May 2022

Dear Friends of Liga MAC

Synchronicity, serendipity, call it what you will, when events conspire to bring about a happy outcome at Liga MAC, we call it being a part of a very connected, generous and caring community. Liga MAC has been fortunate to benefit from several interactions, a few of which we will share in this month’s profile.

As one school year is about to end, we will highlight the preparations being made for Liga MAC’s student application process for the 2022-2023 school year. As well, our monthly Update will bring you news of Liga MAC’s student programs. As an ongoing feature, we will provide monthly news on the progress of our “Learning Centre” building. And rounding out our Update, Dr. Deneb Poli will report on COVID-19’s residual effects and other Los Cabos health issues.

Twenty-five years ago, our fledgling organization’s byline was: neighbours helping neighbours. Although Liga MAC has shifted its focus to education, the community spirit is still alive and well and benefitting Liga MAC in so many profound ways. 

When Liga MAC Board member, Leeann LeBoeuf, met up with a friend in Toronto last summer, their conversation inevitably drifted to Leeann’s winter home of San Jose Del Cabo. Leeann’s friend, Melanie shared that her employer, No Frills, a Canadian supermarket chain, was planning a corporate annual convention in Los Cabos in the spring of 2022. Furthermore, the company likes to promote charitable giving and community involvement at their destination events. Did Leeann have any suggestions? 

Closer to home, Liga MAC supporter Kelli Castineiras, was recently in conversation with one of her clients. The client asked Kelli to recommend a charity to which an in-kind donation could be made. It turns out that Kelli’s client manages Montage Residences Los Cabos and that the Montage homeowners were looking for a way to give back to their community. The result of this synchronistic encounter was a gift of 40 backpacks filled with school supplies and a growing interest by Montage homeowners in the work done by Liga MAC.

On a more personal level, one of Liga MAC’s longtime volunteers, Shirley Guidolin, made an unwitting connection with one of our recent university graduates when her faulty computer required repair. While waiting for the servicing to be completed, Shirley and her husband started up a conversation with the worker Jose Luis Lopez. It transpired that Jose Luis and Shirley had something in common - Liga MAC! Jose Luis was one of our student support program participants and Shirley has been a volunteer with Liga MAC in different capacities for over 20 years. 

Their other commonality was that each was actively learning the other’s native language. Their workplace conversation resulted in a dinner invitation being extended to Jose Luis and a blossoming friendship not to mention a reciprocal increase in language fluency! 

Jose Luis, a graduate from ITES in Business Management is now working as the administrator for the Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico Foundation (GAP) middle school in San Jose del Cabo and has himself become a volunteer with Liga MAC. 

Both Shirley and Jose Luis volunteered at Liga MAC’s 25th Anniversary Gala at Querencia. "it was such a pleasure to have the opportunity to introduce José Luis to the guests as they passed by our poster" Shirley said.

Spanish and Math Tutoring - Grades 10 through 12 have just concluded their 12 week, 4 hours per week (two in Spanish and two in Math) Tutoring session which was conducted by the teaching staff of Centro Pedagogico Del Valle. The focus will now shift to Grades 8 and 9. 

There is a real challenge in dealing with students entering high school as they are unprepared for the serious nature of high school learning and the potential for failure. Up until Grade 10, elementary and middle schools have a no-failure policy. In other words students who do not learn the subject material are not put back a grade but continue on in spite of their inability to absorb the curriculum. 

Leadership and Community Involvement Program at the Boys & Girls Club - Twenty-nine Liga MAC Grade 9 students have been participating in the combined Liga MAC/Boys and Girls Club program every Saturday morning throughout the entire school year. The engaging course, which ends in June, has shifted from on-line to in-person sessions and will culminate in a group community-oriented challenge. 

Students love the program and have a sense of accomplishment when their community challenges, which have included estuary cleanup, school yard refurbishing, are completed. The success of the program is due in large part to the effective communication and strong partnership built between the two organizations.

Aguilas - Our personal awareness program for young men dealing with sexual awareness, abuse, continuing education, employment opportunities and fitness is in the planning stages. The 5 week program will be completed before the end of the school year.

At a gathering of more than 30 school social workers and administrators which took place at the Hyatt Place Hotel on April 30 (Children’s Day in Mexico), Liga MAC staff launched this coming year’s “Convocatoria” or call for applications for the Liga MAC Student Support Program. 

Executive Director, Elva Haro, described the work done by Liga MAC staff and volunteers during the pandemic and called upon our Spanish and Math tutors to make a presentation as well as two volunteer mentors (see our December 2021 Update). Finally, a student and his mother related how Liga MAC had provided support during the pandemic and how helpful the student found the tutoring program. 

The Convocatoria has been posted on Liga MAC’s website and social media as well as disseminated through local media sources. The next steps include reviewing applications, scheduling interviews, and conducting assessment tests until June 5. Approved candidates will participate in an in-person workshop where attitude (parents, guardians, and students), attendance, punctuality, participation, and enthusiasm for learning will be taken into consideration before final selection results are posted July 8. 

Successful candidates will then attend orientation sessions in preparation for the start of the new school year and receive vouchers for uniforms, shoes and school supplies. The final step involves Liga MAC staff paying school tuition fees.

As reported in our April, 2022 Update, in yet another serendipitous moment at a Capital Campaign launch in March for a new “Learning Centre” to be built on the grounds of Liga MAC’s existing Centro de Apoyo, Liga MAC donors Rick and Nicki Larson stepped forward to fully fund the venture. 

The fledgling Building Committee which now includes the Larsons, started work immediately. They have engaged a local, well known builder to expand the existing drawings so that they can be permitted. The process will follow with a bid process for the build phase. The committee is aiming for a completion date of August 2023. Stay tuned for more updates in the coming months…

The state Committee for Health Safety has determined as of May 5th to remove mandatory mask use in public open air spaces, they have also decided to remove the stop light alert system for COVID-19. Vaccination continues to proceed and AstraZeneca is available at local public health clinics for first, second and booster dosing, with coverage estimated at 87%. Schools have continued in session and there have been 2 reported outbreaks of COVID-19 with no severe cases at local institutions.  

We continue to see hepatitis A cases locally and diarrhea is on the rise as we move into the warmer weather. The World Health Organization has issued a report regarding cases worldwide of acute severe hepatitis of unknown origin in children under 16 and efforts have doubled nationally to detect and monitor any new cases. There have been no cases reported as of yet locally or nationally. 

As always, hand washing, use of antibacterial gel and safe distancing is encouraged. Make sure you obtain drinking water from a trustworthy source and avoid eating raw seafood.

Is it kismet or is it 25 years of hard work putting Liga MAC in the right place at the right time? Perhaps a combination of the two. Good fortune is after all the ability to capitalize on a strategic moment in time to produce a favourable outcome. Whatever the circumstances, it is those connections for which we at Liga MAC are eternally grateful. Leeann, Kelli, Shirley, Rick and Nicki, and our many, many other Liga MAC community connections, we salute you!

Sincerely,

Maria Lindenberg, President

Liga MAC Board of Directors