The last weekend in April, a group of 10 Russ Lyon SIR and APT associates traveled to Agua Prieta, Mexico in support of the Rancho Feliz Charitable Foundation for two nights & three days. While there, they assisted in the construction of two homes and participated in their regular food distribution. It was a heartwarming trip that we would recommend to anyone.
After the trip, we connected with Betsy Dickinson about her experience.
A Recap from Betsy Dickinson:
Friday
Friday we spend touring the area and gathering an understanding of all that has been accomplished and what still needs to be done. We visited the school, and the community built by Rancho Feliz.
Enjoyed Happy hour and dinner together provided by Rancho Feliz.
Saturday
Saturday morning after a good night’s rest in an amazing hacienda built just for volunteers like us. Absolutely spotless, comfortable, and beautiful. Piles of sand, cement, and lots of mixing turned into a strong foundation for a home which will add additional space for a family of 7 living in a very small space.
During this time, we voted to also pay an additional $1500 to purchase the roof, windows, and door to help complete this project. A group of ASU students followed us and built the red brick exterior wall. Lunch was provided at a local burrito stand serving yummy green chili cheese burritos and we all survived! Our afternoon was spent painting and drywalling a home in the finishing stages.
We rushed to the groomer to pick up a sweet puppy that was way overdue for grooming, so we had him shaved and bathed.
After well-needed showers, dinner was a celebration with one of the families and staff of Rancho Feliz and mariachi.
After scouring the town, a few of our crew found out that the Mexican community makes their own margarita mix and does not have premixed available!
Sunday
Sunday Morning post breakfast we filled 300 bags of food and distributed them in exchange for 20 pieces of recyclable trash. Perfect trade as we helped feed them and they helped clean up their community and homes.
Bety’s takeaways:
Serving others is a great way to team build.
Friendships were formed. Friendships were strengthened.
Things we never knew about each other were discovered.
We would all go again.
We would do our best to up the food drive to at least 500 bags
We would bring our premade margarita mix with us!
WEewould hopes to bring more youth and agents to share the experience with us.
We would have zero worries about the accommodations, as they are fabulous.
We would not bring food just in case, as the kitchen was meticulous, the cooks fantastic and plenty of delicious food, and bottled water was provided.
Our sponsor child is a happy healthy almost 4-year-old. He was away at a therapy school, as we learned he will be 4 and is not yet communicating, and has what appears to be a light bit of a right lazy eye. His dad is a psychologist, and his mother is a special ed teacher, so he is in good hands. It will be fun to watch him succeed in life with our support.
We will be offering this again in 2023 and we hope to see more of you go!
What would it take?
Where are our obstacles of why we have such a hard time getting involvement with this weekend?
Is it because it is a weekend, would midweek be better?
Was $300 to high of a cost?
Please share your thoughts, so we can improve this weekend!
