August 15, 2008, Up, up and away!, By Heideloh Ann Ziegler, The many faces of sexual diversity, By Julio Edgar Méndez, CASA to launch new nutrition program, By Nastasiya Korolkova, Local Mexican students benefit from partnership with Jóvenes Adelante, By Amanda K. Ruiz, San Miguel man GOes to Beijing, By Lucina Kathmann, More than a place at the table, By John Edwards, Party at Patsy’s place, By Roger Hind

Children from the village of Estancia de Canal climbed aboard a hot-air balloon and left the bonds of gravity to see the world from 125 feet in the air.

The launch on July 22 was the inaugural event of The Oz Project, a nonprofit organization that gives disadvantaged children and young adults experiences that ignite the imagination and inspire dreams.

Piloted by Sergio Santana and tethered by a local crew that knows the magic of ballooning, it lifted about 50 children, some held by their grandmothers, into the air. Although villagers had been invited days beforehand, only a few were on site as the crew prepared for the flights, but the vision of a rainbow-colored balloon floating above the cornfields proved irresistible. People began arriving from every direction, politely waiting in a long line for their turn.

“When their time came, they no longer could contain themselves,” said Don Hauge, a retired businessman from Minnesota who became a crew member soon after moving to San Miguel. “They shouted with glee. They were waving from the basket and through the footholds with great joy. The kids made you feel every bit as happy as they were.”

Dianna Aston, a children’s book writer and hot-air balloon enthusiast, founded The Oz Project soon after her first flight in San Miguel two years ago.

“It was pure magic,” she said. “From the air I realized two things: there are no real borders in this world and there are no limits on your dreams.”

Whenever the balloon landed in a remote, dusty schoolyard, children and teachers poured out of classrooms to help deflate and fold the balloon, Aston said. “They asked questions about the science of hot-air balloons and they always asked if we’d return and take them up someday.”

After talking with children in surrounding villages about what they dream of accomplishing, she decided she wanted to give them opportunities to experience the same exhilaration to pursue their dreams as she'd felt in “the realm of the rainbow,” as San Miguel’s well-known hot-air balloon pilot, Jay Kimball, calls it.

“These often overlooked children in hidden places have great potential as teachers, scientists and artists. They’re waiting to be acknowledged, encouraged and mentored,” Aston said. “So many good people in San Miguel are nurturing children in the campo and in orphanages in their own way, providing food, shelter, education and health care. Inspiration, or a touch of magic, is also a key ingredient in their success.”

Among those who know the joy of ballooning and support The Oz Project’s goals are filmmakers Antonio and Franz Zavala, who filmed San Miguel from Kimball’s balloon. “The gift of the physical experience of liberation and empowerment might be crucial in gathering the strength and inspiration essential to overcoming harsh circumstances,” Antonio Zavala said.

“This perspective will be engraved in their imagination forever,” said Franz Zavala. “Without inspiration and imagination, nothing else has meaning in life. This will be a happier planet for them to live on.”

Plans are under way to expand the scope of The Oz Project to include activities in science, the arts and architecture based on “greening” the earth and creating marketable skills. Teachers will show children how to make adobe bricks embellished with the broken tile that litters the campo; how to design and build tree houses or forts using organic materials; how to transform roadside broken glass into beads for jewelry making; and how to sew handbags, tapestries and toys from scraps of material and clothing.

The Oz Project gratefully accepts contributions and in-kind services that go directly to its mission of inspiring imagination, curiosity and dreams without limits. US tax-deductible donations may be dropped off directly at La Conexión/Aldama 3, PMB 217, or mailed to The Oz Project, Attn: Dianna Aston, PMB 217, 220 N. Zapata Hwy. #11, Laredo, TX 78043. For more information, email diannaaston@hotmail.com or visit www.ozproject.org.

Heideloh Ann Ziegler is a personal life organizer who moved here in December from Miami, Florida. She’s a supporter of The Oz Project, an aspiring hot-air balloonist and member of the crew.

Balloons not just for kids

Alejandra Salvatierra Bazam was set for adventure when she got up early August 1 to arrive by 6am at the hot-air balloon launch site. The chance to see San Miguel from above was exciting, especially with her boyfriend, who loved to have fun.

Ernesto Sainz Perez also looked forward to the first-time balloon trip, but he was a man with a plan. “I bought a ring days ago, but couldn’t think of a different and interesting way to give it to her. We want a legendary honeymoon, so you have to get even the beginning right.”

