Web.png)
Welcome!
"Sustaining Niños" Renewal Campaign Continues!
It's April and many of our good friends will soon be returning "Up North". Before you leave, we'd like to remind our generous benefactors to renew their pledge support if they haven't already done so. Niños Incapacitados continues to reimburse the medical expenses of the the sick and handicapped children in our program all year-round and the families count on us. Your donation will have a lasting impact.
Thank you to all those who pledged last year as well as those who have renewed their pledges for the next year. Total pledges since the beginning of the new Sustaining Niños program on August 1, 2011 are 761168 pesos or 63431 U.S. dollars.The amount pledged last year was 719278 pesos or 59940 U.S. dollars. Click for more information about the Sustaining Ninos Program. Both one-time gifts and periodic payments are welcome!
2012 Chili Cookoff
Presentation of the 2012 Chili Cookoff Check
L-R: Dan Stark, treasurer of Niños Incapacitados, and Dave Paterson,
board member of the Chili Cookoff.
(Photo by Jorge Valencia.)
Despite unexpected wet weather, the 2012 Chili Cookoff went ahead as scheduled. Thanks to all our volunteers at the Hamburger Stand as well as to all those who came out despite the inclement weather. Revenue was down a bit for this year's event, but each of the 8 participating charities received checks for 25,000 pesos each. Special thanks to Stuart Anderson for coordinating the food vendors, the position formerly held by Joan Frost for many years before her return to the United States in January. Click for more information about the Chili Cookoff and this year's final results.
2012 Rabbie Burns Night a Great Success
The Ajijic Scottish Country Dancers. (Photo by Ian White.)
The birthday of Rabbie Burns was celebrated at the Chapala Golf & Country Club on January 25, 2012. They were 145 guests in attendance. The Ajijic Scottish Dancers under the direction of Phyl Gaskell provided lively entertainment. The Piper this year was Pat Taylor, Phyl's brother visiting from Canada.
The haggis--prepared by Maureen Downes and Norma Thomson. (Photo by Maureen Downes.)
Haggis was greatly enjoyed - made by Maureen Downes and Norma Thomson. All the ingredients were kindly donated by Norma and Ian Thomson.
L-R: Bernard Downes, Maureen Downes, Norma Thomson. (Photo by Ian Thompson.)
The evening concluded with solos by Mae Bishop and Maureen Downes followed by community singing of several Scottish songs.
The event was held for the benefit of Niños Incapacitados and the proceeds from the evening --35,400 pesos-- were donated to support our program of providing help with medical expenses of poor children who would not otherwise be able to receive needed medical care.
Thanks to all who attended!
An Afternoon and Night of Trivia Quizzes
Trivia Quiz Afternoon Champs--Triviera Alta
L-R: Karen Caskey, Ian Adamson, Sue Williams, Rick Williams, Gail Ruddy,
Mike Miller, John Fraser, Ted Ruddy.
(Photo by Mary Ellen Rushworth.)
Trivia Quiz Evening Champs--Mensa Wannabes
L - R: Gail Mergle, Carl Carlson, Roberta Carlson, John Campbell,
Sue Campbell, Nancy Feldman, Jerry Feldman, Ken Mergle.
(Photo by Mary Ellen Rushworth.)
Two sessions were held at the Real de Chapala--one in the afternoon and another in the evening (with different questions, of course!). The facilities at the hotel were superb and Mr. Soto from Guadalajara provided 8 projectors and screens so that everyone had an excellent view of the questions and responses.
In both sessions, each table had eight people working together as a team to either recall or deduce the correct answer to a wide variety of multiple-choice questions in the areas of movies, popular music, history, geography and literature.
One tough question that only three teams got right was "What was the theme song for 'The Honeymooners'?" and one that all the teams got right was "Who, or what, was Commodore 64?"
In the afternoon session, the sharpest minds belonged to Triviera Alta who racked up 65 points out of a possible 80. The Three Roads placed second and third-place went to The Wild Cards.
Trivia Quiz Evening Special Award for the Most Elegant Table -- The Golden Guys. Wow! Candles, a lovely centerpiece, and some great-looking botanas! (Photo by Mary Ellen Rushworth.)
In the evening session, after 8 rounds of competition the champions were the Mensa Wannabes who correctly answered 60 of the 80 questions. The Aztec Terriers came in second, and Smarty Pants placed third.
Lots of people having a great time and helping our kids! (Photo by Mary Ellen Rushworth.)
Click here for Final Team Standings. Kathy Dingwall, the principal organizer of the event, was helped by an excellent team of volunteers.
Thanks to everyone who participated! It was great fun and, of course, all the proceeds -- over 57,000 pesos -- will be going to benefit the children in our program. By the way, The Honeymooners' theme song was "You're My Greatest Love" and Commodore 64 was an 80s home computer.
What Do We Do?
In 2011 and so far in 2012, Programa Pro Niños Incapacitados del Lago has assisted 168 children and young people with disabilities such as cerebral palsy, diabetes, cancer and birth defects. In addition to paying for wheelchairs, orthopedic braces, eyeglasses and other medical equipment, the organization pays for medications, x-rays and diagnostic tests which are not covered by the family's insurance. In 2010 we were able to help 166 children, 220 children in 2009 and 229 children in 2008.
Who Are The Kids That Get Help?
On the left is a recent Child-of-the-Month. Click on the photo or caption to see a detailed bio of this young person and get a better idea of what our group is accomplishing. On the right-hand side of this page are links to previous Children-of-the-Month detailing some of the problems the children have encountered and how our group has been able to help. The spunk and determination of these kids (and their parents) is incredible!
Who Are We?
We are an all-volunteer, not-for-profit charitable organization that has been helping kids in the Lake Chapala area (40 miles south of Guadalajara, Mexico) for over 18 years. We are audited annually by the state of Jalisco's directorate of charities (IJAS). Over 95% of our income is spent directly on helping needy children and less than 5% is spent on administrative expenses.
Please browse through the site. If you have questions, any of the nice folks listed under "Contact Us" will be glad to try to answer them for you.
When and Where the Clinics Are Held
|
Ajijic:
|
|
|
Chapala:
|
|
|
Jocotepec:
|
Clinic Director Rich Petersen
Clinic Director Barb Corol
We have traditionally called our sessions where we reimburse the documented medical expenses of the kids enrolled in our program "clinics". We do not offer any direct medical services at these clinics.
Click here to visit the Niños Incapacitados Facebook page.
