Pasitos de Luz: A Story to Touch the Heart Canadian Childrens Shelter of Hope Foundation
March 14, 2014

Iveth (pictured far left) arrived at Pasitos de Luz (far right) in 2000 carried by her mother in a dirty portabebé (baby carrier). She was unable to support her head or sit unaided, let alone walk. She also suffered badly from malnutrition, her single mother was unable to provide enough food for Iveth and her twin sister.

Like several other children at Pasitos, Iveth suffers from cerebral palsy, is a group of a disorders that affect a person's ability to move and maintain balance and posture. There is little or no state-funded treatment in Mexico. This is where Pasitos comes into the equation! After years of special care and attention, offered at no cost to her mother, Iveth is now one of our success stories. She is walking and smiling, greeting visitors and having fun.

Our next challenge is to coax her to talk! Iveth and her family still live in a very precarious situation, as demonstrated in the second photo above, where their tiny house sits on the edge of a dangerous ravine. For this reason, it is vital that Pasitos continues to offer support to this brave family.
 
Jim Boland - Legacy of Sustainability Fund (by Anne-Marie Haynes)

In January of this year the Canadian Children’s Shelter of Hope Foundation (CCSHF) lost a very valuable board member, Dr. Jim Boland.

His loss has deeply impacted CCSHF as Jim was the eyes and ears of our organization in Vallarta. He was the one person that we depended on to represent us at so many events and meetings. We could always call on Jim to ask for help with the largest of tasks or the most mundane. First and foremost,  however, he was a mentor to us. His message was to always be respectful of the Mexican culture in any of our ventures. Don’t push. Don’t judge. Listen well. In his non-intrusive, gentle way he demonstrated those strengths and gained trust within the community.

Jim's passion was the children at Pasitos. He was instrumental in their progress. Wholeheartedly, he gave his time and energy to them.  His dedication will be missed.

I will miss Jim's late night reassuring phone calls. Yolanda Sanchez, the Director at Pasitos de Luz and all the staff there will miss his encouraging presence. The children will miss his kindness and I know how much he must be missing them.

Jim’s vision for Pasitos was to acquire sustainable funding to provide stability for the children and their families. He knew how Pasitos struggles to meet its financial responsibilities monthly. He experienced the ups and downs from high to low season, the effect of economic instability, and the difficulty of not having dependable funds to cover costs. To honour Jim’s memory we have created the Legacy of Sustainability Fund. We would be honoured to accept monthly donations to support his dream. Jim’s life was a testament of what one person can do to change the lives of those in need – please join us today in honouring his memory and make a revolving monthly donation to Pasitos.

Canadian donations can be made by cheque or online by clicking here. Select the Jim Boland Legacy of Sustainability Fund in the drop-down to make a one-time or monthly donation.

USA Donation information at PEACE. PEACE accepts checks, PayPal, credit cards, and stock transfers. Click here and check Pasitos de Luz.

  Learn about Pasitos de Luz Day Care for Children