At our March 21 meeting we had a presentation by Myrian Mendez-Shelton Shelton, who was introduced by our member Gin Pelzl.
In October 2016, Myrian and her husband Jim started the POCO a POCO, a registered Mexican charity under the official name “Deporte y Desarrollo para Crecer A.C.”. Working closely with the local Civil Protection and Firemen for the state of Jalisco, POCO A POCO supports the residents of the village of San Pedro Itzicán and its surroundings areas. Apart from extreme poverty, the residents also suffer from many health issues (kidney failure, malnutrition, and birth defects, to name a few.
The group works with people involved in improving the drinking water for residents and the setting up of a Dialysis Clinic in Chapala. In conjunction with Tepehua Community Center and Ninos Incapacitados, kids have been receiving dental treatments and families have received medical help. POCO A POCO also educates families on where to get help, and offers recycling and composting classes, etc. 
POCO a POCO is continuously introducing new projects to encourage work for local women, like teaching women to sew, knit and crochet, planting herbs and vegetables for their own use or for sale, raising chickens for sale or barter.
 
Welcome to our new member, Mara del Consuela Lourdes Avila y Roses, who was inducted on March 21st.