President's Message...
I hope you are loving your summer!
We have much to report in anticipation of the coming season.
Read further for new information about:
- The latest Cleft Palate Clinic - plus an incredible human-interest story about community heroes
- IFC Clubhouse Wish List
- IFC Grantee News
|  | On August 5-7, the IFC hosted a three-day Cleft Palate Clinic.
On the first day, 43 patients, a mix of babies, toddlers and teenagers, were seen at the IFC Clubhouse by the medical team. Dr. Fuentes, the reconstructive plastic surgeon and two nurses, freshly arrived from Guadalajara, were flown in by the IFC. Also, from Puerto Vallarta, Dra. Lilibeth Monroy Favela, the new pediatric anesthesiologist arriving straight from work at IMSS, two social workers, longstanding members of the medical team, and a speech pathologist. Examinations went until 6:30 PM, after which the team was delighted to enjoy a meal at Siam Cocina Thai in the Romantic Zone, generously donated by Michael Boufford, where we we able to discuss future planning for the clinics with Dr. Fuentes.
On the second day, Dr. Fuentes performed 7 surgeries that took from 8 AM until 11:30 PM, at CMQ Hospital. CMQ donates the operating rooms and patient rooms. April & Bill Miton acquire the medical supplies, transport the medical team locally, and house them at their boutique hotel, Casa Leta Suites, in Nayarit or in their home. The day was arduous due to the unusual number of surgeries being performed by one surgeon. To continue operating, the team skipped the dinner at Bonito Kitchen generously donated by Francie Nguyen. At closing time, Francie bagged the dinners for late night take out. The medical team did not have dinner until after midnight!
On the final day, the medical team did hospital rounds at 8:00 AM and discharged all patients to their parents. A local physician remains on call following a clinic, in the event of any unanticipated bleeding or other condition needing medical help.
The next Cleft Palate Clinic is scheduled for September 30-October 2. |  | | Discharge day at CMQ Hospital. Photo includes 3 babies and 1 toddler with their mothers, and 3 teenagers, post-surgery. Dr. Fuentes, 4th from left. Our nurses are far left and 3rd from left. Mary Carmen, our social worker is 4th from right. Bill Miton, 3rd from right. |  | The remarkable stories of the IFC's August 5-7, Cleft Palate Clinic highlight the embracing community we are so grateful to have in Vallarta.
The clinic had been scheduled since April, but two unexpected developments occurred. First, our anesthesiologist, Dr. LLontop, had a medical emergency in his family (his wife's kidney transplant) and needed to cancel. Second, our local Vallarta-based second team (surgeon, anesthesiologist, nurse), on the Monday before the Wednesday clinic start, informed us that they were not available.
While it was too late to replace the second surgical team, we reached out to the "likely suspects" for help finding an anesthesiologist to take Dr. Llontop's place next to Dr. Fuentes. Dr. Fuentes' medical team also searched for a replacement. One week before the clinic start, we still did not have an anesthesiologist or even any leads.
Think, think, think. What to do? In 2026, the IFC awarded grants to 20 Vallarta-area non-profits. Several of these have medical staff or other connections into the medical community. With one week to go, we started to reach out to the leaders of these non-profits and, within two days, had almost a dozen anesthesiologists raising their hands to volunteer.
Dra. Lilibeth Monroy Favela found a replacement for her scheduled work at IMSS so that she could be part of our team on surgery day, August 6. And, when she finished work at 2:00 PM on August 5, consultation day, she drove to the IFC to join Dr. Fuentes and the entire team, for consultations with the patients, which went until 6:30 PM.
But that's not all.
The number of surgeries that can be performed depends in part on the complexity of the cases. A typical clinic might involve two operating rooms, with three to five patients having surgery in each room. With the second team having cancelled we feared we would lose out on surgeries. On Day one of the clinic, Dr. Fuentes identified seven children needing surgery. On day two, he and Dra. Monroy and their team arrived at CMQ Hospital at 8:00 AM, committed to completing seven surgeries. They worked throughout the day, finishing at 11:30 PM. Seven lives changed. Both doctors returned the next morning at 8:00 AM to check on the patients.
Many volunteers worked to make this clinic happen. We thank each and every one. For the special, last-minute help, opening their contact lists, calling their doctors, we thank: Matt Karimi of the Gay+ Community Center, Mikel Alvarez, of Thrive IV & MedSpa, Chris Jacobs, previously with Pasitos de Luz and currently with the Vallarta Botanic Garden, Daniela and Sofi from Angeles en Libertad, Georgia Darehshori, and Megan Gallagher, of the Volcanes Kids Project.
These community leaders jumped into the fray at the 11th hour and prevented the cancellation of this clinic. They impacted the lives of the children whose surgeries otherwise would not have gone forward during this Clinic. Their efforts also introduced us to several anesthesiologists and one plastic reconstructive surgeon who are each interested in becoming involved with future IFC Cleft Palate Clinics. And, we thank Dr. Fuentes, at 76 years, donating his and his team's time to come to Vallarta and perform surgeries until 11:30 PM. |  |
Can You Help Us Get the Clubhouse Ready for the New Season?
As we get ready for the 2026–27 season, we’ve put together a short wish list of things that would make our Clubhouse safer, more comfortable, and more useful for everyone. These items weren’t included in the 2026 budget, so we’re hoping some generous members might be willing to help!
