Welcome to this new edition of Beach Area News!
We begin with some good COVID news, that reported new cases in Yucatan are down to the lowest level since the January surge. Yucatan is officially back in GREEN on both the Federal and State lists, and kids have gone back to school. Perhaps we are seeing the light at the end of the cenote?
APOYO PROGRAMS FUNDRAISING CURTAILED
Even with the good news on Covid, the pandemic has impacted the many formal and informal organizations that work so hard to improve the lives of our local citizens. In particular, the four apoyo programs who each work in their local communities to provide scholarships to help local students stay in school, have had to cancel, postpone, change and/or scale back the winter fundraising events that generate the funds they need to carry on through the year. This is happening even as they are coming through two years of having to work harder than ever helping their students learn online because in-person classes were cancelled. Here is a brief summary of what each program is doing and how you can help:
 Progreso Apoyo Program held their annual Progreso Home Tour in 2021 as a totally virtual event with well over 200 people watching the pay-per-view locally-produced video from their homes around the world. This year the 4th Annual Progreso Home Tour will happen in-person on Saturday March 5. In addition to visiting six lovely homes in Progreso and Chicxulub, home tour participants can purchase raffle tickets to win a number of great prizes. To promote social distancing, Home Tour participants will buy tickets that indicate different start times: 9 am, 9:30, and 10 am. Ticket sales end Friday March 4; for information or to reserve tickets Email info@progresohometour.com this week! No tickets will be sold at the door.This year’s Home Tour Silent Auction is being held entirely online, which means anyone can participate even if not attending the tour. The auction will be open from March 1 – March 5, closing at 1:30 pm Central Time. You can browse through the many fabulous items available for purchase and register to bid on items by clicking on this link – feel free to share with your friends: https://app.galabid.com/progresoapoyoauction/items#
 El Programa de Apoyo Escolar de Chuburná Puerto A.C. had to cancel their popular My Sister’s Closet Fashion Show in 2021. Their supporters came through with donations that carried them through the year! This year’s event has been postponed from January to March 24. Tickets are still available, and anyone who has a ticket but cannot attend on the new date has been asked to give or sell it to someone, or consider the purchase price as a donation to the organization. Ticket sale information will be on the Apoyo Escolar Chuburná Facebook page on March 8. Chuburna Apoyo always appreciates donations; email dorothy@apoyochuburna.com for information.
 Chelem Puerto Apoyo Escolar hosts their annual The Taste of Chelem fundraising event every March, but had to cancel in 2021 and again this year. The 2020 attendance was more than 400 people, and even as the pandemic surge weakens it would not be appropriate to hold an event like this in the spring. Chelem Apoyo hopes to hold a smaller event in the late fall when our beach area snowbirds return. Chelem Apoyo is looking for sponsors for students; if you cannot make that kind of multi-year commitment donations are always welcome through PayPal at https://paypal.me/chelemapoyo .
 Telchac Education has had to cancel their famous Full Moon Jazz Festival again this year. The event usually funds their university students program, and they have nine students starting college this fall. Please consider donating the price of tickets (MX$400) you would have purchased, or the money you would have spent on food, drinks, the raffle and festival T-shirt! Donation details are at https://www.telchaceducation.net/upcoming-events .
Help these organizations break the cycle of poverty by giving students the essentials to continue their education! Your contributions will be life-changing to the students and their families. Help them and their families make the beach area a better place for all of us to live and play!
Thanks from the Beach Area News Team
Bob Rentz, Speranza Avram, Karen Cloutier, Dave Bloch |
