Search results matching tags '2010', 'Community ', '12 Days/12 Ways', and 'Playa del Carmen '

12 Days/12 Ways 2010 - Malix Pek A.C. in Playa del Carmen

435836 — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 13:00:00 GMT

"On the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...."

This beloved traditional holiday song is the inspiration for a seasonal blog series, "12 Days/12 Ways", an effort to draw attention to 12 worthy not for profit groups in Playa del Carmen and along the Riviera Maya and address their particular needs during 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. Many of these 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 my plan to do this every year, with updated information and wish lists.

The "12 Day/12 Ways" list has been completed for 2010. The organizations are listed in no particular order. If you have a favorite charity that you feel belongs on this list, collect all of the information you can and I will be happy to consider your group for inclusion next year.

______________________________________________________________

Malix Pek A.C., started in 2008, is a registered non-profit (Asociación Civil) comprised of a group of Volunteers dedicated to the rescue and adoption of abandoned and mistreated dogs. Malix is Maya for dog of no origin or colloquially, "street dog", and describes the dogs that this organization was formed to assist. Malix Pek was started by a group of local people who loves dogs and all animals. Their goal is to decrease the number of street dogs here in Playa del Carmen. How will they achieve this?

Sterilization: While there are many dogs living on the streets of Playa del Carmen, many more are “owned” by individuals who are unable or unwilling to care for them properly. These dogs continue to reproduce unchecked. Malix Pek volunteers work in cooperation with all sterilizations campaigns including the annual ViDAS Clinic by transporting animals and assisting with registrations and post operative services.

Education: The members that make up Malix Pek are primarily local people living in the community. They are in a great position to TALK to people in their neighborhoods, explain the importance of sterilization and make them aware of spay/neuter clinics that are FREE of charge. Malix Pek brings their mission to local schools, community centers and radio programs, whatever it takes to spread the word near and far.

So far, Malix Pek has re-homed more than 120 dogs and spayed/neutered more than 150. (April 2010)

How can you help?

Donate: If you are coming to Playa del Carmen, Malix Pek needs all kind of supplies:

Frontline

De-worming meds

Antibiotics

Suture 1.0 and 2.0

Anesthetic (Zoletyl for example)

Gauze

Old Sheets/towels

Garbage bags

Old Newspapers

Shampoo

Ear Cleaner

Nail Clippers

Cleaning products

Hydrogen Peroxide

Collars/leashes

Garrafones of Water

Dog food

Food Dishes

A contribution to Malix Pek can make a difference between the life and death of a stray animal. Monetary donations made be made to the following account:

Banco: HSBC
Cuenta: 4048319735
Clabe Interbancaria: 021694040483197354
Beneficiario: Malix Pek AC
Sucursal 03727
Plaza 33
Swift: BIMEMXMM

Volunteer: Malix Pek is always looking for volunteers to help out with the dogs as well as organize and assist with fundraising efforts. Malix Pek does not receive funds from the Government of Quintana Roo. Their efforts depend solely on donations and fundraising events. Malix Pek currently has 24 dogs/puppies that have been rescued from horrifying situations. They are currently housed in a rented space in Playa. They have hopes to build their own yard but this project is on hold until adequate funds can be secured.

For more information:

Malix Pek Website
Malix Pek on Facebook
info@malixpek.org.mx
malix_pek@hotmail.com

12 Days/12 Ways 2010 - Coco's Cat Rescue in Playa del Carmen

435836 — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 12:05:00 GMT

“On the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me….”

This beloved traditional holiday song is the inspiration for a seasonal blog series, “12 Days/12 Ways”, an effort to draw attention to 12 worthy not for profit groups in Playa del Carmen and along the Riviera Maya and address their particular needs during 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. Many of these 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 my plan to do this every year, with updated information and wish lists.

The “12 Day/12 Ways” list has been completed for 2010. The organizations are listed in no particular order. If you have a favorite charity that you feel belongs on this list, collect all of the information you can and I will be happy to consider your group for inclusion next year.

______________________________________________________________

Coco's Cat Rescue is a non-profit organization started by Laura Raikes in March of 2009. Since Laura was a young girl she was helping her dad in farming and started rescuing all kinds of animals from bats to dogs, cats and even bottle feeding goats and lambs. One of the rescued cats was Igor who had only one eye after an attack by a crow. He is still a much loved family pet back home in Wales.

After moving to Mexico and marrying her husband Carlos their cat Coco was run over, as many of the drivers in Mexico see cats as a pest and make no attempt to avoid them if they see them on the road. Laura decided she wanted to help address the problem of too many stray cats-which leads them to be cruelly treated.

