"On the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...."
This beloved traditional holiday song is the
inspiration for our Holiday Giving blog series, "12 Days/12 Ways", a
promotional effort of goodwill we started in 2010 to draw attention
to 12 not-for-profit groups or charitable organizations in Playa del
Carmen and along the
Riviera Maya. So many people from around the world travel to the Riviera
Maya during the holiday season. Many reach out to us via regional
message boards and Facebook looking for a way to give back to the less
fortunate residents in our local communities. 12 Days/12 Ways was
started to help these generous, kind-hearted visitors find legitimate
and worthy charitable organizations to support, addressing their
particular needs for this holiday
season.
For each of the 12 days of Christmas, the BuyPlaya blog, better known as "Life's a Beach", will spotlight a charitable
organization or giving opportunity. Some may already be familiar to locals and
frequent travelers to this area. Others, perhaps those most in need of
recognition and support, may be new to our readers. It is our hope to do
this every year, with updated information and wish lists.
The "12 Day/12 Ways" list has been completed for 2012. If you have a favorite
charity that you feel belongs on our list for 2013, collect all of the
information you can and I will be happy to consider your group for
inclusion.
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PEACE Isla Mujeres is an initiative of PEACE, a nonprofit
community organization based in Punta de Mita, Mexico. PEACE is a
recognized 501(c)(3) in the United States and a recognized A.C. in
Mexico. PEACE Isla Mujeres is a nonprofit
organization created to improve the community of Isla Mujeres through
Protection and Education re: Animals, Culture & the Environment. A
focus is placed on educational opportunities, youth development,
environmental responsibility, animal care and protection and economic
empowerment.
PEACE strives to improve the community of Isla Mujeres
through :
- Educational opportunities
- Youth development
- Environmental responsibility
- Animal care and protection
- Economic empowerment
PEACE Isla Mujeres began with a small group of volunteers
interested in the growth, future and integrity of social projects on the
island. After a few informal conversations around kitchen tables, weekly
meetings open to the community were established and together with the
collaboration of PEACE Mexico A.C., a newly hired executive director and a gang
of volunteers and community organizations, a new community-based nonprofit was
formed.
PEACE Isla Mujeres consists of both locals and foreigners who care greatly for
Isla Mujeres. The following goals have been established for this new
community-wide nonprofit:
- Support for existing non-profit/community groups that have a proven track
record of response to community need
- Support for short-term, one-time, and/or emergency response projects
- Support for new nonprofit/community initiatives with development and
direction
These goals are achieved through community support, grant endowment, fundraising
for local efforts, emergency response, consultation and networking.
PEACE
Isla Mujeres operates as a community foundation and disperses funds
primarily through a structured granting process. PEACE
Isla Mujeres is not directly affiliated with any existing Isla
organization, but acts as an umbrella organization to help raise more
resources in general for Isla and then responsibly distribute the money
and resources through granting processes. In this way, PEACE is able to
provide more support to those who need it and foster new initiatives
that will greatly benefit the entire Isla community.
PEACE Isla Mujeres is proud to be working in collaboration with many, including the following community groups:
Amigos de Isla Contoy, A.C. (www.islacontoy.org)
is a non-profit group based in Cancun whose mission is "to promote the
conservation of Isla Contoy and other natural regions in the Yucatan
Peninsula through sustainable development in local communities." Amigos
de Isla Contoy has been working directly on Isla Mujeres through
implementing and running a recycling program, teaching environmental
education and the construction of a new Environmental Education
Community Center on the Island.
Amor a la Niñez, A.C. The Little Yellow School House (www.littleyellowschoolhouse.org)
is a school on the Island for children with special social, physical
and academic needs. Their mission is to promote and collaborate in the
integral development of children with special needs with the end goal of
improving their social, cultural and economic futures.
Isla Animals (www.islaanimals.org)
is a small community group that cares for the unclaimed dog population
on the Island. Isla Animals helps to coordinate spay, neuter and
vaccinate campaigns, educates about proper animal care, tends to the
health and protection of unwanted dogs, including housing dogs until
they can be placed in a safe and permanent home.
La Clinica Veterinaria de Chipie & Dr. Delfino Guevara
(vetclinicchipie@hotmail.com) provide for-profit veterinary services on
the Island at a price that is reasonable and accessible to all and
provides community education regarding animal control and proper animal
care.
La Gloria English School, A.C. (www.folges.org)
is a US-nonprofit English Language School here on the island with a
mission to give the residents of Isla Mujeres the opportunity to learn
English regardless of their financial resources.
Ron Brown Memorial Scholarship Fund (www.reelingforronnie.com)
honors Ron's memory and his commitment to the island of Isla Mujeres
and its people. On his behalf we want to assist, with financial help, in
educating promising, dedicated students to further their education
enabling them the opportunity to improve their life style. We feel this
opportunity will not only benefit the students but also their families
and in turn, the whole community.
Patrulla Verde
(patrulla-verde@hotmail.com)is a grassroots, youth-focused ecology club
whose mission is to contribute to a clean and healthy environment
through education and community activities.
Since its inception PEACE Isla Mujeres has awarded over $500,000 mn to community programs on the island!
