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 News from Around Banderas Bay | May 2007 
Big Smiles for a Small Town
 Peter Gray - PVNN
| To close the proceedings, a tiled plaque was unveiled to mark the happy event. The children responded with a loud chorus of "Gracias!" and the second Toys For Tots playground was officially open for business - bringing more smiles to more children.
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Guamichil is a pretty quiet town early on a Monday morning. But on May 7th, 2007, the quiet was interrupted by a procession of cars pulling up alongside a brand new, gaily painted children's play area. Toys for Tots had arrived in town!
Out stepped Kelly Trainor, our U.S.Consular Agent, Josefina Naya from the CasaMagna Marriott and a group of Navy Leaguers - all of whom actively support the Toys For Tots organization. And all here this morning to see the new playground be officially opened by the Presidente Municipal of Bahia Banderas, Dr. Jaime Cuevas Tello.
While waiting for the inauguration formalities to start, I heard that in just a few days this play area had already become the focal point for all the small children of this small community of around 1,600 people. A new custom has already been born. Now, when a child has a birthday, mother sets up a table alongside the swings and slides and creates an al fresco birthday party on the spot.
Fred Piontkowski, who has master-minded this, as well as the firstToys for Tots play area opened last week in Aurora, Pitillal, was full of praise for the rapid and efficient job done under the direction of Ing. Felipe Burgueno Huizar, sub-director of Obras Publicas, Badeba.
His workers had to first build a platform with walls ranging from four feet at the back to two feet at the front in order to create a safe and level area, protected from a nearby arrollo. The erection of the playground equipment, including all the cement work, was then finished in just a day or two.
Small children began to gather, some of them let out of school for this special occasion. A portable sound system arrived and was set up in the back of a truck. An extension cord was reeled out many meters to reach the nearest power-plug. All was then ready for the Presidente Municipal to make his speech.
After thanking all who had been involved in creating this addition to the town, he spoke directly to the children. "This is for you to enjoy," he told them. "But only after you have done all your school-work, and playing here is a better way to spend your time than watching television or playing video games."
Kelly Trainor, Jeff Miltenburger and Josefina Naya then spoke briefly of their satisfaction in being able to bring this new amenity to the children of Guamichil. Among the attendees representing the Municipio of Bahia de Banderas were Regidora Margarita Arrizon (Salud y Asistencia Social), Ing Felipe Burgueno Huizar (Director de Obras Publicas), Biologo Jose Juan Gonzalez (Sub-director de Servicios Publicos) and Ing. Juan Carlos Cruz (Director de Comunicación Social).
To close the proceedings, a tiled plaque was unveiled to mark the happy event. The children responded with a loud chorus of "Gracias!" and the second Toys For Tots playground was officially open for business - bringing more smiles to more children.
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