There is no greater joy for a young woman than to have a healthy, happy baby – especially for an HIV-positive mother. The new child is a sign of life… a child of promise in a broken world.
However, there is no greater tragedy than a new mother unable to feed her child because her breast milk could pass on the virus that causes AIDS. The Give Milk to Mothers Project helps meet this critical need.

Your donation through the Give Milk to Mothers Project means a new mother struggling with her own declining health can safely feed her newborn child. Your donation helps purchase the most critically needed item – powdered infant formula – for babies of HIV-positive mothers right here in Puerto Vallarta.

The formula is prohibitively expensive for these families. With your donation, the project hopes to collect at least 500 cans of powdered formula during the campaign.

With your help, the SETAC Community Center will enable a young mother’s greatest joy to continue. Her child will grow to be healthy and happy… a child of promise.

“We think The Give Milk to Mothers Project is a great cause,” Ed Thomas, founder of the GLBT center, stated. “I think it definitely benefits our community by raising awareness. It’s important for people to understand the AIDS crisis continues and affects people right here in Puerto Vallarta. Our goal is to build a free community, safe, friendly, full of love and acceptance for anyone who comes through our doors.”

What a chance to make a difference! It’s exciting to get different businesses from a cross section of venues within the community to come together for the same goal. Each and every interested person in our community is asked to purchase a specific brand of powdered formula from the recommended list. Once purchased, the milk can be dropped off at any one of the participating businesses.

Visit any of the approved locations listed below to purchase the needed formula:

Farmacia Guadalajara’s Prices
Nan Milk – Stage 1 – 900 gr – 214.20
Nan Milk – Stage 2 – 900 gr – 190
Enfagrow – Stage 1 – 900 gr – 348.70
Enfagrow – Stage 2 – 900 gr – 312.40

Costco’s Prices
Nan Milk – Stage 1 – 900 gr (2 cans) – 345
Nan Milk – Stage 2 – 900 gr (2 cans) – 305
Enfagrow – Stage 3 – 900 gr (2 cans) – 389

WalMart’s Prices
Nan Milk – Stage 1 – 400 gr – 98
Nan Milk – Stage 1 – 900 gr – 188
Nan Milk – Stage 2 – 400 gr – 88
Nan Milk – Stage 2 – 900 gr – 168
Enfagrow – Stage 3 – 400 gr – 153
Enfagrow – Stage 3 – 900 gr – 307
Enfagrow – Stage 3 – 1200 gr – 361

SETAC has set up the following local businesses as drop-off locations:

• SETAC Centro Comunitario, Constitución #427, Colonia Emiliano Zapata. (322) 224-1974
• A Page In The Sun, Lázaro Cárdenas #179, Colonia Emiliano Zapata. (322) 222-3608
• El Sofa Café, Venustiano Carranza #333, Colonia Emiliano Zapata. (322) 223-8446
• Pet Home, Constitución #287, Colonia Emiliano Zapata. (322) 113-0314
• The Studio Tattoos, Constitución #347, Colonia Emiliano Zapata. (322) 222-0053
• R.K. Supplement, Hotel Emperador, Amapas #114A, Colonia Emiliano Zapata. Cell: (322) 146-2435
• Hotel Mercurio, Francisca Rodríguez #168, Colonia Emiliano Zapata. (322) 222-4793

With continued efforts such as the Give Milk to Mothers Project, The SETAC Community Center offers the GLBT community, their families and friends a variety of services meant to improve their physical, emotional and spiritual well-being. Creating a network between members of the GLBT and non-GLBT community allows opportunities for members to experience, learn and participate in the mutual development of our common community.

Superman, Spiderman, and Batman – they are who many consider heroes. But it’s firefighters and lifeguards who come to our rescue and save the lives of our loved ones day in and day out; all in all, they are the real-life heroes.

On Saturday, June 9, 3 to 6 pm, you’re invited to attend the Second Annual Spaghetti Friend-Raiser at the Puerto Vallarta Fire Department. Last year’s inaugural event attracted over 200 caring residents and visitors and generated nearly $40,000 pesos to support our first-responders, the 90 men and women of the Puerto Vallarta Fire Department. In addition to the much-needed funds, 250 kilos – over 500 pounds – of “Bring-a-Thing” items were also donated.

With the funds raised in 2011, committee members coordinated the purchase of mattresses, bed frames, pillows, mattress pads, bee suits, and a kitchen storage cabinet. 2011 sponsors included Villa Premiere Hotel and Spa, Buenaventura Grand Hotel and Spa, Daiquiri Dicks, Playa Los Arcos Hotel, Andale’s Restaurant, Andales on the Bay, Holiday Inn Puerto Vallarta, Howard Johnsons, Westin Resort and Spa, No Way Jose, Colleen’s Breakfast Café, Mediterranean Cafe and Bakery, PVRPV.com, Margaret Souder, Judith St Gaudens, Apache’s Martini Bar and Bistro, Jill and Al Forster, Sheraton Buganvilias Resort and Convention Center, OXXO, COSTCO, Pasteleria Celebrations, Tsunami Restaurant, Instituto Franco Mexicano, Casserole Instituto, Dr. Max Greig, Bill Wortzel, Ed Alejandre Hospital Versalles and Fruteria de Billar. Committee members included Pam Thompson, Kelly Trainor, Cindy DuChateau, Bert Ramirez and Gary Green.

The Spaghetti Friend-Raiser also served as the catalyst to launch the Heroes calendar with funds earmarked for training and life-saving equipment.

Tickets to the Second Annual Spaghetti Friend-Raiser will be available for $150 pesos. In addition to tickets, the Department is hoping event-goers will contribute to “Bring-a-Thing” by donating ace wraps, antibiotic ointment, cleaning supplies, gauze sterile dressings, non-sterile and sterile gloves, over-the-counter medicines for pain relief, personal hygiene supplies, powdered infant formula, thermometers, toothbrushes and toothpaste, towels, vitamins, cleaning supplies, crutches and other items.

For more information, contact Gary Green at 322-150-7214 or through email at gary@andalesonthebay.com.

This social event of the season is going to be better than ever with a Spanish theme and the setting on the shores of the beautiful Bahia de Banderas at the Club Regina in the Marina. We are suggesting a dress code of red, black or white, if possible, which will make a gorgeous array of color to add to this beautiful site.

Los Bambinos will play and sing for the cocktail hour which begins at 6:30. This will be followed by a fabulous sit down dinner with wine and entertainment by Odisea from Ciudad Guzman. Then this versatile band will play for your dancing pleasure with many surprises during the evening.There will be door prizes, gift bags being prepared by Marcelo Mica Pilates and Timothy Real Estate Group and a Silent Auction with art from Vallarta’s best including Ada Colorina and Marta Gilbert, jewelry from Cassandra Shaw and June Rosen, dinner from Vallarta’s 5 star restaurants and much, much more.

Tickets are only $100 US or $1200 pesos and must be purchased in advance. Tables of 10 can be reserved when you have a least 8 paid tickets. You can get your tickets from any member of Becas. You can also reserve tickets at 223-1371 or 044-322-182-0215 or at phvicars@gmail.com

This is Becas Vallarta’s major fund raiser which we hope will ensure that we can keep our almost 400 of Vallarta’s brightest and best young people in school pursuing their educational dreams. That is where you and we come in. Come, eat, drink and make merry while actually changing the entire life of a young person who may one day be the Mayor of Puerto Vallarta or perhaps the President of Mexico!