The couple already suspect they’re caught in a romantic movie plot. They met while working in a Cabo San Lucas hotel. Alejandra moved to San Miguel and Ernesto, adrift without his true love, joined her here a few months later. She works at Casa de Sierra Nevada and he manages the colorful JJ’s Bar in Centro.

“A balloon is a great place to propose,” advises Ernesto. “What can she say? ‘Yes’ or ‘Let me out, you beast; I’m walking home.’”

The many faces of sexual diversity
By Julio Edgar Méndez

“The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.” —Oscar Wilde

Festivals in San Miguel create the unique cultural ambiance that captivates locals and tourists, and generates significant income for local businesses. With city authorization, these festivals contribute to creating and reflecting the identity of San Miguel de Allende as a World Heritage city.

The Sexual Diversity Festival held its third annual celebration last weekend, confirming that people in San Miguel are tolerant of different attitudes, regardless of race or sex.

According to the organizers, in the first year a group of nuns protested against the festival, but few objections followed. What about people on the streets? What is their perception in terms of San Miguel being referred to as “San Mi-gay” by visitors from DF (chiliangos) and on websites (bombao.com/san-mi-gay-de-allende.htm)?

Atención asked a few adults to give opinions on the benefits, if any, of the economic, social and cultural benefits of festivals such as this one.

José, the father of three children, manages a real estate business and said that it was good for the city in terms of income, although he’s afraid it will eventually attract sexual tourism similar to cities like Puerto Vallarta or Cancún. He insisted tolerance is the only way to live in society but dislikes the openness of some activities, especially when his children ask him what this festival is about and he cannot explain in terms they can understand.

Mr. Silver, a frequent visitor to San Miguel from the US, said it was not the kind of festival he would enjoy. Rather, he said, it is a reason why not to stay in town those days. He said he is not homophobic but “homodisgusted.” In his own words, “You can’t change the reality by changing the label.”

Joe, a businessman from San Francisco and openly gay, has lived in San Miguel since 1995, and is not very enthusiastic about it. “San Miguel is a great town; you can walk on the streets and see gay couples enjoying the cosmopolitan atmosphere, shopping leisurely, having a great time sharing a relaxed time together. I don’t know if this festival puts a spotlight on alternative lifestyles perhaps not so noticeable before. I wonder if we will have this same kind of environment in the future.”

Maria Estela Mendoza Campos, city councilor, mentioned that these types of events or forums are socially important to the community because they talk openly about sex and the responsible conduct any person should practice when exercising their personal freedom. People attending the conferences are exposed to information that will help them elevate their sexual culture and guide them to practice proper and responsible sexual behavior. Sexually transmitted diseases can be prevented with the right information and adequate knowledge of how to use available protection.

Daniel Sirdey, the enthusiastic promoter and co-founder of the festival, said that sexual culture evolves around the world and the festival should be considered not only in terms of lesbian or gay expression, but heterosexual as well (thus the “Sexual Diversity” title). Sirdey and the organizers have spent and lost their own money in the process of creating awareness in the community about the need to understand others and get people involved in the process. Four major achievements of the two previous festivals are “awareness, get people involved, excellent exhibitions of works of art from many creators not known before and lots of fun,” he said.

Karina Álvarez and her father, Alexis Álvarez, started the festival. They approached Sirdey, when La Carpa was in front of Fábrica la Aurora, and asked him to join them in creating an art festival focused on sexual diversity. Immediate response from artists was tremendous. Many were not only people of alternative sexuality, but also heterosexual men and women, and ultimately, artists with a vision and understanding about the world of diversity.

With time, religious groups like Las Católicas from Querétaro and media such as Canal 40, Telehit, Libido, Anodis and ERadio started paying attention to the festival. They will return to San Miguel to cover this year’s festival.

Flor Acosta, artist photographer, presented her work as part of the exhibits supporting the festival. She lived in Spain and pioneered feminist Mexican art projects in the famous Barrio de Chueca in Madrid. When asked about the cultural point of view of these events, she said: “Culture is any cultural product that is born from society itself.”

Oscar Barreto, born in Venezuela but raised in California, perhaps offers a broader picture. He went to the Parroquia to talk to Padre Primitivo González, who listened to him for about an hour, and after Barreto explained the goals of the festival—“to help those in need,” by creating a center of support for people with HIV or AIDS who are stigmatized and rejected by their own families, many times with improper or no health care, or even money to buy the minimum necessities—Padre Primitivo pointed out this goal is also part of the labor of the church: “To feel compassion for people.”

