Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – On Saturday, April 17, the Jay Sadler Project A.C. held its first Charity Music Festival at El Rio BBQ Bar in Colonia Paso Ancho.
A considerable amount of the yearly funding for the non-profit comes via the Puerto Vallarta Chili Cook-Off held annually each February. The 2021 Cook-Off had to be cancelled due to strict Covid regulations. So plans for a restricted seating event at the old home of the Cook-Off, El Rio BBQ Bar, were developed. Ticket sales were limited to 250 and the event quickly sold out.
Attendees enjoyed a day of great music from four of the top bands in the area: Calavera Beach, Johanna Delgado and Her Band, Texas Embassy Blues Band, and La Trez Cuartoz, as well as great food and drink. Thank you to the following Sponsors for supporting our Puerto Vallarta Musicians: From Michigan – P. Williams Productions, Patty Williams, Gini Haffner, David T Weber, Glenn & Linda Alday, Mike & Jo McGinnis and Ron & Lois DeHaan and from Puerto Vallarta – Blake’s Restaurant & Bar, PV Cupcakes, Pancho’s Villas Real Estate & Developing, Memories Paninoteca Cafe as well as many anonymous Sponsors.
To connect the event to the Chili Cook-Off, past winners (Escondida Sports Bar, Nacho Daddy, Murphy’s Irish Pub, and Captain Don’s Sports Bar) brought chili that was distributed with every meal purchased.
Through ticket sales, raffles, a 50/50 draw, a Silent Auction and a large donation from El Rio itself, a total of $172,475.51 MXN was raised. These funds will go a long way to help the Jay Sadler Project A.C. continue its work in many of the under-served communities of the greater Puerto Vallarta area.
Kurt Sinner, Top, 2nd from Left, of El Rio, presents a check to Jay Sadler Project President, Dennis Rike, Center, seated. Chili Cook-Off Committee members present were, bottom, L-R, Jim Mawdesley, Donna Wong, Mary Deniz. Top row, L-R, Ryan Bymaster, Dinia Hernandez Sequeira, Jim Sullivan, Dave Fisher.
The Jay Sadler Project A.C. was established 2013 and became an A.C. June 2018. Its mission is to work with government & private social agencies to identify those in need. Their objective is to provide necessary resources to improve various institutions in the Puerto Vallarta and Banderas Bay area. These institutions include day care centers, senior citizen homes and schools for the disabled, public schools in rural areas and other private charitable institutions. They also provide building maintenance, repairs and install playgrounds in the community.
In 2018, the Jay Sadler Project A.C. completed 38 projects benefiting 2,564 children, seniors, and other adults. In 2019, 44 projects benefiting 2,750 children, seniors, and other adults were done. In 2020, during the pandemic, 26 projects benefiting 1680 children, seniors, and other adults were finished.
In 2020, in addition to their normal community assistance programs, the Jay Sadler Project A.C. recognized the need to assist the area’s multiple Food Banks and distributed 684 bags of food valued at $15,000 pesos each and made cash donations to the Vallarta Food Bank and other organizations.
Thank you to everyone that attended the Charity Music Festival. Your participation and generosity helped make this a very successful event. Monies raised will fund community projects for the coming year.
