Puerto Vallarta, Mexico – Where does the time go? We are heading into summer, which is a time of transition for Puerto Vallarta and for R.I.S.E. Many of our volunteers and donors are returning to their homes up north and PV visitors are tapering off.
Due to COVID-19, we worked with a skeleton volunteer crew this year. The term “Small but Mighty” comes to mind, and I want to send a special shout out to our volunteers who came consistently, all winter long, to support the house; Kay and Denis Guenette, Will Drake, Karen Cruz, Elizabeth Fuerherm, Bill Corp, Joann Ravgiala and Al Tomaselli, Linda and Brad Stevens, Bernadette and Bruce Coben, Jose Haro, Mercedes Jijena and Krissy Toquigne.
These volunteers performed maintenance, kitchen duties, sorted and organized donations, held English classes and monitored playtime with the nursery children, taught embroidery, music, dance and art, and performed some ‘not-so-glamorous’, but much needed, tasks. THANK YOU from all of us at RISE – Be Safe and we look forward to seeing you in the fall!
Your Good Efforts are Working!
As you may recall, in October we had a national government (DIF) inspection, common to organizations like ours when leadership changes occur. We were highly praised at that time but had a number of items to repair and update. We have had follow up visits from theses folks since, and we have received feedback that R.I.S.E. is the best run children’s shelter in the whole state of Jalisco! We could not have done it without all of your support – so take a minute and congratulate yourselves, you are truly making an impact on our children! THANK YOU!
New English Program and Fundraiser
We are excited to announce a new partnership with The American English Tree – a new language school in PV owned and operated by Eddie Rodriquez. Eddie has offered scholarships for 12 R.I.S.E. children and 8 staff to learn English, but would like to team up with us to try to raise enough money to cover the costs of the materials and some of the teacher costs. As a result, we are having a fundraiser May 18th from 4-7 pm at Texas Original Wings y Mucho Mas!!! (the old El Torito) that includes a silent auction, a raffle and live music by The Gecko Band!
Tickets are limited to 90, in a 200 person space, due to COVID. Hurry and buy your tickets by clicking HERE. It’s an open air environment and we will be following all COVID safety protocols. Can’t come to the event? You can still support us! Please click HERE to donate for this great cause – our goal is to raise $2000 US for one year of education. Muchas Gracias!
Speaking of Fundraisers…
Tonny Kenneth directed $8,400 pesos of his proceeds to R.I.S.E. from his album release concert at The Palm Cabaret on March 31. It was a fantastic performance. If you missed seeing Tonny make sure to see him at Garbo’s Piano Bar, Incanto or in The Royals at The Palm. Muchas Gracias Tonny!
How are the Kids Doing? Glad You Asked!
Due to COVID, we are approaching the one year anniversary of the children being unable to leave the house to go to school, or anywhere for that matter. We have been limited in taking the children on outings in order to keep them safe from the virus. As you can imagine, this has taken a further toll on their emotional state. Their families were not allowed to visit during the majority of this period, and Christmas and Easter had limited opportunities for the children to visit a family member – all due to COVID.
Professor Jorge, our Director, has led a fantastic team of formadoras (aka nannies) through this unpaved road, and we are starting to see a little light at the end of the tunnel. We have added psychology programs for both the children and staff to enable them to manage the anger and frustration the children have felt as a result of this pandemic.
We appreciate your support and continue to ask for help as the COVID pandemic is far from over in Mexico, with only 10% of the country vaccinated. Additional staff has been required at RISE to manage 30+ children at home 100% of the time and to ensure they feel loved and get the necessary attention when their emotions are high. All of your donations help support, not only our expected house expenses, but the additional team that has been required to manage schooling from home and the increased number of hours the children are now at home. We continue to need these important donations. Click HERE to donate, as every penny helps.
Ending on a Positive Note
We have been able to make the children smile these past few weeks. The children have had some fun in-house activities and, on a couple of occasions, we received permission to take them on outings.
Here are a few highlights from these events – Water balloon games, Easter egg coloring and an egg hunt, 5 children attended church on Easter to comply with COVID restrictions, and Easter ended with a pinata too! During Easter break, our generous donors, Al and Joanne, organized a dinner at McDonalds and took the kids to a Turtle release.
The grand finale was on Children’s Day, April 30th, when Georgia Darehshori opened up her beautiful luxury boutique hotel, Casa Karma, to the children so they could swim, play music, get their faces painted and eat pizza from Los Muertos Brewing Co, cupcakes and LIX ice cream. All of this happened at no cost to RISE, thanks to our wonderful staff, donors and volunteers.
We Brightened our Home and the Neighborhood!
Thank you Paul Bello for the remarkable mural painted on the back wall of R.I.S.E. – it can be seen for miles! Next time you drive by on Libramiento, just north of the big tunnel, look up and you should be able to see it! He does fantastic work and he can transform any wall you have! Contact him at through his WEBSITE. A huge THANK YOU to Paul, who took over a month of his time to make our home more beautiful!
How Can You Help?
Monetary Donation
RISE continues to provide for children in need and your donations help these children have experiences that may seem ‘normal’ in any home. Education, meals, health and dental care, shampoo, bedding, clothes, shoes, and many things that many children outside of RISE never notice as a privilege. The impact of your donation on a child’s life is significant, regardless of the amount. If you can donate to this important cause, please go to our website and make your donation.
Every donation helps! Recurring donations benefit you in your budgeting efforts and provide RISE a reliable source of support! Click HERE to make a donation.
Items to Donate
Many donors ask if there is anything they can bring to RISE so we are now updating our website each week with these items. Please check out our WISH LIST!
Volunteer Your Time
We need your time! If you wish to volunteer please fill out a VOLUNTEER APPLICATION or email lisa(at)risepv.com. We have a large home and need support in keeping it maintained and clean. We need your help with fundraising, grant writing and marketing, too! The kids like to also help and work alongside of you and you can meet other great volunteers. NOTE: Because our children are under government protection it is important to know who everyone is that works with – all for the safety of the children.
We continue to keep RISE on the RISE! Muchas Gracias and blessings from all of us at RISE for your continued support.
The Refugio Infantil Santa Esperanza is a non-profit shelter for babies and children under the age of 14. Some of these children are orphans but most come from unbearable situations having been abused, neglected, or simply abandoned. R.I.S.E. is a 501(c)3 charitable organization, EIN (52)2442583. All contributions are tax deductible. More information about the shelter and how you can help can be found at: RisePV.com.
