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I have read about the issues causing division among the Members of The Lake Chapala Society (LCS) as we prepare for an important Extraordinary Meeting on August 20th. I serve as a volunteer to enhance the LCS Community Outreach regarding Programs & Services through its Facebook Page. I work closely with the Board, as well as the Directors of Education and Communication.
When my husband and I moved to Ajijic in April of 2022, I quickly became a Member of The Lake Chapala Society. We didn’t know much about it, but heard that the organization was a tremendous resource to both the Lakeside Expatriate and Mexican Communities. One of the first events that we attended was a seven-course artisanal dinner accompanied by creative cocktails. LCS hosted students from the Culinary School of the Instituto Tecnológico Superior de Chapala.
They prepared and presented the entire meal, enthusiastically sharing the background to each culinary masterpiece. This dinner was part of their final exam for their Gastronomic Certification. All proceeds from this event went to their school and enabled the students to invite family members to participate in this experience.
Impressed by this event, I looked for volunteer opportunities to support the work of LCS. I saw a post seeking folks who could promote LCS through social media. This sounded like a good fit, as much of it could be done from home. As part of a team, I then began creating posts for classes, programs, services, events, concerts, fund raisers and more on the LCS FB Group Page, and sharing those announcements with others.
One of the first “ads” I distributed was for a reenactment of a famous Shakira Latin Concert offered free of charge by LCS to the local Mexican Community. I attended this event, along with close to 400 enthusiastic fans in a wonderful collaboration with Centro para la Cultura y las Artes de la Ribera (CCAR).
More recently, I enjoyed promoting a fund raiser for Escuela de Mariachi Pedro Rey. Over 300 people attended – cheering on these talented young musicians. The proceeds from this event sent these amazing students to a Mariachi Conference in Mexico City where they were part of the opening entertainment.
Just last week LCS hosted the largest and most successful Children’s Art Camp in its history, and I was privileged to post the story through daily photos. The 198 students and 59 volunteers were delighted to share their culture and artistic talents. Seeing their joy when their works of art were purchased at the closing Art Sale made everyone’s hard work even more rewarding.
Through the Wilkes Education Center (WEC), LCS continues to provide the local Mexican Community with a variety of services since 1997. These include the largest Spanish Library in the Lakeside area; an After-School Program where students have access to computers and the internet to assist them with their homework; English (ESL) Classes; and a Student Aid Program that provides scholarships to 40 students annually. Promoting these opportunities is part of the joy that I experience through volunteering with LCS.
Through these experiences I have come to see how the Vision & Mission of The Lake Chapala Society are carried out on a daily basis: “To promote the active participation of Lakeside inhabitants to improve their quality of life. By making this commitment we signal to the community that our focus is based not just on expatriates, but everyone living at Lakeside.”
I do believe that working together we can achieve “a future where all lakeside residents continually have a role in enriching the community’s quality of life, vitality, and prosperity through the exchange of knowledge, expertise, culture and language.” I trust that the tremendous legacy of The Lake Chapala Society will be preserved through its leadership and members at the Extraordinary Meeting on August 20th.
–Robert F. Prettyman
