EWF FUNDRAISER A SUCCESS!
EWF recently held its annual fundraiser in Nuevo Vallarta at the VDP Flamingos. With over 300 people in attendance it was a great success. The event included raffles, live auction and silent auction and more. Prizes included restaurant and spa certificates, jewelry, excursions, week-long trips to Cabo, Vallarta, Cancun, Loreto, Park Plaza, Hawaii and Villa la Estancia – and much more. Special thanks to my right hand woman Sharen Shumaker, to Dick and Pat Stabile who managed the Silent Auction tables, and to all the volunteers for making the event such a success. Another special thank you to those members who donated weeks for our Special Raffle – George Miller, Jim Duffy, Susan Gilmore and Elizabeth Luciani.
The final total collected was more than $30,000 – AND we had an anonymous donor who matched these funds, bringing the total to a whopping $60,000! These funds will go directly to the Pasitos de Luz building fund, an organization that provides programs and services to disabled children and low income families. In conjunction with the fundraiser, Eagle’s Wings Foundation held a guided bus tour that morning to the old facility and the site of the new facility being built. It was a wonderful opportunity for the members to meet and see some of the happy and grateful faces – children and adults – that their donations have and will continue to help. We are so grateful for your support!
Dolores Underwood, EWF Board and Executive Committee, Event Chairwoman
CESAR SANCHEZ – 2014 RECIPIENT OF THE JAMES MCCARTHY AWARD
The James McCarthy award is presented to an individual who has furthered the mission of the Eagles Wings Foundation and its goal to transform the lives of thousands of needy children, adults and the elderly in Mexico. Cesar Sanchez was honored with this award in October for his passionate and unconditional support of the Eagles Wings Foundation for the past 11 years. Cesar is Founder and director of Impulso De Aguila, Eagles Wings sister organization in Mexico, and administers this thrift store which supplies low cost or no cost furnishings and clothing to the most impoverished people in the region. Further, he offers skills training to disabled individuals, and was named 2011 Volunteer of the Year for his work with the disabled by DIF Jalisco (national social assistance program.) He is loved and respected by many civil associations and is Co-founder of the Civil Associations Network in Puerto Vallarta. Cesar has helped the associations to professionalize and build partnerships and diligently makes sure each association that receives grants from Eagles Wings Foundation makes excellent use of those resources. César Sánchez Santiago is not only a member of Eagle’s Wings Foundation, he is the beating heart of the Eagle’s Wings Foundation. Congratulations to Cesar on this much deserved award.
PLAN AHEAD FOR A WONDERFUL CAUSE
This year EWF received two special donations. One was from the estate of Jim McCarthyFounder of Eagle’s Wings Foundation 18 years ago. His estate donated $125,000, and in honor of Jim’s years of service as an educator and his passion to improve the future of the children of Mexico, these funds were used to grant special educational scholarships through three different programs.
The second was from the estate of Robert (Bob) Ryan, a long time Board member of Eagle’s Wings Foundation and Member Advisory Committee member. His estate’s donation of $9800 is being donated to an Austism organization in Cabo San Lucas in Bob’s honor.
What will your legacy be? Whatever the amount, the intent is the same – to help others. No amount is too small. Charitable tax credits, probate taxes, and other considerations for planned giving vary depending on your location and financial situation. Talk to your attorney or financial planner about the strategy that makes the most sense for your specific situation. Please consider a planned giving contribution to Eagle’s Wings, and know they you will be giving back to worthy organizations in the Mexican destinations that provided you and your family with so many wonderful lifelong memories.
