Although a week had passed since the Three Kings Day celebration, children at the Nuevo Hospital Civil in Guadalajara received an unexpected but welcome visit from gift-bearing benefactors on Wednesday, January 13.
The delegation bringing the good cheer was led by U.S. Consul General Tayna Anderson, accompanied by staff members from the Guadalajara Consulate. They arrived at the hospital early in the morning bearing 193 gifts to distribute among children interned for a variety of ailments. The altruistic employees at the diplomatic mission had dug into their pockets to purchase the gifts.
U.S Consul General Tanya Anderson hands a gift to a young patient at the Hospital Civil.
Joining the Consulate team, and adding to the kids’ enjoyment, was a lineup of local wrestlers, kitted out in their colorful masks. If the kids hasn’t heard of Mascara Mágica, Rafaga, Venucino, Don Luchas, Templario, El Gallo and El Gallito before Wednesday, they certainly do now.
During the visit, Anderson recalled a remark by Dr. Martin Luther King, whose birthday will be marked in the United States on Monday, January 18 with a federal holiday: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”
“There’s no better way to honor (King) than to undertake actions on behalf of the community,” Anderson said.
The consul general highlighted the close relationship that the U.S. consulate has shared with the Hospital Civil over the years, noting that many young doctors from the United States had gained vital learning experience there.
Said Anderson: “The modest gifts that we bring for the youngest and most vulnerable patients is a gesture that demonstrates our commitment to the pubic services that provide for the wellbeing of our communities.”