Make A New Year's Resolution that Matters!
 Kathy Taylor - PVNN
| | Bill Semeyn's secret weapon. |
What are you doing on January 8th, 2007? Why not make a resolution right now to join the Navy League, their sponsors and volunteers, and me, to deliver 10,000 toys to children in the Puerto Vallarta area?
Those of you regular BanderasNews readers know that I concentrate my volunteer time with the Children of the Dump here in Puerto Vallarta, but when the Navy League invited me to be a "Hole in One" judge at their annual Toys for Tots Golf Tournament in early December, I welcomed the opportunity to learn more about them and the ten thousand smiles they promise to deliver this year.
The day dawned sunny and bright, perfect weather for a round of golf at Vista Vallarta, one of Puerto Vallarta's championship courses. Vista generously donated the course to Toys for Tots for the tournament, and their pro, David Quiroz played in a "fun" foursome. The donation of the course for the tournament is not a trivial gesture, as this is now high season for area golf courses.
At the registration table I met my fellow 13th Hole judges, Warren Johnson and Marian Seeley. We loaded up the golf cart with chairs, umbrellas, water bottles, and looking a bit like the Beverly Hillbillies, we headed for the par 3 13th.
| | Championship Golf course Vista Vallarta - Weiskopf | 
| | Blue Man Group | 
| | Longest Round Ladies | 
| | Joy and Warren Johnson with Sargent Tony Young, US Marines, Mexico City | 
| | Señor Capitán de Navio C.G. DEM. Salvador Riande Ferreyra, Comandante XII Zona Naval and Sra. Nora Vargaz Rendon | 
| | Kelly Trainor, US Consular Agent in Puerto Vallarta | 
| | Josefina Naya, Public Relations, and Dennis Whitelaw, General Manager, Casa Magna Marriott | 
| | Puerto Vallarta Navy League President Jerry Miltenberger and Sally Miltenberger |
You can get to know a lot about a person when you sit in a golf cart with them for five hours. Judging duties were light. Only a few shots were even close to the pin. Unfortunately there were no holes in one! SEE PHOTOS
I met some of the original members of the Navy League as they passed through the 13th hole that afternoon, I learned that some original members have passed on, and I passed the time with the founder of the Puerto Vallarta Navy League, Warren Johnson, a role model for civic involvement both in Mexico and the United States.
Warren was forewarned, and had brought his scrap book of clippings, photos and momentos of 13 years of Navy League history.
On January 24, 1994, aboard the USS Shiloh anchored in Banderas Bay, the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico James Jones made the Puerto Vallarta Navy League official. Twenty five names were needed as charter members. The men were invited to a lunch aboard the ship, and the women were hosted at a lunch at the Marriott, the beginning of a long standing relationship between the Marriott and the Navy League.
Why a Navy League? One of the reasons, says Warren, was to combat what he calls the "gringo complex" - people who give without understanding specific need ("I gave it - what's wrong with it?" He cited an example of a philanthropist who donated sacks of toys to Casa Hogar, but delivered them by helicopter. "That helicopter money could have been better spent."
The Navy League also evolved because of the need to provide shore liaison for visiting navy ships who work on local charitable projects while they are in port. The Navy League co-ordinates the distribution of goods and medical supplies that are transported by Navy ships to the area.
They operate under strict guidelines - some donations aren't accepted legally here, such as used clothing from the States, and some are simply unacceptable, such as pharmaceuticals at the tail end of expiration.
"We guarantee through Navy League that it goes where it's supposed to go."
The group purchases locally whenever possible, and in Mexico definitely for the toys it distributes. Warren tells of a time when they bought shoes for the kids at Casa Hogar, 62 pair, and almost got all the sizes right. Four pair were left over, a little too big.
So Casa Hogar's Madre Maria took off her shoes to try on a pair. One of the little boys near her said "Madre, your feet smell," one of those kids say the darnedest things moments. Warren still laughs at that memory, which brings us to the other reason that the Navy League exists.
