Angels for Mexico

Welcome to Angels for Mexico. Angels for Mexico began simply with a phone call between me and a friend living in Puerto Vallarta. During this conversation he described to me the countless lives lost because people were freezing to death in the Sierra Madres during the cold winter months. Like many of you, I had visited Vallarta with my children and thought the lower income homes behind the Malecon, were the face of poverty in Mexico. I truly had no idea of the extent to which these people really were suffering. I was told by Eric that just one single coat could save a life. I was already planning a trip back to Vallarta 6 weeks from then and thought something needed to be done. I asked Eric to send me an email describing what the situation was down there and what would be needed to help. Having many generous friends, I knew that they would step up when I forwarded on the email to them. In the next 5 weeks, the response was overwhelming. The Saturday before I left for Vallarta, an amazing team of my family and friends – most not knowing the others- worked side by side on a cloudless June day and sorted, inventoried, weighed and packed 52 big packing boxes weighing over 1400 pounds to be trucked (for free by a divinely guided trucker I have yet not met) to San Diego for transport to PV. Over the course of the five weeks, before I left on my trip, my friends and I realized that this would only be a band-aid and that Angels for Mexico needed to be established to help improve the lives of the impoverished in these areas. On that trip, I was exposed to poverty like I’ve never seen – 15 minutes from where I walked ignorantly along the Malecon 4 months earlier with my 2 children buying friends souvenirs. After seeing what I did and meeting the amazing people that are caught in such despair yet have such beautiful spirits, I would find myself looking at the other tourist families, wandering through the tourist areas in such oblivion to what was happening to other souls just minutes away, bewildered that just months ago I was one of them. These people need our help, time compassion and prayers. Over the course of the past year, we have established a number of programs - coat program, school supply program, and soccer program for at-risk youth, with our main focus being on our fire and rescue program. When I met Commander Alfredo Rivas, the fire chief of Vallarta, last June, he had 44 firefighters and 1 fire fighting coat. They were fighting fires in t-shirts. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I was able to bring down 7 skids of firefighting equipment last February including 90 sets of fire fighting gear. This was used for Vallarta Bomberos as well as 3 other municipalities we are working with in the Sierra Madres. The need for more equipment in these areas is beyond urgent. Lives will be lost if we do not get them the help that they so desperately need. Our mission is to get used firefighting equipment - fire trucks, ambulances, hazmat material etc - from the US and Canada to all of these areas. We are also raising funds to finish the one fire hall in Vallarta and build the fire college that will help train Bomberos in Vallarta as well as other municipalities. We will be sending down firefighters and EMS employees from Canada and the US to help with the training as our level is far beyond what they have in Mexico. It is a huge task that Angels for Mexico has in front of us but we have to do something before there is more unnecessary tragedy. Angels for Mexico has been built on the fundamentals of hope and belief. Hope that differences can be made because there are good things out there worth fighting for. And an unwavering belief that we ourselves, with Gods guidance, can create miracles. Those of us involved in Angels for Mexico have a passion and belief for what we are doing and welcome any and all assistance from others that will give these people of Mexico a chance at a better and safer life.

I pray that the Angels bless all of you!!

Christena Callaghan, President, Angels for Mexico.