🪑 More Comfortable Classes and Lectures
We’d love to make our lectures and classes a little more comfortable for both members and guests:
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100 padded folding chairs + storage racks: estd. cost $76,000 MXN
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25 folding tables: estd. cost $20,000 MXN
💡 Safety First—and Better Lighting
We need to ground the electrical outlets in the Clubhouse and improve the lighting in the meeting room.
📺 Keeping Members Informed
Our lobby monitor—the one that displays the Clubhouse calendar—has unfortunately gone to that great electronics graveyard in the sky. Repairing it would cost more than replacing it.
We’d also like to add a larger monitor in the lobby to showcase the Mexican charities supported by IFC grants—a great way to remind everyone where your membership dollars and donations go!
☎️ And About Those Phones…
Our current phones have seen better days. They're full of static, don't record more than one message, and lack features, such as call forwarding. They’re doing their best to remind us that technology waits for no one!
We’d like to replace them with a system that will better serve our members and volunteers.
* * *
Could you help us check a few items off our wish list? Whether you can donate an entire item, contribute toward the cost, or know of a way we can obtain something at a lower cost, we’d love to hear from you. Contact president@ifcvallarta.org
Together, we can have the Clubhouse ready to welcome everyone back for another great season!
|  | | Your generosity enables the IFC to make a million pesos in donations to Vallarta-area non-profit educational and social service organizations. Here are updates about a few of them. | La BiB - A Bilingual Children's Library | Traveling to Vallarta in the next few months?
The children at La BiB, a bilingual (Spanish/English) children's library founded by Vallarta musician, Stolie, thrive on new books. La BiB needs "Book Angels" who will fly suitcases of books, all written in Spanish, from Chicago to Puerto Vallarta. Details about the suitcase size and weight are in the images below.
If you are able to check a bag for LaBiB, and cover associated costs, if any, please message Stolie on WhatsApp at (773) 203-2370. The suitcases are full and ready to go. Suitcase transfer will be arranged in the Chicagoland area. Please help make a kid's day!!
La BiB is a 2026 recipient of a $22,000 peso grant from the IFC to purchase books for the children's library.
When you are in town, they would love you to visit and see the library for yourself. It is quite impressive. | Ten Huichol Students Receive Scholarship Awards | In the spring of 2017, Canadian Brian McDougall, a winter resident of Puerto Vallarta and occasional guest lecturer at the IFC at the time, came to Dan Grippo with the idea of establishing a scholarship fund for young people from Wixárika (Huichol) indigenous communities in Jalisco, to help them attend university and later be able to better support and defend their indigenous culture through their advanced education.
The Wixarika people are unique in their longstanding independence and preservation of indigenous culture, tradition, and spiritual practices. But the traditions, language, and ancestral lands of the approximately 50,000 Huichol people face serious threats from international mining interests, organized crime, and other sources. By the end of 2017, Brian, Dan, and Education Chair Henry Golas had structured an annual scholarship program to be administered through the IFC Education Committee, in partnership with The Wixarika Research Center, with local administrative assistance from Volcanes Educational Project early on, and now Club Rotario.
Since then, the IFC has supported the Wixarika Scholarship Fund each year of its existence. The 2026 grant awarded by the Education Committee, now chaired by Sydney Clark, totals $60,000 pesos.
On August 20, ten Wixarika 2026 Scholarship recipients traveled from their universities in Tepic and Guadalajara to receive their scholarship funds in person. Peggy Nelson and Dan Grippo of the IFC made their condominiums available for their overnight stay, and Dan served as the group’s local guide and resource while in town.
The group gathered at the IFC the afternoon of the 20th for a workshop to get better acquainted and discuss current challenges to their cultural heritage, as well as the pressures of navigating college life as an indigenous Mexican.
On the morning of the 21st the group gathered for a breakfast gifted by Andale’s Restaurant owner and Club Rotario member Jorge Zambrano, in order to receive their scholarship funds. From there, they had a few hours of free time to walk the Malecon and enjoy the sights of Vallarta, which most of them had never visited before, before heading back to their universities. We are grateful and privileged to be able to support the Wixarika/Huichol people, who have lived in this region for some 15,000 years. |  | | Huichol university students meeting at the IFC Clubhouse for their afternoon cultural heritage and university readiness workshop. Second from left, Juan Aurelio, coordinated the student visit. |  | | Huichol scholarship recipient, Cecilio Castaneda Hernandez, in traditional clothing. | | |
 | | Huichol university students with program leaders and IFC's Dan Grippo at scholarship award ceremony at Andale's, with Jorge Zambrano. |  | | Scholarship student with anthropology professor. | | |
| IFC Supports Vallarta Abuelos' Back-to-School Backpack Supplies | Vallarta Abuelos is a program where volunteer "abuelos" or "grandparents" donate to pay for school expenses for children in the Cinco de Diciembre neighborhood. Abuelos often form close relationships with their "nietos" or "grandchildren" and take them on outings and help them with the English and other supplemental learning classes offered by the program.
Every year, Vallarta Abuelos hosts a "backpack program" where they purchase backpacks filled with school supplies for a fresh start to the new school year. The International Friendship Club has supported this program for many years, this year donating $60,000 pesos toward the purchase of backpack school supplies. |  | | Notebooks purchased by IFC for backpack program. |  | | IFC Grants Committee liaison to Vallarta Abuelos, Ben Horn, works with a VA nieto (grandson) to unload boxes of IFC-donated notebooks for the VA backpack program. | | |
 | | Families lined up outside Vallarta Abuelos for backpacks. |  | | Two backpack recipients. | | |
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