Proyecto Pitillal un Amigo (day care for handicapped kids)

Jan 12 – 2016. This Day Care for the handicapped was desperate for money when we arrived. The electricity had been turned off a few days earlier for lack of payment. The donated food in the refrigerator (mostly beans & rice) had gone bad. They were also behind on paying the staff members that provide therapy. Most of kids have Cerebral Palsy, of which there is no cure. Our grant will help get the facility back on its financial footing and pay for much needed repairs to the hydrotherapy pool.

Animal Doctors to the Rescue

Dec 17, 2015 – They treat and re-home unwanted sick and injured animals where owners or “for profit” practices are unable or unwilling to help. Their success stories are amazing. Doctors Jill Pratt and Andrea Swisher, along with former Radio personality Susan Stone Wiggins started this 2-year old non-profit animal charity located in Phoenix, Arizona. Our grant will help these wonderful people with their dream of establishing a nationwide network of “non-profit” practices like theirs that will take in the animals that are savable but that no one else wants or can afford to save. See and hear the stories in the video below and visit their website atwww.animaldoctorstotherescue.org

Animal Doctors to the Rescue - Hear the success stories as told by the animals themselves.

New Mayo Clinic Cancer Center

Dec 16, 2015 – Eternal Grand Master H.U. Lee was my early business partner, instructor, and lifelong friend. In early 2000, he was discovered with lung cancer. It had already spread. He died later that same year. This photo of us was taken at the last testing we attended together in 2000. Five years later, I was discovered with lung cancer in both lungs but it had not yet spread. I had immediate surgery but two years later the cancer returned. It was through skillful radiation performed by this man in these photos, that I survive to this date. Dr. Steven Schild is Chair, Department of Radiation Oncology, Mayo Clinic. I am fortunate to be alive and able to support Mayo’s new “proton beam” radiation program. This type of radiation is especially good for children as it provides a smaller total body dose in proportion to the dose received by the tumor.

Pasitos De Luz – Daily care for handicapped children

Dec 14, 2015 – This inter-city day care and rehab center is for families who live in extreme poverty and have handicapped children. It is free to the families. The children receive two meals a day, rehabilitation therapy where possible, but mostly love and comfort from the staff. For us, it was heartbreaking to see as many of these kids are severly handicaped and cannot walk, talk, feed themselves, go to the bathroom or do anything else – and need constant around-the-clock care. The center operates on donations and we were only to happy to make this grant. The volunteers and low-paid staff at this center are real heroes as they basically give up their personal lives to work with and help these kids every day.

Peace Animals

Dec 9, 2015 – PEACE Animals operates a free spay/neuter and education program in the Puerto Vallarta area. They teach local people that their neighborhoods will be cleaner, quieter, and safer when there is no overpopulation of pets. Their education program allows local residents to see the spay/neuter doctors perform the procedures. At the same time, doctors also teach how to care for pets, wildlife, and the enviroment. We are happy to support this great organization founded in June 2013 by Gretchen DeWitt and Amy Welsh.

Corazon de Nina (Children of the Hearts)

Unwanted, orphaned, parents in jail, and other tragic stories about kids needing a home. Melissa Canez, a Canadian who lives in Puerto Vallarta, began as a volunteer a few years ago at a girls shelter where there were 13 girls. The girls all loved Melissa. But tragedy struck and the shelter was closed. The 13 girls begged Melissa to let them come and live with her in her home. She agreed, and as time went on she could not say no or turn away other kids who needed help. Today, Melissa and her fiancé Juan have 36 children, a small staff, a van, a pickup truck, mom & dad duties, and a host of monthly expenses. Our grant was so appreciated and we were happy to help this wonderful organization, now called Corazon de Nina (Children of the Hearts). Our grant will help expand the facility and buy needed equipment.

Humane Society of the South Platte Valley – Littleton, CO

At the end of October we were honored to deliver a grant to the Humane Society of the South Platte Valley (HSSPV) in Littleton, Colorado. HSSPV provides shelter, care, rehabilitation and a host of other services to lost, stray and unwanted animals. They also take in animals from other shelters in Colorado to rehabilitate both medical and behavioral issues that other sheltering organizations might not choose or have the resources to take on. HSSPV also has a fantastic volunteer base that not only helps with the daily shelter needs but delivers a Thanksgiving dinner and holiday presents to all the animals every year – how awesome is that? For more information on HSSPV visit https://hsspv.org/.

Humane Society of the White Mountains

Some people who no longer want their pets just drive them out into the wilderness and kick them out of the car, thinking that because they are animals they can survive in the wild; but of course they can’t. The Humane Society of the White Mountains recently received a grant of $10,000 to help with the many animals that they rescue from the wilderness each year. Recently, a dog they named Hope was rescued from the wild and came in with a terrible case of porcupine quills, eyes swollen shut and an impacted bone in her mouth and oozing infection. She must have been in terrible pain for a long period time. She barely survived several operations. But now, because of the excellent care provided by this shelter, Hope is recovering and full of life and love. We are proud to help this organization, pioneered by Lloyd and Betty Lange.

Down Syndrome Kids Center (Asociación Down)

Down Syndrome is a gene problem that happens before birth. In Puerto Vallarta, many of the parents with Down children are poor and cannot afford treatments that could help their children overcome the affects of this disability. We were happy to provide a grant to Ana and her team at the Down Syndrome Kids Center (Asociación Down) that will help them continue to provide free programs that can help these children lead healthy and productive lives! What an amazing day we had!

Las Animas Dog Rescue – Puerto Vallarta

In October, we were happy to present a grant to the Las Animas Dog Rescue in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. This no-kill facility provides care, shelter and rehabilitation to dogs rescued in the Puerto Vallarta area and pairs them with adoptive families. Las Animas operates with the aid of donations, volunteers, and organizations. Grant funds will be used to care for the animals and to develop new programs to speed up the adoption process. You can learn more about the Las Animas Dog Rescue here: Las Animas Website

Home Fur Good – Phoenix Arizona

Home Fur Good was the first organization to receive a grant from our foundation. Some of the animals in this inter-city, no-kill shelter have just been, ‘in residence’ too long. These animals eventually become institutionalized, less friendly to humans and sadly – less attractive for adoption. Grant funds will be used to test re-training methods and develop new programs to speed up the adoption process. We hope that our grant will make a difference and we wish our little furry friends good luck! You can learn more about Home Fur Good here: Home Fur Good Website