The pageantry, theatrics, feathers and colorful disguises are lots of fun; critics, objections and rejections foster misunderstandings, but deep within, Barreto said, we all know there are many forms of expression, many ways to live the life we have chosen or rather discovered, and we might be afraid of accepting a reality that is right here, and will remain with us. “Admitting to it comes with a responsibility.”

What are the options? Workshops or conferences can tell parents how to deal with their own children if they were to reveal they are homosexual. Others deal with situations such as understanding a relative with HIV or AIDS, not necessarily homosexual, and more useful information that anyone can use. Barreto remembers the words of Madre Teresa de Calcuta (he volunteered at her San Francisco Hospice of Charity for AIDS victims), “We waste so much time judging other people that we do not have time for love.”

Alma center set to expand
By Rosalie Gower

New project tours
Alma Bodega sale
Sat, Aug 30, 10am–1pm
Alma
Callejón Lejona, behind Mega

Alma is a residence for seniors that began almost 13 years ago by Margaret Galloway with the assistance of Carmina Casas.

Sadly, both ladies are now deceased, but their dream of a safe haven for seniors has become a reality and now houses 34 men and women, some in four-bed wards and some in private rooms with bath. Residents pay according to their means—little or nothing for some and up to 700 dollars per month for those who can afford it, which helps subsidize the others. All expenses are covered: room, meals, medical care, laundry, medication and some physical therapy. A nurse is on duty daily, doctors are on call, a wonderful cook named Maria is in the kitchen and gardens both inside and out add to the residents’ enjoyment.

Alma now plans a new extension at the rear of the present building, looking toward the fountain. As many as six motel-like units will be built beginning in October (after the rainy season).

The units will consist of a large main room with a small kitchen at one side, a bathroom built for seniors and a bedroom with two beds (if live-in help is desired). Units also have a small garden area in back if the resident wants to keep a pet. Meals can be taken in the main dining room or in the unit if preferred and residents can interact as much or as little as they wish with those in the main building. All services will be available to them: laundry, medical care, physical therapy, etc. If they are a senior not yet ready to leave their own home, they can purchase a unit now at a cost of US$25,000, which Alma can rent out until they are ready to move in themselves, thus guaranteeing future security and loving care.

Alma soon will augment its fundraising activity and anyone interested in purchasing one of the new units or wanting more information can phone Maria Williams at 152-0664.

The first fundraiser was last spring when Los Logros, a group of three musicians who love Mexican music, put on a sold-out concert at Teatro Ángela Peralta. Liz Stone, Ken McCutcheon Vaughn and Ron Beakley have agreed to start off the new year with another concert and donate all to Alma for the new units. At the moment Alma has enough money to begin building two units.

For those interested in the project, tours have been arranged at the next Alma Bodega sale.

“I told my children that I won’t let them drink soda anymore, and my youngest daughter started bawling,” said Luciana Valle Juarez, a mother of three and owner of a sandwich shop in San Miguel. Mrs. Juarez’s worry for her family’s healthy nutrition is justified—over 30 percent of elementary school children, and 45 percent of adolescents in Mexico are overweight, according to a recent municipal government study in Mexico City, published in The New York Times.

Given these disturbing statistics, CASA, a nonprofit organization in San Miguel providing education and health care services, is developing a program called “I Choose Healthy.” This program focuses on improving the lifestyles and the health of Mexican youths. The first step will be to increase knowledge about nutritional choices and promote daily exercise.

“The program was created as a result of an analysis of the serious problem of obesity in Mexico. We always point the finger at the United States, when in reality we’re the second most obese country in the world, and the first in consuming junk food. It’s especially important to improve the situation for the children and young people,” said the coordinator of “I Choose Healthy,” Lourdes Martínez Espinoza, a health and fitness professional, who has been working with CASA for four years.

“I Choose Healthy” tackles the problem of obesity with a double-edged sword—communication via a puppet show presented by the youth promoters of CASA’s TEATRO team and a radio novella, written, produced and broadcast by CASA’s radio education team.

The radio novella will be broadcast on “From Head to Toe” on Saturdays at 9:30am from Radio Reina, 1370 AM, in Dolores Hidalgo. The program is also re-broadcast over a network of radio stations throughout Mexico designed to reach the most isolated villages.

Phase 1: Nutrition

“We have to improve the food that is available to the children during school hours, where a lot of junk food is consumed,” said Martínez.

