"Their hopes and fears, their suffering and chance of happiness, all (are) intertwined with our lives, with what we think and say and do.  We don't live alone.  We are members of one body.  We are responsible for each other."
- Inspector Poole in An Inspector Calls
List of Local Volunteer/Charititable Organizations & Activities
Name Location/Meeting Info Function Contact Info Website
ACA (Associacion Comunitaria de Auto Suficiencia A.C.)
Meets 1st Friday at ACA office at 12 noon. Tuesdays at LCS Patio 10-12 for vegetable sales. Juarez Ote. No. 316 (home/office), 45800 Jocotepec, Jalisco, Mexico Market garden training program to encourage students and others to establish small, self-sufficient community farms throughout the lake area, together with a community-supported alliance to distribute the produce cooperatively. For information call (376) 3-1568.
52-376-3-15-68.  Fax:  52-376-6-33-15.  Email:     ACA@EarthCorp.com
http://www.peoplesguide.com/1pages/chapts/non-profit/aca/acaproject.html
American Legion Ajijic Post 9 Meet 10am 3rd Tuesday monthly with lunch at El Mirador Restaurant (Carretera to San Nicholas #61) Various charitable activities.  Al King 766-5032  
American Legion of Chapala Post  7 (Also have a Women’s Auxiliary) Morelos #114, corner of Guerrrero, Chapala.  General meetin 2nd Thursday each month.  Other information by phone or visit Active in raising monies for various charities, such as the Ninos Incapacitados, Red Cross, nurses scholarships, as well as sponsoring local soccer teams. 765-2259  
Amigos de los Ancianos Chapala Friends of the elderly living in Casa de los Ancianos in Chapala.  Marlene Dunham 766-1067  
Amigos International, A.C. Carretera #11, Ajijic Helps many local charities.  Mission is to quickly, efficiently and without political holdup, distribute moneys, clothing and much needed food directly to those in need.
Joan Forman after 6pm.  766-1627 http://www.chapala.com/chapala/amigos.html
Animal Shelter Hidalgo #212, Riberas del Pilar Adopts over 300 spayed or neutered animals a year. 765-5514 http://www.chapala.com/chapala/activities/animal.htm
Anita's Animals San Juan Cosala Pick stray animals off the streets of Ajijic and Chapala and feed and care for them until adoption.  No animals is put down unless the vet who donates his services insists on it. Anita Strehlow, ADP. Postal #269, Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico 45900  761-0500 http://www.anitasanimals.com/
ARCOC, Artistas Contemporaneos de Cosala San Juan Cosala Facilitates artistic activities where children can become involved and better their lives and community.  Activities include related to child-fueled lake cleanup drives as well as environmental educational projects.  Locally sells child-created greeting cards for activity funding. Agustin Vazquez 01-333-662-0626  
Centro de Formacion Jaltepec 67 Km Chapala-Jocotepec Highway Provides woman training in the administration of the home, as well as in aspects of the hospitality industry.Proceeds from various fund-raising dinners help students from impoverished families defray some of the cost of their tuition. 763-1781 or 763-1673
or Linda Buckthorp at 766-1631  Email:  info@jaltepec-ce.com
http://www.jaltepec-ce.com/
Chili Cook-Off Annual area event Provides financial support for various  Lakeside charities, such as Niños de Chapala, Niños de San Antonio and the Niños de Ajijic; Centro de Desarrollo Jocotepec-Ajijic; Niños Incapacitados; the School for the Deaf; Niños y Jovenes de San Juan Cosala; Casa Ancianos, home for the elderly in Chapala; and the Red Cross. Zoe Bunnell 766-2523  Email bunns@laguna.com.mx  
ERIC, the Lakeside Education Fund (Educacion Para la Ribera de Chapala A.C.)   Works in partnership with the communities of Lake Chapala to support their efforts towards excellence in education. Donna Carnall, 766-2520, Bobbie Chandler 766-2571, Michael Eager 766-1344 or 766-1444, Stewart McCowan 766-0800, Dan McTavish 766-3415 Email: educationfund@laguna.com.mx  
Golden Strings of Lake Chapala A.C. Rehearsals at the Auditorio de la Floresta. Tuesday & Fridays, 3-6 p.m. A music education program for children ages 5-15, devoted to reaching children through music. Helaine Harthcock 01-376-35093 Email:  kenzie@laguna.com.mx http://www.goldenstringschapala.com/
Guadalajara Shriners Club Meets last Tuesday 1pm at Nueva Posada.  Local branch of international organization known for its provision and funding of medical care to children and the impoverished worldwide. Peere Lund 765-4271  
HELP (Handicapped Equestrian Learning Program) Meets every Friday at 10 a.m. in lower La Floresta (where the horses are). Equestrian program for lakeside disabled children Jim McCormack 766-3984  
Jocotepec School for the Deaf Volunteers Home Tours last Thursday of every month. Meet at 10:15 am at La Nueva Posada, Ajijic. Various activities help defray cost of meals, hearing aids, medical attention and room and board for children who come from long distances. 766-2280 or 766-1109 to make reservations for Home Tours http://www.chapala.com/chapala/activities/schooldeaf.htm
Lakeside Spay and Neuter Center   Helps curtail the over-population of animals. Service is provided free to needy pet owners. Diane Hazen 766-0821, Gudrun Jones 766-3813  
