Volunteers - Children's Shelter of Hope Foundation

"Just Show Up"...My wife Rena taught me this phrase from a class that suggested arriving without an agenda or history allows a degree of PRESENCE that can be helpful. It also summarizes Kevin’s suggestion our first day at R.I.S.E. two to three years ago. Good advice: "Just go where you’re drawn, or see a need, or just sit and in a couple of minutes the children will come….they’re not afraid."

A fun ingredient, for me, is to challenge myself to be creative with the simple and available materials. SO…with a piece of rope we jump-rope and I learn the alphabet, the numbers and several rhymes in Spanish (lessons are $30-$50/hour elsewhere). They never tire of this,but I do. So..."TREN SALIR LA ESTACION! Zapatos en soga!" (The train is leaving the station; shoes on the rope!) They all stand on the rope and with giggles they are gleefully dragged around the courtyard on the rope trying to maintain their balance. A few toddlers pile into a cardboard box over the rope and I drag them around with "Barco salir la estacion!" (The boat leaves the station)

With a deck of cards, I learn their names: "Senorita Elena tiene dos?" (Elena do you have any twos?)…..AHHH! PESCADO! (GO FISH)

I missed raising my two sets of children…as did many Americans on the fast-track. Twelve hours per day in the R&D lab of Hewlett-Packard then Agilent Tech. In retrospect, it was more self-indulgence than necessity. But this was or is the norm. Now R.I.S.E. children teach me more about human behavior and myself than a 4-year psychology degree from Stanford. AND to have one’s heart touched (may I say healed) by one of these youngsters. Just one look (of many) causes me to melt. I remember one profound feeling that was like a blind man living on a planet of blind people and given sight for an instant. Exhausted from playing jump-rope, I settled into reading a Spanish book of fairy tales on the steps in the courtyard. I’m clueless at trying to read Spanish (no idea whether the pronunciation is even close) but the kids are pressing in to see the pictures and hear the story. I am eventually covered with little children, my shoulders, head, arms, legs and some have already nodded off to sleep. I stop for a moment. The feeling of Mother Goose with all her contented little goslings…a sense of CONTENTMENT, LOVE, SENTIMENT, COMPLETION, SENTIMENT….words pale…indescribable! This is probably a feeling women get to feel, a feeling men especially in the USA, never sense. WHAT A GIFT! My ‘great’ designs/inventions bring little lingering reward. Like a junk yard of rusted auto bodies, it doesn’t compare with the lingering satisfaction, good feelings and memories of time spent with my wonderful little friends at R.I.S.E.

Friends at home comment, "You and Rena are so generous for sharing your time at the Refugio!" I respond, “Thank you AND these beautiful children bring me far greater gifts than I could ever offer. Their charm, their resilience, their play, their tricks, their love, their unabashed authenticity, and joy, and spontaneity bring me LIFE itself! THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH should come have a drink!”

Roger is one of the volunteers helping on a regular basis at the Refugio.

We also currently have several different organizations that send us volunteers on a daily basis for a period of 1 to 3 months.

Visitors and “short-term” volunteers are encouraged to come during lunch times (approximately 11:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.) when extra help is needed in serving meals and clean up, or in the afternoon from 3:00 to 5:00 P.M. to help entertain the toddlers downstairs.

For more information about visiting or volunteering, please contact Refugio administrator Sol Martinez Maciel at elsoldevallarta@hotmail.com or Children’s Shelter of Hope Foundation Board President Chris Amo at keithamo@msn.