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Yesterday Chuck and I met with three of the ladies who’s tireless efforts have made Volunteers Without Limits a reality. The purpose of the meeting was to review our current position and set down our goals for the future. You ask: “Just what is Volunteers Without Limits Susan?”
So glad you asked.
VSL* (sorry I spent so many years working for the city that I am hooked on acronyms) is a non-profit civil association formed, by a group of women in San Felipe, to fill the vacancy left when the leaders of the San Felipe Food Bank disbanded and left the area. Sort of a changing of the guard. The ladies and their husbands took over distributing food to needy families, however these women were doubly motivated to keep this organization going. Yes, they have a strong desire to help feed the many poverty stricken families of San Felipe, but in addition to this, they are also deeply committed to helping the families with children with disabilities in their daily struggle to provide adequate nutrition, therapy and medical attention, while living in a small and very poor town that is over a hundred miles from the nearest medical specialist or hospital equipped to care for their child’s needs.
Patricia Orosco Rea, the Director of VSL, has a four year daughter, Lupita, who has been diagnosed with cerebral paralysis and mycrocephaly. Since Lupita’s birth, Patty has committed herself to getting her the best possible care and providing Lupita the best life possible. Because of her unfailing perseverance Lupita has been selected to participate in a program called Chains of Help and she has received care from medical specialists not only in Mexicali but also Hermosillo, Mx. It is Patty’s dream to help the other families in San Felipe who have children with special medical needs to also obtain the best care possible for their children.
To accomplish this dream Patty, and the other ladies of VSL, work six days a week at the VSL Segundo as unpaid volunteers. Here they sell the clothing and household items donated by our wonderful benefactors. The proceeds from the thrift store help finance the purchase of food to feed about 150 families in San Felipe. But their dedication does not stop there, their equally critical goal is to raise public awareness and support for the families of these children with disabilities and help provide the parents with the tools and financial help needed to assure their children get the best care possible.
To learn more about the results of our meeting, click over to our blog at Volunteers With Limits.
* The official name of the organization we work with is Voluntarios Sin Limites which translates to Volunteers Without Limits, hence I use VSL not VWL when abbreviating the name.