios sin Limites which means Volunteers Withou Limits. She picked this name with the forward thinking that someday the work may expand to help more than the hungry and disabled children. Now three years later that dream is growing and VSL is supporting the efforts of the drug rehab facility by promoting the sale of their crafts. We are also reaching out help people of all ages who face major medical needs. Last month VSL help an eleven year old boy (who is being raised by his older brother) get an MRI and CAT scan that determined he had tumor on his spine and we are purchasing the necessary corset for him to wear following his surgery. Paty has also lobbied for and obtained additional help from other agencies to fund renting the traction apparatus he will need in the hospital following surgery. Interest grew and before we knew a musical event was created by Martin and some of the local musicians which raise money to help the family with the rest of their portion of the medical expenses. The last word was that Eli had gone to Mexicali for his surgery but it had been rescheduled for the 28^th o f May. In the meantime, Eli has been given a walker to help him get around safely.

 READ MORE  about Susan and Chuck HERE….

It’s going to be a long hot summer and the pantry shelves get mighty bare when all of our friends fly north.   Please join us for this one last fundraiser at the end of the season as we celebrate your generosity with ice cream treats.  Put a smile on a child’s face and bring them along.

There will be no silent auction but there will be a 50/50 raffle so you could go home with some cash.

April 1st – El Toro Restaurant – $25 or 250 pesos Breakfast Included

All day tournament competition.

People come to San Felipe for many different reasons: the sun, the sand dunes, the races.  This last month one group of about 40 RVs arrived for a month long stay at Pete’s Camp.  They call themselves the Mexican Connection or Chapter 8 of the Escapees Club (sometimes referred to as SKPs … sounds the same as Escapees, yes?).  They come for fun in the sun and to experience new scenery, traditions, food, culture and folklore.  However, they also come with a commitment to give back more than they gain.  To accomplish this, they send scouts ahead to study the community and seek out genuine needs that they can fill during their trip.  They don’t take this task lightly.

We met Charlie and Dawn Boles last year at one of the craft shows.  He approached the VSL table and said that Volunteers Without Limits had been suggested as possibly one of their projects for 2013 and asked if we could get together when they returned in January.  Charlie said SKPs would be looking for several organizations that were doing good things here in San Felipe.  We gave him the address to our website and suggested he could find most of the other ACs listed at the bottom of our web page under “Other Ways to Help”.

True to his word, Charlie (the Wagonmaster for this trip) contacted us in January and we showed him around the facility and explained the work that VSL does.  He said the group would want to come back in February to see for themselves.  Fortunately, Irene Cogley was willing for meet with the group on that visit as Chuck and I had plans to visit family  in Tuscon at that time.  Irene must have done us well, as upon our return the following week, the MxConnection group returned with a truck load of goods for the store, some bulk food for distribution and a very nice check for future needs.

We are delighted and extremely thankful for their generous donation.  We were also thrilled to hear that that they were also contributing to Casa de Fe children’s home and another local family who do much to help others in need.   God bless them for their giving and loving hearts.

Group picture is missing the smallest quail.

These items can be seen and purchased at the People’s Gallery on Mar Cortez.

The winning tickets were drawn promptly at 2 pm, the 15th of January, by Jeanie Pepler at Fat Boys.  The winners were:

1st place (2 night beachfront condo rental): Terry Smith

2nd place (Luis Cogley original painting): Libby McClendon

3rd place ($50 cash): also Libby McClendon

Congratulations to our winners and many thanks to all who helped make the raffle a great success.  Ticket sales brought  in a little over $1600.

Raffle Date: January 15th
2 pm @ Taste of San Felipe
on the Maleçon

The date has been set for the BIG drawing.  The Rotary Club of San Felipe has agreed to let us hold the drawing during their Taste of San Felipe Fiesta on September 15th.  Drawing time is set for 2 pm.

If you haven’t bought your ticket yet NOW is the time to do so.  This is your chance to win a two night stay for 2-4 in a fabulous beach front condo here in beautiful San Felipe (donated by San Felipe Beachfront Rentals), an original 16×20 oil painting by internationally renowned artist, Luis Cogley or $50 cash.  (Tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20 (US) or 60 pesos and 240 pesos.  You can still get tickets from:
Sandy Ketos (El Dorado Ranch)
Patricia Haldorson (El Dorado)
Mark LaPoint (Ejido)
Irene or Luis Cogley (Las Manitas)
Hilario Campanista or Bertha (Foundation United for San Felipe Education)
Susan Young or Chuck Bryant (in town) call if you can’t locate tickets
686 577-1399 or 686 226-0862
If you have tickets to turn in, please return them them to Susan by Sunday, January 13th.