Smiles. Putting smiles on children's faces. This is a group whose involvement is dynamic. Quite a few members are part time residents of Puerto Vallarta, but remarkably, at their last meeting, 58 of their 85 members were in attendance. He says it's because "we do something." The results are tangible, especially during the toy delivery. "Everyone goes. Everyone sees a happy child. Everyone "feels" it."
This year the Toys for Tots campaign will see 10,000 toys delivered to local children. Enough funds were raised to purchase 12,000 toys, but the delivery structure does not exist. Each toy is handed directly to a child, and that requires quite a few more hands than the Navy League, in spite of its enthusiasm, can supply.
Sponsorship is a necessary part of the Toys for Tots campaign, and in this effort, the Casa Magna Marriott in Puerto Vallarta has been a partner with the Navy League since its beginning. The Sunday evening following the Golf Tournament saw the Gala Dinner and live auction at the Marriott, rounding out the major fund raising weekend of the year.
The Marriott also purchases the toys in Guadalajara, transports them and stores them in the Marina Vallarta hotel which is the base for distribution on Three Kings Day, January 8th. SEE PHOTOS
Other major sponsors of the Golf Tournament and the live auction at the Gala Dinner were Scotiabank, Coldwell Banker, Continental Airlines, Vista Vallarta, Taylor Made, and Adidas, plus many other donors.
The International Friendship Club provides assistance in processing the financial transactions of the Navy League, including issuing charitable tax receipts. The enthusiastic support of US Consular Agent in Puerto Vallarta, Kelly Trainor is also important to the success of the Navy League and this important fund raising event.
If money was raised for 12,000 toys and only 10,000 are being distributed, where will the extra cash be spent? The Navy League will build a playground in a poor village in both Nayarit and Jalisco in the coming year, an effort to bring year-round smiles to the children who live there.
So this brings me back to the question. What are you doing on January 8, 2007. Why not bring a smile to a child? If you would like to help, here are the details:
• 10 am - January 4, 2007 The Casa Magna Marriott in Marina Vallarta receives the shipment of over 10,000 toys. Help is needed to prepare the toys for delivery (e.g. blowing up soccer balls, unpacking, placing dolls in boxes.)
• 7 am - January 8, 2007 Meet at the Casa Magna Marriott to help distribute the toys.
This is how I will be spending my time on two sunny January days - not on the golf course, but trying to live up to Warren's philosophy:
"To do the best we can to help the most we can, to make their lives a little better."
Join us.
Contacts:
• Kelly Trainor/US Consular Agent in Puerto Vallarta amigakelly@prodigy.net.mx
• Jeff Miltenberger, Navy League Vallarta miltenj@pvnet.com.mx
• Josefina Naya, PR & Marketing Hotel Marriott Casa Magna Puerto Vallarta (322) 226 0048
or josefina.naya@marriotthotels.com
Toys for Tots Golf Tournament Results
Low Score: Joe Johnston, Jim Scherrer, Tommy Fernandez, Miguel Fernandez
High Score: Dale Hansen, Mike Alder, Marge Alder
Special Prize (Longest on the Course): Joy Johnson, Judy Forrell, Jan Mitchell, Mary Ann Semoni
Men's Long: Bob Dhamer Jr
Ladies Long: Deanna Rabune
Closest to the Pin: Dennis Whitelaw
 Kathy Taylor is a world traveler, sailor, writer, and cook. Before coming to Vallarta, she lived and worked in the Arctic for CBC Radio Northern Service and was the editor of Churchill's weekly Taiga Times. For 11 years she was Captain Kate of High Boats Café fame in Vancouver, then went on to spend 5 years as owner/chef of Wild Thyme Catering. After that, she spent four years sailing the Pacific Northwest and the Mediterranean, writing about sailboats and her experiences, as well as editing Bluewater Cruising's monthly magazine, "Currents." Following her love of food, sailing and charitable causes, Kathy continues her writing career here in Vallarta as a valuable member of the BanderasNews Team. |
Vallarta Weddings
Vallarta Living | December 2006 
Tell a Friend
Site Map
Print this Page
Email Us