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| Puerto Vallarta | | March
9th - 15th, 2003 | Becas Hits The
Bull's-Eye Once Again! As people left the annual
Becas Ball after an evening if wining, dining, dancing and bidding for dozens
of enticing items donated through the traditional generosity of the Puerto Vallarta
community, the many volunteers who had striven to make the ball a success were
justifiably jubilant. The weeks of planning every last detail paid off in an evening
of unqualified success. The Westin Regina hotel
helped by providing more space this year to accommodate the cocktail reception
and the display areas for the auction items. The hotel chefs excelled themselves
in accomplishing the specially designed menu. The flower arrangements were exceptionally
beautiful and most of them were later happily carried away for a nominal sum by
the departing guests. The band provided exactly the right selection of dance tunes,
as could be seen by the number of people taking to the floor at the first opportunity.
While the atmosphere was joyous and carefree, the serious side of the affair was
recognized when masters of ceremonies Ted Kopelman and Alfonso Martínez
invited the International Friendship Club (IFC) president Al Ward up to the stage
to present $40,000 pesos in support of the Becas Vallarta scholarship program.
Peter Gray also handed over a check for $12,500 pesos as the first contribution
from the sales of his just launched novel "All is Safely Gathered In"
- look for the presentation on March 18, 2003 at Judith Ewing Morlan's gallery,
Calle Miramar #237 featuring a brief talk on the origins of his novel and a retrospective
of his art - prints and original paintings - from the 1980's to the present. Becas
Vallarta would like to thank all of the local artists, restaurants and businesses
for their continued support. Without your generous donations the Becas Ball would
be just another dance instead of an exceptional evening of entertainment and fundraising.
¡Muchísimas gracias a todos!
U.S.
Navy Gives Casa Hogar a Paint Job Once again the U.S.
Navy has visited our city and left a community institution with a new coat of
paint. This time it was the USS Decatur (DDG 73) that came to visit. This ship
is named after Stephen Decatur who, at age 25, was the youngest person ever to
make the rank of U.S. Navy captain. In 1804 he distinguished himself by leading
a raid on the USS Philadelphia after it had been taken by the British in Tripoli.
The ship was then burned "to deprive the British Navy of its use." It
must have been an impressive engagement, because British Admiral Lord Nelson generously
declared it to be "the most daring act of the age." The
modern day Decatur sent a peaceful party ashore on Saturday, March 1st to paint
the exterior wall of the Casa Hogar orphanage. The sailors also cleared brush
from the surrounding area. It is also a sign of the times that on this visit,
three volunteers out of seven were women. LTJG Karen Held led the work party.
She joined the Navy after seven years in retail management and hails from Kennewick,
Washington. LTJG Erin O'Marr, from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, is engaged to
be married to a Peruvian and is soon transferring to Spain. Ensign Michelle Gibbs
is the junior officer on board, having joined the Decatur after her graduation
from Florida State University last summer. Also in the
group, and representing the men, was LTGG Michael Bethany who, having risen through
the ranks, is now the ship's Supply Officer. Filling out the male ranks were Fire
Control Chief Richard Wilmer, a native of New York, NY. working alongside Machinist
Mate 1st.Class Mathew McCarthy from Chicago and LTGG Fred Amos from Dallas, Texas. Whether
man or woman, all of them share a Commanding Officer who is only the second woman
in the history of the U.S. Navy to command a combatant ship. She is CDR. Cindy
Thebaud, an Academy graduate, originally from Connecticut. Once
again we take our hats off to the men and women of the U.S. Navy who take time
out to do a good deed on behalf of a foreign community. Clearly, they recognize
that aiding the needy is a moral imperative that has no national boundaries.
Eagle's
Wings Foundation Donates Truck to Food Bank The Food
Bank of Puerto Vallarta foundation was the proud recipient of a new pick-up truck
recently, courtesy of the Eagle's Wings foundation. The
Food Bank is a non-profit organization that enables underprivileged folks to get
their basic food needs at minimal cost. In order to reach
more communities to do the socio-economic evaluation of the families, the organization
needed a vehicle, and now that need has been fulfilled thanks to Eagle's Wings.
The Food Bank volunteers have been able to reach needy communities, sometimes
extremely undernourished ones. The Bank has helped over 4,500 families in Vallarta. The
funds that were raised by the Eagle's Wings foundation came from foreigners who
own time shares in this town. A voluntary donation is added to their yearly maintenance
bill. Ms. Eva Contreras especially thanked the participation
of Paradise Village, Villa del Palmar in Vallarta and Villa del Mar in Los Cabos,
Baja California. The Foundation is made up of 18 members led by Jim McCarthy,
its founder, who contributes his time and experience to help underprivileged children
and seniors.
Lloyd's Reopens Branch
in Plaza Santa Maria Following the damage wreaked
by Hurricane Kenna last October, Lloyd's reopened its branch in Plaza Santa Maria
a few weeks ago. The working area has been improved to
offer more efficient service and all the furnishings are new. "La
Operadora de Fondos LLOYD" is a financial entity authorized by Mexico's National
Banking and Shares Commission to administer and promote investment companies.
It is the result of foreigner Allen W. Lloyd's concern for his fellow expatriates
who wanted to invest their funds and ensure their assets in Mexico. He started
this business back in 1962 and today there are 12 branches scattered throughout
the country with around 100,000 clients. Its services
are aimed at those who want to save and get higher returns on such savings. The
moneys are invested in mutual funds on the financial markets and accounts can
be opened with as little as $1,000. pesos invested for a minimum of 24 hours.
Larger investments placed for longer terms earn higher interests.
Azteca
Authorized to Fly, Lacks Planes
Allegro's Start Still Pending According
to the Regional Director of Tourism for the North Coast, Azteca Airlines finally
has received authorization to fly from the authorities, but now it has to wait
for the planes that will service the Mexico City - Puerto Vallarta route. Azteca
began operating in June, 2001, taking over the routes of Taesa Airlines when AeroMexico's
baggage handlers went on strike that month. It is owned by joint Mexican, Canadian
and American interests. Allegro Airlines was supposed
to start flying to this town as well, starting Thursday, March 13th, operating
the Oakland, CA - Los Cabos - Puerto Vallarta route. However,
as of last week, that starting date was postponed -once again- to March 27th because
the authorization papers were not sent off by the federal Department of Transport
and Communications as promised. Allegro is slated to operate four weekly flights
using MD-83 aircraft with a capacity of 152 passengers.
Five
New Patrol Cars for Green Angels The "Green Angels"
of the state of Jalisco received five recent-model patrol cars to add to their
fleet recently, two of which went to the "north coast" division that
services the Compostela to Barra de Navidad section of roads. These
new vehicles will be replacing units older than 9 years whose useful life has
ended. The Green Angels represent a most valuable organization
that offers roadside assistance to tourists in trouble on the highways of Mexico. Archives
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