Since many of the schools are public, “The state needs to work more in the schools: to encourage teachers to teach about nutrition and also be sure to get the children to have activities where they get exercise during the school day,” added Berenice Reyes Cruz, Director of Development at CASA.

The puppet show is a creative method for beginning the education about health for children. TEATRO will perform in elementary and junior high schools, with which CASA has established relations through the group’s other performances.

Nonetheless, it is not enough to work in the schools, since a parent’s example is essential in determining the quality of a child’s nutrition. “Many people don’t understand ‘diets.’ A diet is how you balance your food intake—how you combine nutrients,” said Yolanda Guerrero Sanchez, a San Miguel fitness coach who has been teaching for over 10 years.

Poor nutrition, especially very early nutrition before the age of two years, leads to lifelong health problems and poor brain development. So getting parents to understand the importance of good nutrition from the earliest days of a child’s life is critical. Plus, parents also need to understand the problems brought on when children have high consumption of soft drinks and junk food.

“Many parents think that being fat is healthy,” commented Andres Chavaria Granados, a CASA peer counselor who works with populations in and around San Miguel. In Mexico, studies have documented children who are overweight and anemic at the same time. And there are children who are malnourished, both from too little food and from too many empty calories, who are in the same classrooms. To help change this, “Homemakers need to know what they can buy that’s low-cost and nutritional, like nopales,” recommended Martínez. “You don’t need a lot of money to eat healthily.”

“I Choose Healthy” encourages consuming less fat, with more fresh vegetables and protein. But this does not mean eating a lot of meat. “Meat delays digestion, affecting the heart and causing high blood pressure,” said Sanchez. “Substitute meat with fish, almonds, nuts and milk products to get needed protein.”

Phase 2: Exercise

Although a balanced diet is vital, it’s not everything a child needs. Physical fitness is severely lacking among many Mexican children.

Childhood obesity in those between five and eleven years old has risen 40 percent since 2000, according to an article printed in The Guardian. CASA will work with the ministry of health in order to improve these stark numbers by encouraging regular exercise.

The radio novella and the puppet show both emphasize exercise as a means of developing mental discipline and physical health. And exercise must be encouraged at school and outside of school.

“Anyone can be active, simply by going out to the countryside—you don’t even need to play sports. It’s free, and available to all ages,” said Martínez, who plays soccer, runs and trains four times a week. “You can walk, or run 30 minutes daily, instead of watching television.”

“In order to increase physical activity in schools, we need to start with teachers who stress the importance of fun and physically exerting activities during the school day. A gym class should be as important as mathematics or Spanish,” she added.

“I Choose Healthy” will emphasize the benefits of exercise for a healthy lifestyle. “Exercise must be done daily. It’s not enough to clean your house,” said Sanchez. “When you exercise, the nervous system becomes relaxed, while energy, metabolism and strength increase.”

“I Choose Healthy” is the first phase in CASA’s increased focus on nutrition as a key tool in preventing health problems and promoting better physical and mental development among children. As part of the design of “I Choose Healthy,” baseline measures have been conducted through a quantitative survey of mothers from villages around San Miguel. This data will be used as input for developing the theater and radio programs and will also drive the development of other nutrition outreach programs at CASA.

For more information about the early nutrition programs at CASA, contact Lourdes Martínez Espínoza at administracion@casa.org.mx or call 01 (415) 154-6060 or 154-6090.

Nastasiya Korolkova is a CASA intern and a Macaulay Honors College senior at Baruch College in New York, where she is majoring in International Relations. She is writing her senior thesis on immigration.

Local Mexican students benefit from partnership with Jóvenes Adelante
By Amanda K. Ruiz

Warren Hardy, who is well known in San Miguel for his unique and popular Spanish language course, dreams of expanding his method to provide affordable English classes for the Mexican community.

“Our mission at Warren Hardy Spanish School is to unite people through language learning and cultural understanding,” explained Mr. Hardy, adding, “My vision is to form a foundation to build a Cultural Center which will expand our existing Spanish language school to include affordable English classes at night and to explore ways to have students in both languages help each other.”

To that end, Hardy has partnered with university scholarship program Jóvenes Adelante because of their shared vision. “I support Jóvenes Adelante whole-heartedly because of what it does for university students. It is right for the students and for the community, and it fits with my vision and the mission of the Warren Hardy School,” he explained. A dedicated team immediately set about pulling volunteers together, and in late July they tested the Warren Hardy method on Jóvenes university scholarship recipients by launching an intensive two-week program. The maiden voyage for English classes at the Hardy school was underway!

