1st quarter 2005.pub - International Community Foundation
1st quarter 2005.pub - International Community Foundation
1st quarter 2005.pub - International Community Foundation
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1ST QUARTER 2005 ANNIVERSARY EDITION<br />
ICF BOARD MEMBER, ALAN RUBIN, SHARES THE EXPERIENCE OF<br />
HIS ENCOUNTER WITH ICF GRANTEES IN BAJA SUR<br />
be in desperate conditions.<br />
Recently I visited three ICF grantees in the Los Cabos areas: Liga Mac<br />
from San Jose del Cabo; The Palapa Society from Todos Santos, and<br />
Los Niños del Capitan from Los Cabos. I was greeted warmly by all<br />
three groups, and all expressed appreciation for the role ICF and the<br />
staff has played in their projects. Each was different, but all three had<br />
one thing in common: strong local leaders who take pride in their<br />
work and plan to do more fundraising and help more people in their<br />
communities. Currently, all three groups have “friends of funds” at<br />
ICF, from which their projects have benefited tremendously.<br />
In San Jose del Cabo, Liga Mac has developed a referral system to<br />
identify extremely needy families. Liga Mac volunteers evaluate the<br />
needs and provide food, clothing, medicine and counseling. I visited<br />
two of the families, all with many children, who without the help would<br />
In Todos Santos, the Palapa Society is led by a group of local business people. Their core project is built around a system of<br />
identifying at least 15 promising young women from poor families and funding the costs to enable them to stay in school<br />
through high school. The plan is give these girls the education and training they need to fill available jobs in the area. The<br />
Palapa Society also plans to repair and reopen a community swimming pool, which has been closed due to lack of funds.<br />
Young people will have a place to learn to swim and a healthy and safe place to gather. I was also shown some wonderful<br />
old murals on the walls of the Todos Santos Cultural Center. These murals need to be restored and the Society is working<br />
with the state for funding and has identified a muralist to do the restoration.<br />
In Los Cabos, I was taken to see the daycare center of Los Niños del Capitan. The group has recently completed building a<br />
facility that combines a daycare, preschool, nursery, health and dental center in a poor underserved colonia (neighborhood),<br />
several miles from downtown. The center is in full operation and is as modern, well designed and up to date as it can possibly<br />
be. The preschool children receive up to 3 meals a day and ongoing health care. The children are carefully selected from<br />
families whose parents have jobs. The care that the center provides enables the parents to work. The leaders in Los Niños<br />
del Capitan have many more ambitious plans to provide more service to the community and are implementing a number of<br />
very creative fundraising campaigns.<br />
I strongly encourage other ICF contributors to engage in grantee site visits if you’re ever visiting Baja California. Experiencing<br />
the work that these groups are doing first hand, is inspiring and motivating.<br />
Alan Rubin<br />
February 2005<br />
ICF Board Member Alan Rubin<br />
Page 10<br />
For more information on how you can visit or contribute to these or other ICF grantees please contact Amy Carstensen at<br />
amyc@icfdn.org, or at 858-677-2914, or visit www.icfdn.org