 | President's Message...
The IFC runs on the power of the incredible contributions of members and volunteers like you.
At the start of our new season, we are poised to expand our charitable mission and bring more programming than ever. This is an opportunity for you to join in, make an impact, and have some fun. Please read below about the many different types of opportunities, short and long, big and small, for volunteering.
Mahjong and Spanish classes have begun. We offer 4 levels of Spanish, 3 days/week, on a drop-in basis. Home Tours start November 17, and Dine Arounds start mid-November. Hiking in December. Register thru the IFC calendar.
Please join us for our season kick-off welcoming party, "Fiesta de Bienvenida al IFC" on December 6 at 5:00 PM at the IFC Clubhouse. Live music, tasty food & beverages, a great reunion. Las Vocalistas, an all-female Vallarta-based choral group will be entertaining us. Get your tickets via the IFC's website calendar.
The last Cleft Palate Clinic of 2026 occurred September 30, October 1-2. Read about it, below!
We thank you for your support for our programs. Your support makes possible the IFC's cleft palate program and grants to educational and social services non-profits.
|  |  | | Pediatric reconstructive plastic surgeon Dr. Fuentes performing surgery assisted by nurse, with one of two interns observing. |  | | On left, Anesthesiologist Dra. Lilibeth Monroy, middle, her other intern, on right, 2 nurses, preparing patient for surgery. | | |
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We hosted our final Cleft Palate Clinic in 2026, September 30-October 2. We flew in pediatric plastic reconstructive surgeon Dr. Ezekiel Fuentes and 2 nurses from Guadalajara who teamed with our new anesthesiologist, Dra. Lilibeth Monroy Favela at CMQ Hospital in the Romantic Zone. Dra. Lilibeth brought two anesthesiology interns to observe. Our 82-year old Guadalajara-based anesthesiologist was unable to attend due to his wife's recent kidney transplant and we believe he will soon be retiring.
This clinic saw 36 children and families on Wednesday, for consultations. Pizzas, juices and snacks were provided, and Marlene Lopez joined us to entertain the children with arts and crafts.
A unique attribute of the IFC's cleft palate program is that the children are followed for years if not decades and, when necessary, are able to have additional surgeries by the same medical team as they grow. This is not the case for the large international programs, which are "one and done." Dr. Fuentes and teams know their patients. It is a joy to watch the children enter the IFC lecture hall, to see the look on their faces when they see Dr. Fuentes.
Dr. Fuentes chose 5 children for surgeries on Thursday. Most of these children were repeat surgical patients, having had anywhere from 1-5 prior surgeries.
Surgery day started at 8:00 AM and went until 9:30 PM. Given the late hour, the last patient, a 29-year old patient having his 6th surgery had to be deferred to a future date.
Delicious dinners for the full team were donated by Francie Nguyen of Casita & Gardens on Wednesday evening, and by Gina Hendrix of Whiskey Kitchen on Thursday evening.
Member Eric Rude has agreed to chair the Cleft Palate team going forward, and together with Vice President Rob Schamel was present throughout all 3 days of the clinic to learn the ropes from April and Bill, and to support the medical team when they needed additional supplies, prescriptions, etc., and Rob joined the follow-up with patients by Dr. Rivera a week later.
The next clinic is tentatively scheduled for May 19-21, 2027. CMQ Hospital generously donates to the IFC the use of patient rooms and surgical space for cleft palate surgeries in the off-season, between May and September.
|  | | This little girl relaxes with crafts before her surgical consultation |  | | This little boy enjoys coloring while he waits his turn to see Dr. Fuentes on consultation day. | | |
| Discharge Day (Clinic Day 3) at CMQ Hospital. Four children with their moms. Also, far left, nurse. Far Right, Mary Carmen, who schedules the families. Behind, Bill Miton on left, Rob Schamel, IFC VP, on right. Everyone other than patients and moms are volunteers. |  |  | |
Changing lives…one smile at a time
Bill and April Miton moved to Puerto Vallarta 20 years ago, after devoting most of their married life in Canada to fostering and adopting special needs children in addition to their two older biological children.
When they learned of the IFC Cleft Palate Program, they immediately volunteered to help in whatever way needed. Their youngest adopted son, Jacob, was born with a cleft lip and palate. Now 28, he came into their lives when he was just five weeks old.
April and Bill's experience, compassion and total commitment to helping children born with the congenital syndrome, led to their joining the IFC Cleft Palate Program in 2011.
For 15+ years, April and Bill greeted the IFC medical team at the airport and transported them locally throughout their stay over three days. They housed the medical team at Casa Leta Suites, their family owned and run boutique hotel in Nuevo Vallarta, or, if full, in their home. They interfaced with CMQ Hospital, and with Mary Carmen who contacts the patients. They brought clean patient gowns, scrubs for the medical team, towels and blankets, and at the end of the surgeries, collected and had them cleaned. They did the work of procuring the needed medical supplies from a list supplied by the medical team. For each clinic, the Mitons also arranged with local restaurants donation of dinners for the full team, and brought breakfast, lunch and snacks during surgery day to CMQ Hospital.
The September 30, October 1-2, 2026 Cleft Palate Clinic was the last for April and Bill who have made the decision to retire. Their contribution has been indispensable. This description does not cover everything they did! Several volunteers will be needed to assume these roles.
“The time has come for us to step aside and focus on many of the other projects we have taken on, vacation a little more,, and continue to run our little hotelito. It takes countless hours and a team to make each program happen, “ explains April.
