Posted by Isa (LCF) on January 26, 2016, 10:55 am 189.164.105.105
Thank you for all you attended or helped with Fashion by the Bay 2016 at Chantli Mar. Ninety-three tickets were sold and it was a beautiful afternoon with food, fun and fashion! The buffet-style meal, prepared by Chef Greg, was delicious and served promptly. Twelve models showed off clothing by Botique Zingara and Figura. Models wore stunning jewelry, largely provided by Florence. The Ballet group from Cihuatlan mesmerized the crowd with their grace and flexibility and musicians Peter & Doug and saxophone player Catarino with live music. Susan, our M.C., added zest to the already dazzling event. And congrats to Mary Shanti for winning the chic hat award! The event raised 13,923 pesos, which goes towards paying for Beyond English textbooks for the La Manzanilla primary school students, grades 2 through 6. The books are part of a 5-year ESL literacy project with La Catalina Foundation and Careyes Foundation. The books are currently being used by over 1,000 children in 12 schools in the Costa Alegre area. The charter of this project is to provide Mexican youth a road map towards bilingualism through a curriculum that aligned with the Mexican learning standards for English developed by the Secretary of Public Education, but that was also affordable, fun and innovative! If you haven’t had a chance to peek inside the book, a copy is on display at Helping Hands bookstore. There is also a donation jar there if you weren’t able to attend Fashion by the Bay, but would like to donate for this project. Thank you to the many people who made this event a success, including…. Volunteer Models: Kay; Myranda; Sheila; Bonnie; Carol; Olga; Yadira; Diana; Alejandra; Jennifer; Cendy; and Rosa
Volunteers: “Wings” Scholarship students; Jacqueline; Dorinda; Musicians Peter & Doug; Susan; Becci; Pablo; and Nancy W.
Supporting Organizations: Chantli Mar Restaurant & Inn; La Manzanilla Art Gallery; Tierra Alegre; Botique Zingara (Jen’s shop); Figura’s (Bonnie’s shop); No Bull Shit Coffee; Magnolia’s Restaurant
Contributors: Gabriela de la Vega; Brenda Dempsey; Isaura; Magaña; David & Susan; Dene & Mignon;
La Catalina Foundation Staff: Isa; Gardenia; Julie
Mark your calendar for the next La Catalina Foundation fundraisers: February 1 – 15th, 2016 – Online auction (www.lacatalinafoundation.com) Saturday, Feb. 20th – “A Night under the Stars” auction and party (in La Manzanilla’s main plaza from 6pm to 9pm)
I was one of those enthusiastic volunteer models! Thank-you Jennifer Velarde (Zingara) for the opportunity! I enjoyed the experience. I volunteered time for 2 sessions of rehearsal preps, fittings and sizings, and 4 hours on-site for performance etc. However...the volunteers were promised a meal at the end of the day in lieu of their contributions. When that time came, a pot of gruel with a spoon was placed on the buffet table. That's all. No plates. No cutlery. We were hungry. We went to the kitchen to wash dirty dishes so we would have plates to eat off of. The giant pot of rice with no spoon came 15 minutes later. ... then a container with salad for 6 came another 10 minutes later. There were more than 20 volunteers. I ate a cold, sparse supper, paid for my drink muchos pesos), and came back to town and had a hot supper. To the organizations that rely on volunteers to make an event a success, I have a word of advice. Treat your volunteers well and with extra care. They will return ten-fold for you with-out asking much in return. In this case,just a decent meal at the end of a long day.
So sorry to hear this, Bonnie. When the buffet was open and the first 2 tables were called, an inebriated guy rushed for the food. When it was pointed out to him that he wasn't at one of those tables, he said he didn't care! He camped out near the food having second and third helpings and was joined by others. Several people (including the organizer, Isa) mentioned to him that it meant that others would not have food. He still didn't get it! The food was fantastic and many of us would have enjoyed another piece of chicken or more salad, but we have manners! One way of avoiding this situation would be too have one of the staff dish out the portions as they did the dessert. And next time you see him coming ..... Other than this one rude guy the event was very classy!
It's a pity after such a fabulous event that one disgruntled volunteer would chose to air her grievances on the bulletin board. Yes it is unfortunate that she had to eat "gruel" but why use such a public forum when it was obviously too late for anyone to rectify. It does a huge disservice to the future of this event for not only prospective models and volunteers but moreover it is less than complimentary to the hotel, chef and all the staff who worked tirelessly to make it a stunning event. There is always one debbie downer that wants everyone to know how miserable and unhappy they were against over 100 people that came away delighted with a wonderful afternoon. Next time why not talk to the organizers…?
The organization chose this public forum to send out a formal thank-you to all. They also requested public time and public monies for the event. It was a public event. Once the ticket holders had left, it seems that the remaining volunteers(models and support cast)were forgotten about. I would hope that the organization uses my feedback (and others) to help make an already successful event even better!