Frank Burton
Jun 8, 2003, 4:25 PM
Post #3 of 3
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Re: [dleach] Volunteer Work -trying again
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Hi, David,
there are almost uncountable opportunities for volunteer service Lakeside, starting with several different kinds of work at Lake Chapala Society; suggest you look at their website if you haven't already.
I've been teaching English as a Second Language classes at the Wilkes Education Center in Ajijic and have found that process both satisfying and rewarding. I've never been a professional teacher, though I've taught and trained a lot of people while in careers in the corporate world and as a psychotherapist. Wilkes Education Center and the only Spanish-language library in Ajijic are both located on a property which was, I gather, willed to LCS by an ex-pat who lived in the community, Ed Wilkes. LCS maintains the facility, staffs and stocks the library, recruits the students, and furnishes very structured teaching materials which I've found to be excellent.
My wife volunteers for a very different kind of service to the community, under the guidance of Dr. Martha Nussgen in a program working with disadvantaged kids and their families, currently in San Antonio Tlayacapan. Dr. Nussgen, a retired pediatrician and local citizen, has been doing this kind of work for several years, and is well-connected in both the gringo and Mexican communities. Martha and the volunteers provide training in basic hygene, nutrition, and other health issues; furnish a nutritious meal to the kids (and often to their families) twice a week; provide adult contact to the kids, who often get very little adult attention in their families; often arrange for urgent health care for the kids; provide recreational opportunities that are far beyond the reach of these families; have screened the children for learning disabilities and other school-related issues and provide Spanish-language tutoring to seven children now; find ways to teach both the children and the parents how to better themselves, breaking the cycle of poverty. There's an article by Karen Blue about this program in the current issue of Mexico-Insights.com, an on-line magazine which I can't recommend too highly.
Perhaps others will post. My wife and I know different people who are: assisting in a bi-lingual school; operating a small food bank which provides basic food packages to 40 impoverished elders and single-parent families; prepare and give packets of receiving blankets, diapers, and pajamas for newborns of mothers who otherwise probably would take their babies home from Guadalajara hospitals wrapped in newspaper; teach free art classes for local children; volunteer for Ninos Incapacitados, a prominent organization (believe they have a website) which arranges for surgery and other medical care for children of the community who have severe medical problems that would otherwise go untreated; people who constructed an excellent, modern science lab in a local school; and a group which visits people in nursing homes Lakeside. Many people informally help the children of their domestic help or neighbors with school uniforms, supplies, etc. It seems like we hear of another service project just about every week.
I'm delighted that you're exploring opportunities to volunteer--you'll fit right in, and I expect you'll find something both satisfying and rewarding. Good luck, and hurry on down!!!
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