Lakeside Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Project   Cooperates with federal environmental protection agency SEMARNAT to help feed animal's under government care at its Guadalajara wildlife center. Vern & Lori Geiger 765-4203  
MAMA (Movement to Support Abandoned Minors) Monte Negro #1786, Guadalajara Goal is to defend, protect and empower the lives of homeless, abandoned and abused children. Rogelio Padilla or  Alfredo Castellanos 0136252576   Email: mama@avantel.net  
Masonic Lodge, Ajijic Lodge #36 Meets 2nd and 4th Wednesday at Chula Vista Country Club 5:30pm.  Festive Board following meeting.  Various charitable activities, including the annual "Toys for Tots" program, providing gifts for over 2,000 Lakeside children. Denny Strole 766-0485 http://www.mexconnect.com/amex/afam/lodge31.html
Needle Pushers Tuesdays 10am Sewing and knitting for the needy. 766-0724  or Kay Childers (766-0786), June Donahue (766-4599), Snooky Heim (765-5909) http://www.ccchapala.com/other_links/needle_pushers.htm
Niños del Lago   Various programs including Niños del Rio for providing basic housing and related needs and Club Niños, an after-school program  for children to be cleaned up, fed, play games and work on homework or other problems they are having. The children are taught manners, how to eat properly, to pick up after themselves, and keep their person clean. Dr. Marta Nussgen  Email:  alfla@prodigy.net.mx http://www.mexicoetc.com/nussgen.html
Niños Jovenes Caravan   Caravan to deliver food and clothing to orphanage in San Juan Cosala Bob North 766-1922 http://www.chapala.com/chapala/activities/ninosyjovenes.htm
Niños y Jovenes Children's Home /Orphanage San Juan Cosala Provides housing, education, care for approximately 150 Mexican children.    
Opera Buffs Meets 2nd Friday every month. Meetings open to music lovers. Support young Mexican opera students Claudette Beauregard 766-0353 or Marilyn Thielking 763-5450  
Operation Feed   Food and clothing collected and delivered to needy recipients in San Juan Cosala Jim Scott (376) 765-4952, Earl Smithburg  (387) 761-0117, Julie Ray, volunteer coordinator, at (376) 766-2795 http://www.standrewsparish.org/Oprnfeed.html
Programa de los Niños Incapacitados Meets 1st Thursday every month at Nueva Posada.  Supports various programs to raise money to help handicapped children in the area.  Gene Beck 766-1735, Judy Beaumont, 766-0095 http://www.go2mex.com/ninos/
Red Cross Volunteers Club Nautico, La Floresta.  Meet 1st and 3rd Wed. every month. Conducts fund-raising activities which provide over 15% of the annual operating funds for the local Red Cross. Megan 765-2646 or 766-0155  
Rotary Club Jocotepec-Chapala Meets every Tuesday 2pm at Los Telares Restaurant, Morelos #6, Ajijic Provides school supplies for needy children  765-2120  
San Antonio Biblioteca San Antonio Tlayacapan Teaches English in schools, etc….    
Sociedad de Amigos del Lago de Chapala, A.C.
Meet every 3 months and have activities every weekend.  Restore and protect Lake Chapala and its rivers and basin, achieve sustainable development and economic growth, propagate the importance of environmental protection, and preserve the area’s cultural heritage. Bob 766-1430, Laura  765-5755  info@amigosdelago.org http://www.amigosdelago.org/volunteer-e.html
Student Aid Fund Administered through the Lake Chapala Society Provides financial assistance to area students.  Aid is awarded on the basis of scholastic achievement, academic potential and financial need. Coralie White 766-0716  
UVA (Scholarship Program)   Provides finaincial assistance to Lakeside students pursuing a college or technical degree.  Also, provides English-language instruction. Sue Torres 766-0705 or Lynn Hanson 766-2660  
Villa Infantil de Ntra. Sra. de Guadalupe y San José A.C.(Villa Infantil Orphanage) Jocotepec Offers orphaned children material and spiritual attention in an atmosphere in which they can develop healthy bodies and minds so that they can be useful to themselves and society. Srita. Rosa M. Zuñiga at Juan de Dios Robledo     815,  Jardines Alcalde, Guadalajara, Jal.          Tel. 823 50 42 http://sistemadif.jalisco.gob.mx/Trabajo%20Social/VInf.htm
Volunteer Health Resource Group Meets 10am the last Saturday of each month in the Sala of the Lake Chapala Society. Hospice-type program Annette Evans at 776-2130 or Valerie Rhoda at 776-1976. http://www.chapala.com/chapala/ojo2002/volunteerhealth.htm
Wilkes Education Center Administered through LCS with facilities in Ajijic and San Nicholas Teaching of English, computer, art and other disciplines to local students and adults. 766-0573 http://www.lakechapalasociety.org/lcs_EC_main.htm
Women's Centers (El Centro de Desarrollo para Mujeres) Ajijic & Jocotepec The women's centers provide psychological and physical health services, and no one is turned away for lack of money. Both the Jocotepec and Ajijic centers rely on donations to keep the doors open as federal funding was pulled a couple of years ago. Silvia Flores Gonzalez or call 766-2571for information about annual "Women for Women" fund-raising luncheon. http://www.mexconnect.com/amex/chaprev/cprv01011.html