To enter into a promising career in Mexico, job applicants are required by many companies to pass an English proficiency exam before their application will even be considered.

“Since learning English is key to the success of our students in school and ultimately in their careers here in Mexico, the generous offer by Warren to try out his method in an intensive English course with our students was irresistible,” said Pat Harding, head of the Jóvenes Adelante mentor program.

Hardy and his assistant of nine years, Manuel Leon, both volunteered their time and talent to hold special evening classes in English for 18 Jóvenes Adelante university scholarship recipients. These students are all selected for academic achievement, so it is no surprise they excelled under Hardy's tutelage. They completed the equivalent of Level I during the first week and quickly advanced to pronunciation drills, sentence construction exercises and conversation during the second week.

With eight Jóvenes Adelante volunteers also in attendance, students gobbled up the opportunity to speak with “native speakers” and really focused their attention on pronunciation. Those of us fortunate enough to have learned English as our first language don't hesitate when faced with the differences between too, two and to. Nor do we blink at the word lead, as in “He has a real lead foot on the accelerator,” or alternatively, “Don’t lead us astray.” And then of course there is led. Mr. Hardy and his team helped guide the students through the morass which is the English language, and their efforts paid off in big dividends. All of the students’ abilities were noticeably improved. After only two weeks, Jóvenes Adelante volunteer and student mentor Chris Weathers definitely noticed a difference when she met with her student Cristina Ramirez. “Cristina and I are now able to converse in English! Amazing!” she exclaimed.

“It was easy and dynamic,” explained Susanna Macias, a first-year student in nursing at the University of Guanajuato in Celaya. Liliana Rodriguez chimed in, “It was interesting and different, and we learned faster!”

But as Hardy’s dream of a Cultural Center recognizes, the success of this program transcends the opportunity to learn English and obtain a good job. Although those are laudable goals, as Jóvenes Adelante volunteer Nancy Soles explains, “When you focus on language, it brings cultures together. Both want to learn the other’s language so they can better understand one another.”

If you would like to volunteer to tutor a Jóvenes Adelante student in English, join the organization as a volunteer, or find out more about how you can help a very worthy student, email jovenesadelante@gmail.com for more information.

Amanda Ruiz is the current president of Jóvenes Adelante, and a retired lawyer living in Guanajuato.

The 2008 Olympics in Beijing features a brand-new section—mind games. In October, after the physical athletes have gone home, mental athletes from all over the world arrive at the beautiful National Convention Center in Olympic Park for the first World Mind Sports Games.

They are competing in five games—bridge, chess, checkers, Go and Xiang Qi (also called Chinese chess).

Go player Nicolás Kuschinski, 23, born and raised in San Miguel de Allende, will be among them. Nico attended primary and secondary school at Colegio Fray Pedro de Gante. He graduated from high school from the defunct Universidad del Valle de México Campus San Miguel in 2002. Nico is ranked third on the team for this event. The team was chosen by Femego (Federación Mexicana de Go), which recently held a tournament via internet to choose the Mexican Go selection for the new mental Olympics.

Ten winning players will travel to Beijing to represent Mexico. Most of them learned Go in Mexico City at UNAM, but Nico is an exception. He started learning Go at home in San Miguel from a computer program given to him by his godfather and his father. Neither of them knew much about Go, but Nico’s father, Charles Kuschinski, was well-known in San Miguel as a chess master.

Later, when Nico went to the University of Chicago, he joined the university’s Go club and learned much more. After he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 2006, he returned to Mexico and became active in Femego. Nico now lives in Guanajuato.

What is Go?

Go, the world’s oldest board game, originated in China 3,000 years ago. It is played on a board with a square grid of black painted lines, 19x19 of them. The two players place stones on the intersections of the lines, one of them using black stones and the other white stones. The object is to control the largest part of the board by surrounding the stones of the opposing color. The rules are simple but the strategy very rich and complex.

Jorge Luis Borges said, in 1978, “[Go] is older than the oldest writing and the board is a map of the universe.”

Many wooden, plastic and even paper boards and collections of stones are available. Go is also increasingly played by internet, to which it adapts well. Games take from 20 to 90 minutes, though they can last longer under tournament conditions.

What is the use of mind games?

