Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - When we launched a GoFundMe campaign in early July to construct Simona's Senior Center, a new casita to house the "old folks" at the Purr Project ranch, we expected a lengthy fund-raising process. Imagine our amazement when, thanks to generous donations from our loyal supporters, we blew the roof off our campaign in less than a month!

We officially broke ground on August 7 and, in spite of torrential rains, you can see from the above photo, taken on August 20, that the walls of the senior center are already up. Look closely and you'll see a big smile on Simona's face! Hopefully, she and her elderly amigos will be in their beautiful new home in just a few weeks. We will continue to keep you updated on the progress.

Not only did we raise enough money to build the casita, we have a few pesos left over to cover the costs of veterinary attention unique to senior cats - dental and vision care, osteo-arthritis meds, special soft food, etc.

You may note that the donation amount on the GoFundMe page only shows $3,554 USD to date - that's because we've also received checks, cash and PayPal monies which put us way over the top. Because our efforts are on-going, Purr's page on the GoFundMe site will remain active for a while.

As all charities know, simply covering normal expenses is an on-going, never-ending challenge - and attempting to raise money for a special project can be a very daunting experience. Needless to say, we are truly overwhelmed by the generosity of the donations for Simona's Senior Center and touched by the expressions of support accompanying them.

Purr Project ranch tours will begin again this November so, when your travels bring you back to Puerto Vallarta, be sure to contact us - we'd love to show you what your donation helped to create.

Once again, from all of us at Purr Project (two and four-legged) Muchisimo Gracias!