A week after Coco's death, Laura heard a distressed kitten "Rambo" in the jungle, hence the name Rambo. She has then continued her work rescuing kittens and spaying/neutering feral cats in her efforts to help the animal population in the Riviera Maya. Each kitten that is rescued is in dedication to her very own lost pet Coco.

Also working on reducing the population, Laura began a spay and neuter clinic working with Kelley Anthony and the veterinarian Claudia Lewy spaying and neutering feral cats, rescued kittens and pets whose owners simply could not afford to sterilize their cats. Laura realized more needed to be done and asked for support from more vets. Before long, seven different vets in Playa were volunteering in the spay/neuter program for cats organized by Laura.

As the support grew for the project Laura began to meet many other dedicated volunteers and saw the need and opportunity for something bigger. Therefore in dedication to Coco, Coco's Cat Rescue was created.

Coco's Cat Rescue has a no kill policy and is dedicated to reducing the cat population in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. They achieve this via a TNR (trap spay/neuter and return) program for feral cats, and a rescue, treat, spay/neuter, and tame program for kittens under 3 months. The aim is to find a permanent loving home for all the rescued kittens in their care.

Coco's Cat Rescue provides free or low cost spay/neuter surgeries and basic pet care to those on a low income. While the primary focus is cats, Coco's clinic also provides spay/neuter services for dogs through grants from Sociedad Protección Animales de Peninsula (SPAP) and Veterinarios Internacionales Dedicados a Animales Sanos (VIDAS).

CCR is also committed to education which encourages responsible pet ownership and challenges negative associations with feral cats and consequent cruelty. Their long term mission is to greatly increase the number of animals that they are able to assist and expand their model to embrace other local areas in need of services.

Why Coco's is Not a Shelter

Coco's mission is not to be a shelter. When quarantine space allows, they can take a rescued kitten into Coco's care. They help kittens as space allows. Coco’s primary mission is Spaying and neutering which addresses the bigger/ongoing problem. There will never be a shelter big enough for all the cats and kittens on the streets which is why Coco’s Cat Rescue chooses not to become a shelter and to focus on spay and neuter. This way they are preventing the problem and in the long run preventing the unwanted animals on the streets from being born. When you look at the statistics of how there are over 14,000 cats on the streets in Playa alone it is crucial that CCR focus on spay and neuter.

Why Coco’s Cat Rescue is full at times:

With over 14,000 cats and kittens on the streets of Playa del Carmen alone Coco’s Cat Rescue is overwhelmed with kittens most of the time. As they do not have a shelter and only have space for 15-20 kittens at any one time they are almost always full. Coco’s Cat Rescue has very strict quarantine rules. When a new kitten arrives at Coco’s Cat Rescue it must be kept separate from other kittens for at least 15 days meanwhile the kitten undergoes treatment for parasites and receives its first vaccine. There are also many other contagious conditions like a virus or skin conditions like ring worm and mange which require a longer quarantine. CCR prefers to have 20 healthy kittens than 50 sick ones even if this means having to say no to people who ask them to take in more rescued kittens. Some illnesses are life threatening and by putting one sick kitten in a room with 10 other healthy ones they could end up losing them all!

In order to better assist and support those animals they cannot accept at a certain time, Coco's Cat Rescue has started a new program and hopes to be able to help more people to foster and ultimately find homes for the kittens they find or rescue.

When kittens cannot be taken in by Coco's due to space being full they can assist you with these things:

Free spay and neuter
Free first rabies vaccinations.
Free de-parasite meds
Free general exam for rescued animal with Coco's Vet
Free meds/help if the rescued kitten is injured
Free kitten milk, bottle and a lesson on how to care for younger kittens who can not eat by themselves.
Easy to use Poster Template for creating adoption posters.

This program is for rescued kittens only that have not yet been adopted. Coco's Cat Rescue is not able to offer vaccinations or general exams for people’s pets. We would like to continue to support the local vets who work hard and helped us get the program going.

Coco's does have a permanent spay and neuter clinic for OWNED dogs or cats and rescued animals.

How you can help:

Donate! Good News for US Donors! Through collaboration with "ViDAS" a US, animal welfare organization, your generous gift to Coco's Cat Rescue is now tax-deductible! To obtain your tax-deductible receipt, checks may be made payable to "ViDAS," and mailed to P.O. Box 20246, Boulder, CO 80308-3246. Please list "Coco’s Cat Rescue" in the memo section on the check. Sponsor a kitten each month for any donation.

