Rotary mixer
The Chapala Sunrise Rotary Club’s mixer, Friday, August 4 was a rousing success.
Rotarians and members of the Lakeside community chatted and mingled, with the Rotary motto of “Service Above Self” very much on display along with the various local and international projects that the organizations supports.
The club’s newest member was inducted, members transferring from other Rotary clubs were recognized, and a number of guests expressed interest in becoming Rotarians.
Chapala Sunrise Rotary Club thanks everyone in attendance for contributing to a very special afternoon.
Open Circle
Marlowe Wylson will present “Finding Your Way to Wellness” at the next meeting of at Open Circle, held in the Lake Chapala Society (LCS) Sala, Sunday, August 13, 10:30 a.m. to noon.
Wylson will talk about the frustration of not being able to sort out all the things one needs to know about how to stay healthy and where to get help in treating an illness naturally. One day, low fat is good and the next day we learn we should be eating butter! Marlowe will shed light on these issues and share the information she has gathered over the years with those committed to taking control of their own health and wellness.
Wylson is a certified Health and Wellness Coach, having completed year-long studies with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in New York. She is also certified as a Digestion Specialist through Holistic Nutrition Labs and is presently working on certification for Functional Medicine Coaching.
For more information, go to opencircleajjic.org.
Heart of Awareness
The Heart of Awareness Community offers meditation opportunities several times each week.
The regular meditation and teaching session is on Wednesdays when the center opens at 3:30 p.m. and formal meditation begins at 4 p.m. August 16, the meditation period will be followed a video teaching by Ruben L. F. Habito, a Filipino former Jesuit priest turned Zen master. “We Are All Refugees: Seeking Our True Home” is the series title and this week’s talk is “Finding Freedom in Interconnectedness.” The gathering ends by 6 p.m.
There are three additional hour-long silent meditation opportunities each week: Sundays and Mondays from 9-10 a.m. and Thursday from 11 a.m. to noon.
On Wednesday and Saturday mornings, from 9-11 a.m., Latika Pierrette Claude offers a gentle and spiritual yoga practice at the Center.
The Heart of Awareness is grounded in the teachings of the Buddha. Prior experience or affiliation is not required.
The center is located at Guadalupe Victoria 101 in Ajijic. For more information, go to heartofawareness.org, or call Janet Reichert, 331-043-4669.
Gardening classes
Lakeside gardening guru Francisco Nava is once again offering his Gardening at Lakeside courses to Lake Chapala Society (LCS) members through its Personal Enrichment Program.
Introduction and advanced classes are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays, August 15-September 7, in the LCS Sala. Each class is limited to 20 people and the course cost is 500 pesos. Sign up at the LCS office.
The Introduction to Lakeside Gardening class runs from 9:30-10:30 a.m. and the Advanced Lakeside Gardening class is scheduled from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
LCS seminar
Lake Chapala Society members are invited to attend a TED seminar, hosted by Susan Weeks, on “Let the Environment Guide Our Development” by Johan Rockstrom, Tuesday, August 15, noon to 1:15 p.m. in the LCS Sala.
Human growth has strained the Earth’s resources, but as Rockstrom reminds us, our advances also give us the science to recognize this and change behavior. His research has found nine “planetary boundaries” that can guide us in protecting our planet’s many overlapping ecosystems.
Lakeside Freethinkers
A discussion of the perimeters of knowledge and god of the gaps arguments will be the highlight of the next meeting of the Lakeside Freethinkers, Wednesday, August 16. The group meets at La Nueva Posada restaurant on the third Wednesday of each month at 4 p.m. Dinner and additional discussion usually follow.
The Lakeside Freethinkers define a “freethinker” as a person who is an atheist, agnostic, secular humanist, or skeptic. They believe that individuals should not accept ideas proposed as truth without recourse to knowledge and reason. They reject belief in the supernatural and rely on science and reason to guide their lives. To attend or obtain more information, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
LCS Bus Trips
The Lake Chapala Society hosts a bus trip to the crafts centers of Tonala and Tlaquepaque Wednesday, August 23. This is a great chance to browse and buy handicrafts at modest and upscale retailers. The bus departs promptly at 9 a.m. from the sculpture in La Floresta.
Monday, August 28, the LCS heads to Galerias Mall in Guadalajara, where you can enjoy free afternoon concerts by various mariachi groups participating in the two-week long International Mariachi Festival. The bus departs promptly at 1:30 p.m. from the sculpture in La Floresta.
The cost for either trip is 350 pesos for members and 450 pesos for non-members. Sign-up is available at the LCS office during regular office hours, Monday through Saturday or via the LCS website, lakechapalasociety.com.
APEH Human Education Alliance
APEH Human Education Alliance is once again collecting used leashes and collars for cats and dogs in recognition of World Animal Day, October 14. In partnership with three area organizations (Lakeside Friends of the Animals, La Tienda de la Ciencia and Butterflies en Mexico), they have placed three transparent boxes throughout the community for the collection. The items will be divided up and this year be offered to the spay and neuter organizations Operation Amor and Companions in Compassion. These in turn will provide them to Mexican families who bring their animals to spay and neuter clinics during the next year. Drop-off locations for the used leashes and collars are: Dr. Hector Ladron in Riberas de Pilar (next to Lakeside Friends of the Animals Pet Supply), Dulce Alfajor at Colon 9, Ajijic and La Mision Restaurant at Rio Bravo 7, Ajijic West.
Summer grant program
The Foundation for Lake Chapala Charities invites Lakeside-area charities to apply for awards totaling 100,000 pesos.
Four to six registered A.C.s, or I.A.P. non-profits will share in the organization’s funding for proposed projects. The applications, available in English or Spanish, are due on or before August 31.
For more information, applications and instructions, contact Margy Kassier at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Susan Smith at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Assistance BBQ
Ranger BBQ will put on a fundraiser for the Lakeside Assistance Group (LAG), Saturday, August 26, 1 p.m. at the Centro Cultural Gonzalez Gallo. This event will feature the renowned Redes Y Cantos 19-person Mexican Romantic Music group from Guadalajara.
LAG works with U.S. and Canadian firefighters and other groups to bring high quality used equipment to fire departments in north shore Lake Chapala towns. Since 2015, LAG has delivered three containers of firefighting equipment from Ontario and British Columbia worth about $US10 million to 47 fire stations in Jalisco with the priority going to nearby locations in Chapala, Jocotepec and Poncitlan.
Two more containers of donated Canadian firefighting equipment are ready for shipment (one each in Vancouver and Toronto) as soon as LAG processes the Mexican Customs clearance forms and successfully raises sufficient funds to pay the US$4,000 shipping fees.
Please join LAG and friends at the BBQ Rib Fundraiser to help fund these shipments. If you cannot join the party, donations are welcome at Diane Pearl or telephoning LAG 331-768-0676.
Tickets are available at the Tuesday Market, Diane Pearl, John Kelly, 331-768-0676 (cel) and Perry King, 763-5126.
Fundraiser for firefighter
The Cave is holding a fundraiser for injured firefighter Heriberto “Erick” Garcia Medina, whose family is facing a hefty hospital bill.
The event is Friday, September 1, 8-11 p.m. and includes music and entertainment, raffle prizes and gifts, DJ and dance competition and more. Tickets, 150 pesos, are available at the Cave, Diane Pearl, Mia’s Boutique or via Alicia, 331-466-9839 (cel), or Ady, 331-512-7961 (cel). The Cave is at Hidalgo 159 in San Antonio, next to Fenix Real Estate.