Founded in 1955 as a cultural and social club for Chapala’s small enclave of English-speaking residents, the Lake Chapala Society (LCS) has evolved into a multifaceted non-profit association serving both foreign and native inhabitants at lakeside.
Since relocating to Ajijic in 1983, LCS headquarters has become Ground Zero for lakeside’s burgeoning expatriate population. Facilities were expanded with the bequeath of a private home that houses the Wilkes Education Center and its Spanish language public library.
Today leaders at LCS are keenly focusing on the future and the prospects of how to best serve the anticipated arrival of a wave Baby Boomer retirees.
In that vein, early last year the organization launched a Capital Campaign Feasibility Study to determine if the community would support costs of modernizing the main campus. The research project was put in the hands of David Truly, a former geography professor at Central Connecticut State University who has carved out a new career as a consultant on tourism and retirement migration since settling at lakeside in 2010.
Truly and assistant Alin Viveros spent several months conducting 50 individual interviews among local residents. Their data gathering was complemented by an on-line survey that generated around 350 responses from current and former LCS members. Compiled results were turned over to the LCS board of directors last summer for review at a retreat held to map a direction for the organization’s future.
The upshot—revealed last week at a thank-you party for survey participants--was the formulation of three strategic goals: to improve perception of the LCS brand, optimize programs and services and re-engineer infrastructure on the grounds.
President Howard Feldstein told guests that the research project brought to light a need for LCS to boost its communications and promotions game plan to raise public awareness about its full range of activities. Another recurrent theme among respondents was strong interest in fomenting social and cultural integration through greater interaction between expats and their Mexican neighbors. Feldstein interprets the popularity of the Mexican Independence Day parties LCS has hosted in recent years as a clear sign of common desires to build stronger bonds of friendship.
After concluding that the location of LCS headquarters in the heart of Ajijic is a plus, the board is now looking into steps to refurbish or replace its aging buildings, in line with the community’s changing dynamics and demands. Possibilities of moving Wilkes Center activities to the main campus are also being explored.
LCS vice president Ben White--pegged as Feldstein’s probable successor--expressed a positive outlook on where the organization is headed. “This is an exciting time for LCS. For 60 years it has been a big part of the fabric of the community. We can keep this going because of our ability to adapt to changing times.”