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 Vallarta Living | December 2006 
All Smiles at Toys for Tots
 Peter Gray - PVNN
Thanks to the success Toys for Tots has achieved in soliciting community support this year, not only will this charity bring smiles to the faces of many children on one special day, it will give some children a reason to smile all year long.
This additional gift to disadvantaged kids comes about because Toys for Tots in 2006 has received over half a million pesos, of which around $300,000 pesos was raised at the golf scramble and gala dinner this past week. Another $250,000 pesos came as a donation from Scotiabank.
Upcoming plans include distribution of 10,000 toys to the poorest kids they can find, covering the whole Banderas Bay area from north to south, as well as far-off villages up in the Sierra Madre Mountains. Then they have the new initiative to undertake the construction of at least two playgrounds in depressed neighborhoods - one in Jalisco and one in Nayarit.
The annual Golf Scramble kicked off two traditional money-raising events of the year. 18 foursomes turned out at the Weiskopf Course at Vista Vallarta for a late morning start. One fun-loving team couldn't bear leaving the course and finished at dusk, for which they were awarded flashlights as well as Toys for Tots T-shirts.
The happy last place team (a highly contested honor) included Dale Hansen, Mike Alder and Marge Alder. The winning team was, of course, more serious golfers - Joe Johnston, Jim Scherrer, Tommy Fernandez and Miguel Fernandez. No one collected the Hole-In-One prize, but awards were made for Closest to the Pin at two par-3 holes and for the longest drives.
The Dinner Dance was a rousing success from the moment people started congregating for cocktails before dinner. In fact, the noise of happy guests could be heard the moment you entered the Marriott hotel. Always a good sign!
As ever, the food and wine were first class and the band played well and tirelessly to a crowded dance-floor. Special guests at the affair included the new Commandant of the Mexican Armada in Puerto Vallarta, Capt. Salvador Riande and his wife, Nora Vargas Rendon. Also prominent in his dress uniform was bemedaled Sgt. Tony Young of the U.S. Marine Corps detachment at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City.
Key Sponsors, whose generosity allows every peso raised to go directly for the benefit of the children served by Toys for Tots, included the Marriott CasaMagna Resort and Spa, Vista Vallarta Golf Club, Coldwell Banker/La Costa Realty, Continental Airlines, Scotiabank and TaylorMade-Adidas Golf Company. Seventy-five smaller local businesses also gave generous support.
The distribution of toys will take place on Monday, January 8th. Every one is invited to participate in this heartwarming and memorable experience. The caravan of cars and trucks will congregate in the Marriott Hotel parking lot by 8 am. Mark the date now! |
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