Buy a Coco's Cat Rescue 2011 Calendar! 12 stunning photographs of the charming Coco's kittens. A must buy for cat lovers! Only $20 USD or $250 MXN!Buy 5 Get 1 Free!! That's $100 USD for 6 calendars! Makes a great Holiday gift or stocking stuffer for the cat lovers in your life!

Adopt a kitty! There are many kittens looking for a forever home. To adopt a kitten you will be asked to give a donation of 250 pesos. This includes the spay/neuter of the kitten. You will also be asked to bring a copy of your ID, proof of where you live, fill out the adoption form and answer some questions. Coco's does all they can to ensure that the kittens are going to the best of homes!

Cross border adoptions are very easy. CCR will sort out all the paperwork and can help find a "mule" if you are unable to take the kitten home yourself. You will be responsible for paying the flight fee and the adoption fee of 250 pesos.

Volunteer! Coco's is always in need of volunteers! You may help by fostering a kitten, helping to trap feral cats and transporting animals from the pereara. Allergic to cats (like me)? There are still many ways you can help. You may collect donations from drop boxes, shop for supplies, manage the transportation calendar, write grants and proposals or assist with annual projects like the calendar and the cookbook.

Contribute items from the wishlist: From the wish list the most needed items right now are:
Cat Traps
Flea and tick meds for dogs and cats
Dog and cat cages
Kitten powder milk
De-worming medicine

In total, 1755 animals have been spayed/neutered since Coco's Cat Rescue began in March 2009!

For more information:
Laura Jonguitud Raikes
President & Founder
Coco's Cat Rescue
info@cocoscatrescue.org
984-120-0572
www.cocoscatrescue.org

12 Days/12 Ways 2010 - Angel Notion in Playa del Carmen

435836 — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 12:00:00 GMT

"On the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...."

_______________________________________________________________

Angel Notion is the only non-profit medical clinic in the Playa del Carmen area. At Christmas time Angel Notion truly does become an Angel to the community with programs that provide toys and food to needy families for the holiday season. Angel Notion has four separate programs for giving during the season:

The special needs (developmentally disabled) children from the CAM school have their Santa wishes fulfilled in a special program.
Thousands of soccer balls and Barbie dolls are distributed to children in the neighborhoods on Christmas Eve.
Food baskets for the elderly or single, needy people in the community are distributed on Christmas Eve
Donors can sponsor families for Christmas. For a $75 usd donation, Angel Notion will provide the chosen families with food, toys and blankets on Christmas Eve.

All of these special Christmas programs are possible by an amazing family of volunteers and donors that step up each season to donate money and time to make these dreams a reality.

How can you help?

Purchase or sponsor the purchase of a toy for one (or more) of the students from CAM (Centro de Atención Múltiple), a local school which educates children and adults born with a host of special needs/disabilities like cerebral palsy, neurological lesions, Down syndrome, visual/hearing impairments, motor disabilities, etc. Heather Anderson has compiled a wonderful list of all the students and their Christmas wishes which can be found here on playa.info. You may contact her through the forum for more information and to help make someone's dream come true.

If you are coming to Playa del Carmen for the holidays, think about bringing a few soccer balls and/or Barbie Dolls in your luggage. No baggage allowance to spare? Mega and Walmart always have a great selection of Barbies and balls on sale for reasonable prices. While you are in the grocery store, you might consider picking up a few extra canned goods to contribute to the annual food drive. Toys and food can be dropped off at the clinic (address below) or, even better, come to the fabulous Holiday Party at Luna Blue Hotel and bring your donated items with you! Toys will be distributed on 5th Avenue and at the Clinic in Nicte Ha. Food will be given out at the clinic on December 24th.

Please go to the Angel Notion website to donate money to help us fulfill Christmas wishes. All of the Angel Notion programs and services start with generous donations. Please give from the bottom of your heart and they will thank you from the bottom of theirs.

Volunteers are needed for the Christmas events, which will take place in the evenings from 4.30pm - 9.30pm, December 16th - 23rd. Please consider taking a shift - or a few shifts - walking with Santa Clause or manning the big Christmas Tree on 5th Avenue at Calle 14. Each night, eight volunteers will be needed to inform people about Angel Notion, help Santa with taking pictures and receive donations. At least some of the volunteers should have good knowledge about Angel Notion and its community programs and support services. For more information and to sign up to help, please contact Rikke Olsen, rikke[at]angelnotion[dot]org.

For more information about Angel Notion contact:
Lavonna Redman
Angel Notion/Ayuda de los Angels A.C.
Ave 10 entre Electrista y Plomero
Colonia Nicte ha
Playa del Carmen Q.Roo
984 127 0780 Celular
984 85 92625 Clinic in Playa
www.angelnotion.org