According to all who attended (and it was a full house) the recent ANIKAN charity bash held at the Lake Chapala Society to benefit the Los Niños de Chapala y Ajijic (NCA) scholarship fund took ‘success’ to a new level.
Highlights of the December 1 evening were students sharing their experiences of support from NCA and explaining the far-reaching effects their educational opportunities have had on their families – and they did it well in English!
Of course, the rockin’ sound of the ANIKAN band kept dancers on their toes (and those of others) all evening long and the crowd really wolfed down sustenance from Tony’s Restaurant to keep things going. At one point, young Juan Paul, a blind child sponsored by St. Andrew’s Anglican Church and ANIKAN for his trips to Guadalajara and special educational opportunities there, took over the sticks, carrying the beat while ANIKAN’s drummer played the flute.The cherry on the NCA cake this week was when the scholarship program was presented with an Outstanding Service Award by IJAS (Jalisco State Social Assistance Agency) recognizing NCA’s record of supporting the education expenses of thousands of Lakeside area students over the past 35 years. Last year, more than a dozen NCA students graduated from high school and are now attending university with expenses paid either by their NCA sponsor or, in one or two cases by the Lake Chapala Society student aid program and the University and Vocational Assistance (UVA) educational program.
Those interested in supporting NCA should contact President Bill Friend at 765-5454. Those who missed the party should be on the mark for the same place and time next year. In the meantime, you can catch the six fine rockers of ANIKAN at Adelita’s on Friday nights.