How can you help?
Donate Funds!
PEACE Isla Mujeres is always in need of donations. If you
would like to donate we are officially a non-profit and you will receive a tax
deductible receipt. Many companies are now giving matching grants to their
employee's charity of choice. Ask your employer about making a matching grant
to PEACE Isla Mujeres. If you are in the United States If you would like to send a check, please make checks payable to:
PEACE, Inc. and designate "PEACE Isla Mujeres"
in the memo of your check. If you would like to donate to a specific
organization, please indicate which one in the memo section of your
check as well.
Checks can be mailed to:
PEACE Inc.
c/o Alisha Quinn
PO Box 6161
Vail, CO 81658
Donate Supplies!
Affiliated organizations are always in need of useful supplies.
Below is a list of supplies requested by several community
organizations including The Little Yellow Schoolhouse, Patrula Verde and La Gloria
English School. A wishlist of items is below and a full list including
much needed items for local veterinarians, Isla Animals and The Red
Cross can be found here.
All material/games need to be in Spanish. Materials for older children (8+) are a priority
• Toner for a photocopy machine - PC 940 CANON
• Ink cartridges for a printer- HP 56 and 57
• Colored printer paper
• Didactic games for children over 8 years old
• Three dimensional puzzles of different shapes
• Materials to identify body parts (in Spanish and not puzzles)
• Games for memory; auditory and tactile (but not cards)
• Materials/manipulatives to use for separation, classification, and matching (but not cards)
• Materials for Spanish vocabulary (not cards)
• Materials where the objective is to search for the hidden objects in a figure
• Cassette tapes of musical instruments, transportation, animals, etc.
• Toys with Spanish sounds
• Acrylic paint
• Oil paint
• Glue
• Children’s scissors
• Paint boxes
• Pencils
• Colored pencils
• Erasers
• Rulers
• Markers
• Games that focus on special dates (Mexico), principally for children 8-12 years old
For a new life-skills area, the school is in need of the following kitchen items:
-
Plastic place settings (non-disposable)
- dishes
- pots and pans
- toaster oven
- blender
Contribute to the Re-Sale Shop!
Gently worn closed and
used items are gladly welcomed for resale at the PEACE Isla Mujeres
resale boutique. 100% of the funds raised go to help support community
programs and purchase badly needed supplies and equipment.
Buy the PEACE Cookbook!
Now available for just $25 usd or $300 mn - the second edition of "Cocina Isleña" is a
fantastic BILINGUAL (Spanish-English) cookbook offering nearly 200
recipes from local and international residents and restaurants of
Isla Mujeres. The collection was created with the
flavor and available ingredients of Isla Mujeres in mind - and comes
complete with stories to go with many of the recipes, tips on using and
purchasing local produce, measuring/heat conversions, and more! Shipping to the US is available. For more information, contact
carolinebeebe@hotmail.com
Volunteer!
PEACE Isla Mujeres welcomes volunteers. Whether you live on the island,
come every year or are getting ready for your first trip- there is a
spot for you with PEACE Isla Mujeres. There are many wonderful
community groups who would welcome your participation. Whether you have
just an hour to give or a half day or a few days, there is always a way
to help out. Below is a list of several volunteer activities currently
available. Fluency in Spanish is not necessary, unless noted*. Please contact volunteer@peace-islamujeres.org if you'd like more information on how you can help. Open community meetings are held every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. in
PEACE's new office space in the Plaza Isla Mujeres, behind Chili Loco’s
on Hidalgo. Serious participants/volunteers are encouraged to attend.
Isla Animals:
• Assist in helping to care for an island dog; take a dog for a walk and/or give a dog a bath
• If here for at least a few days, you could be assigned one specific dog to walk and train during the duration of your trip
•
If you are interested in photography, we are in need of photos of the
dogs at Isla Animals and also around the island to help promote
adoption
Island Veterinarians:
• Assist in helping to care for an island dog; take a dog for a walk &/or give a dog a bath
• Help to give injections
• Assist a veterinarian in surgery
La Gloria English School:
• Assist a teacher and help students with pronunciation in an English class for children, youth or adults (various hours)
Patrulla Verde:
•
On Saturday mornings take part in a youth ecology club- assist with art
projects, field trips, help on an island clean-up, etc. (*a basic level
of Spanish is necessary)
Little Yellow School House:
• Assist the teacher in the classroom or assist with class preparation
(Late afternoons M-F; *a conversational level of Spanish is necessary)
Volunteer Vacations are also arranged in cooperation with Destination: PEACE.
During a Destination:PEACE Volunteer Vacation, guests will experience
another culture while making a difference in the lives of others:
children, women, families, animals and the environment. Volunteers help
raise awareness, reinforce a sense of world community
and bring hope to the people and animals affiliated with PEACE Isla
Mujeres. Each five-day vacation combines volunteerism with the practice
of yoga, introduces participants to authentic Mexican cuisine, and
enables them to explore the region and
experience cultural or adventure activities.
For more information:
info@peace-islamujeres.org
www.peace-islamujeres.org
+52 1 99 82 243 323 (Outside of Mexico)
99 82 243 323 (Mexico)
651 222 9482 (US)