British club
The Lakeside British Society will meet via Zoom Saturday, December 5, 2 p.m. Members will receive information via e-mail. If you are not on the mailing list, contact Arleen Foster, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., for further details.
Open Circle
David Ellison presents “Fascinating Stories Behind Mexican Street Names” at Open Circle, Sunday, December 6, 10:30 a.m. at the Lake Chapala Society.
Ellison has long had a debt to pay to Los Niños Heroes, the martyred young cadets who defended Chapultepec Castle in 1847 during the U.S. invasion. A gifted raconteur, Ellison will explain his debt and how he will pay it with his forthcoming book that introduces expats to Mexican history. He will regale the audience with captivating stories from his book-in-progress about some of Mexico’s inspiring heroes and colorful scoundrels, including the “rest of the story” that never makes the textbooks. This is history and herstory like you’ve never heard it before.
Attendance is limited to 80 persons, use of a mask is mandatory and temperature checks are made on entry. Make reservations and check the schedule at www.opencircleajijic.org.
Bring your own coffee or bottled water, and remove containers upon departure.
LCS updates
• Ted Rogers gives a course on “The Five Revolutions that Shaped Western Thought” in a series of seven sessions, Mondays, December 7, 14, 21 and 28, January 4, 11 and 18, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. via Zoom.
• Rachel McMillen’s “Introduction to Lakeside” series (via Zoom) features Exploring “Lakeside, session 1,” Monday, December 7, 10:30 a.m. to noon. The session will cover the topics: Where exactly is Lakeside? Lakeside communities, Ajijic village, fiestas and the Lake Chapala Society. “Exploring Lakeside, session 2,” is held Friday, December 11, 1 to 2:30 p.m., and will touch on health, medical, eating-out/eating-in, money/banks, ATMs, churches, entertainment, recreation, transportation, accommodation and utilities.
• Alfredo Perez will give a class to prepare for the state driver’s license exam, Wednesday, December 9, 3 to 4:30 p.m., at the South Campus patio.
To register for these courses, see the Lake Chapala Society (LCS) website or stop by the office.
Bingo
Bingo Lago holds games at Maria Isabel Restaurant every Tuesday, 1 p.m., as a fundraiser for Have Hammer … Will Travel A.C., a program teaching valuable life skills to local youth through woodworking and carpentry.
Tuesday, December 8, chocolatier Eduardo Torres will bring his gourmet artisanal chocolates from Guadalajara for a tasting and some will be given as door prizes.
All Covid-19 rules are followed with tables six feet apart, and 30 seats outdoors on the back patio. One to two people per table is permitted. The bingo package includes ten games for a 200-peso donation. Win prizes, paintings, dinners, woodworking made by the students. No cash prizes. Cards go on sale 1 p.m., bingo begins 1:30 p.m. Daubers supplied.
Giving back
For those who are looking to give back to the community, there are a wealth of charities helping both young and old, those needing health care, food, scholarships, clothes, some holiday cheer and much more.
With Covid social distancing measures canceling most traditional fundraising events, charities this year need a helping hand more than ever – both monetarily and through volunteerism. Here is a list of just a few local organizations, most of which have Facebook or website pages:
Axixic Masonic Lodge 31 and the Lake Chapala Shrine Club both help local children with burns to get needed care.
Casa de Ancianos is the only non-profit retirement home serving the Chapala area.
Chapala Sunrise Rotary Club is an English-speaking group that focuses on helping local schools, students and other disadvantaged in the area.
The Rotary Club of Ajijic is a bilingual organization whose members dedicate their time, expertise, and talents to serving the community.
The Lakeside Therapeutic Riding Program provides safe and educational equine-assisted therapeutic riding to children and adults with neurological disabilities.
The Villa Infantil de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe orphanage in Jocotepec is run by Catholic nuns, but their support is almost fully by local donations.
Love in Action is a home for neglected and abused children in Chapala.
The Mision San Pablo in Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos is a home for HIV-negative children orphaned when their parents died of AIDS-related complications.
Hope House is a home to abandoned, neglected, and abused boys in Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos.
Niños Incapacitados assists low-income Mexican families with expenses for their children with disabling or life-threatening illnesses.
Niños de Chapala and Ajijic provides educational scholarships for underprivileged children and youth throughout the lakeside area.
Tepehua Community Center, located in one of Chapala’s poorest neighborhoods, provides a soup kitchen, a pre-school/nursery, counseling for mothers, workshops for sewing, cooking, woodwork, hydroponic gardening, etc.
The School for Special Children in Jocotepec improves the educational opportunities for disabled students pre-school to 35. The primary handicaps experienced by students at the school are Downs Syndrome, West Syndrome, blindness, deafness, cerebral palsy, autism, and neuromotor disorders.
Days For Girls is the local chapter of an international organization which provides sustainable feminine hygiene products and health education to girls.