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 News from Around Banderas Bay | April 2006 
Seven Checks for Seven Charities
 Peter Gray - PVNN
| | A big crowd turned out at the Marina for the presentation of checks to seven worthy local organizations. (Bob Cohen/PVNN) | 
| | Silvia Gonzalez, Director of Public Relations for the Blue Agave Classic thanked everyone in attendance for their hard work and generosity. (Bob Cohen/PVNN) |
Puerto Vallarta - On April 25th, representatives of seven Puerto Vallarta charities gathered at the Marina Golf Club to receive their share of fifty thousand dollars donated by Club Corp and the PGA organization.
This generous donation was made possible because of the Puerto Vallarta Blue Agave Golf Classic, which is a PGA Senior tour event that was recently played for the first time in Puerto Vallarta. The Jack Nicklaus signature course at the Vista Vallarta Golf Club was used for the entire competition.
The seven charities all had a common theme, in that they are all, or in good part, dedicated to helping children. Two of the organizations were able to provide heavy duty help during the golf event.
The Boy Scouts (including girls, though) helped by manning the temporary car-park for the week. That was a hot and dusty job with scarce opportunities to watch the players. Students who are recipients of Becas Vallarta scholarships walked alongside the players all week, hefting the scoring banners for hours at a time.
As they accepted their $75,000 peso checks, both Mariel Fregoso of the Becas Vallarta Foundation and Fco Alberto Villa Meza of the Boy Scout organization commented on the unique value this experience had for the children.
They pointed out that, working as volunteers in an event with world-class prestige, these teenagers had been given the chance to experience a whole other world for a week. A world almost beyond the imagination for many of them. And, as a result, perhaps some aspirations may have been planted in their minds about what they might aspire to, given hard work and sufficient determination.
"Saying thank-you is simply not enough," said Bob Mandell, as he accepted a check for the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Susan Schebel, standing in for Al and Yvonne Ward of the International Friendship Club, singled out the Cleft Palate program which has been funded for many years by the IFC as one of their most important supportive activities aimed at aiding children.
Juan Carlos Rios expressed the thanks of all connected with the RISE orphanage. Saul Gonzalez spoke on behalf of the Desayunos Para Los Niños program, which seeks to make life a little better for families living around the city dump.
Finally, Jerry Lafferty noted that the donation he was receiving for Toys for Tots would go a long way towards ensuring that thousands of additional smiles would be evident among our poor and needy children next January 6th.
The whole event was arranged and MC'd by Silvia Gonzalez Arias. She has been the Director for Public Relations throughout the whole course of the Blue Agave Golf Classic.
K.C. Crandall, the General Manager of both the Marina Vallarta and Vista Vallarta Club Corp golf courses, welcomed all the attendants to the meeting and expressed his satisfaction over the success of the Blue Agave Golf Classic as a world-class event.
While expressing his appreciation for being a part of the PGA's efforts to make a significant contribution to seven important Puerto Vallarta charities, he pointed out that the PGA is on the verge of reaching a total of one billion dollars in worldwide charitable contributions.
Homero Hernandez, the Financial Director for City Corp Latin America, also spoke about the importance of bringing world-class golf competitions to Puerto Vallarta, saying that it benefited both Club Corp and the city itself.
Hernandez's thought was echoed by Miguel Gonzalez, the Director of the Fideicomiso for Tourism in Puerto Vallarta, who commented that the Blue Agave Golf Classic and the beauties of Puerto Vallarta being featured on TV in the US, Canada and 145 other countries, was an important benefit.
Over the breakfast that followed, the prospect of an even more successful event in 2007 was one hot topic of conversation. |
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