Mind sports are popular and they are good for you, according to the International Mind Sports Association. Recent research results from studies at the University of California at Berkeley indicate that Go and other mind sports enhance the immune system, lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease and have many other good effects. Mind sports are especially popular in Oriental countries. Broadcasts of Go games have drawn record television audiences in China. In Korea, three television stations are dedicated exclusively to showing Go games.

Go is widely taught in schools as an aid to developing strategy-making, concentration and many other mental skills. It has been found useful as a support tool for students with learning difficulties. In Japan, China and Korea, businesses and media organize Go tournaments.

Go players number 60 million in 68 countries around the world. All countries of the Americas have Go clubs, yet many people here have never heard of the game. Many more play bridge, checkers and chess, the mind sports which have become more popular outside the Orient.

Over 400 national mind sports federations in 150 countries represent some 500,000 members. World Mind Sports Games players are drawn from these federations. Games will go on for two weeks, October 3–18, with individual competitions followed by team mind sports.

For further information:

1. Femego website: go.org.mx

2. World Mind Sports Games official website: www.2008wmsg.org , Chinese only

3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Mind_Sports_Games

4. Best source:

http://www.worldbridge.org/competitions/calendar/
files/worldmindsportsgames2007.pdf

Lucina Kathmann is the longtime secretary of the San Miguel Center of the worldwide writers’ organization International PEN. She is also Nico Kuschinski’s mother.

More than a place at the table
By John Edwards

Art Opening
Gershon
Thu, Aug 28, 5–8pm
Location will be announced
Half of all proceeds benefit So Others May Eat

For nearly 20 years, So Others May Eat (SOME) has provided hot meals to San Miguel’s elderly Mexican residents who otherwise might have little or nothing to eat. Each Wednesday, 130 participants break bread communally at a sit-down comida served restaurant-style by volunteer waiters and waitresses, many of them foreign residents.

Antonette and Joe Lim, owners of The Spa, started SOME in 1989 and have orchestrated it ever since with the help of volunteers. According to the Lims, “Our mission is to be an essential contributor for the old folks to help them overcome their feelings of isolation, loneliness and neglect, both physically and spiritually.” To help fulfill this mission, they donate 20 percent of the proceeds from The Spa to this very necessary community program.

Apart from the weekly meal, The Spa also hands out weekly food boxes to their clients containing milk, refried beans and a piece of fruit. At Christmastime, volunteers collect and distribute donated sweaters, socks, mittens and blankets to help older residents stave off the cold. On Mother’s Day, women receive aprons; on Father’s Day, men are given hats. On August 29, Día de los Ancianos (Day of the Elderly), those who need help walking receive canes. Every month a group fiesta celebrates those birthdays which fall within that month. In addition to these organized activities, the Lims or their volunteers visit ill people to bring fellowship and strengthen family ties during the patient’s final days. Along with moral support, they also deliver basic necessities and medicine.

On August 28, local artist Gershon premieres his work at a location to be announced. The show also will remain open 5–8pm the following two evenings. The artist will donate half of the proceeds from sales to the SOME program.

The Lims also would like to expand their social outreach endeavors and are offering gift cards for stays at The Spa’s hotel. The card, which is valid for three years and costs US$533, covers a week’s stay for two to four people. Complimentary breakfast is included. Guests also can opt to dine at the hotel or take advantage of discounted spa services. For more information about the gift card or to volunteer to support these many services, call 152-8666 or stop by The Spa at Recreo 38.

John Edwards, a local writer and editor, is a former staff member of Atención who, unable to wean himself completely, continues working behind the scenes each week.

Party at Patsy’s place
By Roger Hind

Mujeres en Cambio luncheon
Thu, Aug 28, 2pm
Patsy’s Party Pavilion
Directions on tickets
Info: Roger Hind, 154-6552
220 pesos

The next Mujeres en Cambio luncheon will be at Patsy’s Party Pavilion in the beautiful hills near Atotonilco. By attending this lunch you’ll help raise funds for educational scholarships. More than 150 young women from the ranchos around San Miguel go to school with the group’s help.

Entry to the lunch is by ticket only, available now at Casa de Papel, Mesones 57A. Botanas, the main dish (chicken lasagna with pesto and squash blossoms), mesquite-grilled vegetables and salad, will come from Patsy’s kitchen. Mujeres en Cambio members provide desserts. A cash bar offers wine, beer and sodas.

As usual, hostess Patsy Dubois will donate all proceeds from this event. Thank you, Patsy!

We will car-pool to the lunch; see the back of your ticket for details. For further information, call Roger Hind at 154-6552 (sorry, no phone reservations can be taken).