LORETO: Optimists Club Delivers Scholarships

Loreto’s biggest privately-organized charity, mostly gringos but with Mexican participation, is the Optimist Club. Its charitable focus is on kids, and especially on keeping them in school. Every year at the start of the school year it presents small scholarships intended to cover uniforms and school supplies, to deserving high school and middle school students at several different schools.

Pictured is one of those recent presentations, which I was privileged to make on 29 August although it required a lot of preliminary standing around in 95 degree heat. The schools make quite a production of it, typically at the start-of-the-day assembly after the Mexican colors are presented and the national anthem is sung or pledge of allegiance read. Roy Place (in the blue shirt) heads this committee, and Jaime Cayuela works with him, providing bilingual support where needed. I was along for the ride. Well worth it.