The ABC Festival – Saturday 02 March, 2 – 6pm in Bucerias.  This will be a major fun event and fundraiser – don’t miss it!  Mark your calendar now!

It’s all happening at the Explanada Corona, a huge arena opposite Colegio Bucerias & the Miguel Aleman school on Estaciones, Bucerias.  Organized by members of the Children’s Library (“Biblioteca Rey Nayar”) and Amigos de Bucerias, all net proceeds are going to the Library. This is going to be “school sports day meets village fair” – with surprises.

There will be 40 VW Classic Beetles on display, plus other classic cars, Harley Davidson motorbikes, and some caballeros with the original horsepower! Live music from the fabulous group The Gecko Band (thanks to the generous sponsorship of the Luna Lounge).  You won’t just be tapping your feet, you’ll be up and dancing on the large dancefloor.

With a return to traditional family values, there will be games for the kids you’ll remember from your childhood: sack race; 3 legged race; egg and spoon race … and a chance for the adults to join in too!  Come and be a kid again!  Raffles; bouncy castle and other games (thanks to The Shamrock Pub).  There will be a competition for the kids to find a mascot for the library, and another mascot and slogan for our Amigos anti litter campaign. 

"A TEDDY, A HUMPTY, A MURDER!" - ENTER THE SINISTER WORLD OF NURSERY RHYMES AND TOYS AND BE IN FOR A BIG SURPRISE!

Help the Bucerias Bilingual Community Center continue their good work by attending this evening of fun, food and mystery.

Doors open 2:00 pm—performance 7:30 pm on Sunday, 10 February 2013 at Los Arroyos Verdes Botanical Gardens & Retreat in Bucerias.  $500 pesos per person ticket includes: Free access to the pool and botanical gardens from 2pm, Complimentary towel & shower service, Meal with choice of ribs, salmon or mahi mahi with accompaniments served from 5 pm at the pool side restaurant, Live music 2 pm til 7 pm, AND a specially commissioned murder mystery play where you get to solve the case in your teams. Wine & sangria, coffee & cakes available for purchase during performance.

TICKETS FROM BBCC, ELEMENTS REALTY, ARROYOS VERDES, WEDNESDAY MARKET AT ROSA MEXICANO

Free! The largest community health care event in Greater Vallarta is scheduled for February 11th, 9:00 am - 6:00 pm.  It's called Medical Matters, and you can get all the information on health care in one place, from the professionals.

Over 60 exhibit booths staffed by doctors, insurance providers, alternative medicine will help you learn how to stay healthy and be prepared for emergency care. Read the news article.

Presentations are scheduled all day, on topics including the latest in using stem cell therapy for non-invasive hip/knee replacements to healthy diets, Alzheimers, women's issues, dentistry, prostate health, and more.  See the full schedule here.

This event is made possible by Healthcare Resources PV in conjunction with the US Consular Agency (Vallarta) and the Mariott Casa Magna hotel.  Don't miss this event!

Look at those smiles!

On Saturday, January 5th the children of the Families at the Dump (FAD) program received their toys, in time for Kings Day.  Traditionally, Christmas gifts are exchanged on Kings Day, to celebrate when the 3 kings brought gifts for baby Jesus.

Thanks to the VYC Toy Drive and help from volunteers and local companies, the party was a huge success!  In addition to VYC members bringing toys during the 3 week collection,

The new season has started, and it's a good time to review which non-profits the VYC supports and why, as part of our VYC Community Action Program.

As a non-profit organization, the VYC has limited financial resources. We can't help everyone, so we created a framework with the focus of Family Health & Welfare , Crisis Response, and Information Distribution, then researched charitable organizations that fit our focus.  To maximize VYC impact, 3 non-profits were chosen based on their mission, organization, geographic scope and diversity of programs.  

PEACE has kicked off their "Sponsor a Student" campaign, highlighting Karen, age 14. She is one of many helped by the PEACE Alternative School, where youths who are not able to be part of the mainstream education system can receive an education that can change their lives. The Alternative School needs financial support for students like Karen. You can sponsor her for a month or a year. To read how, click here.

A big "Thank You" goes to all the Members, friends and neighbors of the Vallarta Yacht Club for their support of the September Action for Food Drive.  It was a success because all North Banderas Bay worked together for one cause.  Total food items collected was 1,690 - WOW!  Thanks to everyone's efforts, over 2,000 people in need will receive 5,000 meals in exchange for over 1,000 hours of community service.  Learn more about the charities the VYC supports here.

Here is a "Thank You" letter from PEACE:

The Bucerias Bilingual Community Center (BBCC) is looking for volunteer English teachers. 

You know the language, this helps locals learn it too and increase their prospects for a better job.  Classes are in the morning Monday and Wednesday from 10:30am -11:30am for Beginners and Intermediate students. Also, one additional teacher for the afternoon is needed, Tuesday and Thursday 6:30pm-7:30pm for Intermediate students.  They already have 22 eager students and the current teachers need help!

If you're interested, contact Mago at the BBCC.  All the contact information is on the website, click here.