Dont'cha just love these kids?

I visit Mexico a lot, and my favorite town so far is Buenavista. It's a small town where everyone knows everyone else, and every person I've met there has treated me as if I were part of their own family. My 'brother' there took me to visit a school for retarded kids, and I don't know who had more fun every time we went, me or them. The name of it is CAM (Centro de Atención Múltiple). I've decided to adopt them, and next time I go down there I am going loaded with school supplies. I've gotten some of the stores here to donate, but I will take anything I can.

So, if any of my readers feel like donating anything, they could use crayons, pencils, calculators, paper, childrens books to learn english with, or anything else you could think a children's school could use. I can bring a receipt back for anybody who wants one. If you want to call me and discuss their needs, my cell number is 561-271-1639. If you'd like to e-mail me, my address is catnpr@aol.com

Since I'm out of work anyway, I'll probably take a trip down there end of March, beginning of April. Please help, these kids could use it. Here are some pics of the kids and the school...

Please read through to the end, and comment if you will.

Here is a copy of my post from the first day I met them last year....Gabriel is a friend of mine who lives there. This is dated 11-05-04.
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Gabriel volunteers a few times a week at a small school here for mentally and pysically handicapped children. (Is that today's politically-correct term? I hope so)

After school today four of us walked over there. It was the other student here, Padre Dennis; his teacher, Raquel; Gabriel; and I. It was too funny, when we arrived, one of the kids walks past us and yells to all the others, "¡Tienen muchachas!" They have girls! We were cracking up. I guess he doesn't bring too many guests there.

They were all having a meeting with the director of the school. He was giving the Padre a tour of the building, and I was snapping a few photos with my digital camera. One of the little boys started following me around, so I was letting him play with the camera. He was so thrilled with taking pictures and then looking at them in the little viewer. Then he started dragging me all over the school, making me take pictures of everything, so that he could look at the object and the picture of it at the same time. Before I knew it, I was mobbed with kids, asking me to take their pictures in various combinations and poses so they could see themselves in the viewer. They were all shrieking and howling with laughter, and shortly, I was too.

We were having so much fun that I didn't even notice when they all came out of the meeting, and then I realized they were standing around waiting for me so we could go home. oops!

I really didn't want to leave. All the kids gave me big hugs goodbye.

The director of the school invited me to come back next week and have lunch with the kids. I better not forget my camera!
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If you have gotten this far, the help I wanted is just to send me a few crayons or pencils, or any other school supplies. They could really use them! If you think you can help, call me at 561-271-1639. I can bring you back a receipt if you want one. I'll be going down there the end of March or beginning of April. I've gotten a few stores here to donate the stuff they couldn't sell and would have returned to the wholesaler. Please be a good doobie and help me out!

I had some pics of the kids and the school to add, but I can't remember how. So I'll post now as-is, and add the pics later when I figure it out.

I figured it out! Yay, yay!! Here are the pics...hope you like them...


The schoolroom 


2 of the kids. They are SO loving! 


Me, the director, and kids 

Cat