“We know that the new team is going to do fantastic at keeping this program running smoothly so that Vallarta’s children can continue to get the help they need. Through the program, we have made friends that we will continue to stay in touch with and have memories to last our lifetime. “
IFC President, Peggy Nelson, commented, "April and Bill have been indispensable, and the IFC is incredibly grateful for their selfless support of the Cleft Palate Program over the last 15+ years. We cannot thank them enough. We wish them much joy in their next adventure!"
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Got a Little Time? We’ve Got a Place for You.
The "secret sauce" that fuels the success of the International Friendship Club is simple: the members pitch in to help.
Some volunteer jobs take a few hours. Some happen only a few times a year. Others are a chance to get involved regularly, meet new people, and become part of something that matters. You don’t need special experience for most of them-just a little time and a willingness to help.
Here are a few places where we could use you right now:
CLEFT PALATE CLINIC TEAM
Every child deserves the chance to smile, speak and thrive. Out of roughly 110,000 annual live births across Jalisco's 125 municipalities, 160 children are born with a cleft condition each year.
The International Friendship Club is the only organization in the Vallarta area coordinating life changing surgeries at no cost for these children. However, surgery is only the baseline. Public health infrastructure rarely covers the vital, long-term multidisciplinary care required for a full recovery, leaving severe gaps in the need for repeat surgeries as the children grow, pediatric orthodontics, speech therapy, alveolar bone grants and childhood dental care.
We are expanding our Cleft Palate Clinic Committee to bridge these gaps and ensure no child is left behind. We are seeking passionate volunteers with experience in:
- Pediatrics (nursing or other)
- Logistics/ Clinical operations
- Fundraising
- Translation
- Event planning
Please contact the Cleft Palate Committee chair Eric Rude at erudenyc@gmail.com if this opportunity interests you!
HOME TOURS TEAM
Our popular Home Tours take a small army of friendly volunteers to keep everything running smoothly—and there are several ways to join the fun.
Docents help guests enjoy the homes, point out interesting details, keep an eye on safety, and generally help the tour move smoothly from stop to stop.
Tour Guides take the lead with guests, sharing information about IFC and the homes while coordinating docents, timing, and logistics throughout the tour.
Tour Coordinators are the behind-the-scenes conductors on tour day—organizing volunteers, transportation, guest briefings, and all the moving pieces that make a successful tour look easy.
Membership Table Volunteers welcome guests before the tours and introduce them to IFC—who we are, what we do in the community, and why they might want to become members themselves.
Home Tour volunteers generally arrive around 8:45 a.m. on tour days. We’ll provide the information and guidance you need; you provide the enthusiasm. If you are interested in any of these opportunities, please contact Wendy Harrington at wendy.harrington@ifcvallarta.org
MARKETING / COMMUNICATIONS / MEMBERSHIP
Not every volunteer opportunity involves selling tickets, staffing an event or showing up at a particular place at a particular time. Sometimes what IFC needs most is what you already know how to do.
The Marketing & Communications Committee is looking for volunteers ready to put their skills to work:
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER
Are Facebook and Instagram familiar territory? Do you know your way around Canva—and perhaps even enjoy creating a good post? IFC needs someone to help manage our social media presence, keep our community informed, and make sure the good work happening throughout IFC gets seen.
MARKETING MANAGER
If you have a smidge of background in marketing, we’d love to borrow some of that experience. This is an opportunity to help shape how IFC tells its story, promotes its programs, and reaches both members and the larger Puerto Vallarta community.
Both are year-round leadership roles, beginning as soon as we find the right people. Expect approximately 3–4 hours per week, with a lighter commitment from April through July.
You don’t have to learn a brand-new skill to make a difference. Sometimes volunteering simply means bringing the skills you already have to a cause that can put them to good use.
Interested—or know someone who might be a great fit? Contact Committee Chairs Peggy Nelson and Jan Wood at president@ifcvallarta.org.
IFC EVENT SILENT AUCTIONS
Turn Local Generosity into Community Good! Do you have a gift for connecting with people? Enjoy meeting local business owners? IFC's Events Committee has a volunteer opportunity that lets you put your people skills to work for a wonderful cause!
We're looking for enthusiastic volunteers to contact local businesses, including members of IFC's Preferred Providers Program, to request donations for our silent auctions. Contributions might include gift certificates, merchandise, dining experiences, or other special offerings.
And here's why it matters: Every peso raised through our silent actions supports the IFC's cleft palate surgeries program and IFC grants for education and social service charities. Your conversations with local businesses can translate directly into meaningful assistance for people in our community.
Volunteers needed at any time, between now and through March 10. Time commitments are flexible. Please contact ifc.eventscoordinators@gmail.com to get involved.
IFC OPENING RECEPTION - Many Hands Make Light Work!
Help us get the party started! And, put everything back together afterwards. IFC needs three volunteers to assist with setup and teardown for our Welcome Back Opening Reception on December 6.
Setup runs from 2:30-5:00 PM and teardown from 7:00-8:30 PM. Volunteers should be comfortable lifting up to 20 pounds.
It's a one-day commitment and a great way to lend a hand behind the scenes!
Interested? Contact the Events Committee at ifc.eventscoordinators@gmail.com
CLUBHOUSE FACILITIES /AUDIO-VISUAL
Are you handy? Do you like tech? We would love to have your support in the IFC Clubhouse. We are looking for the right person or persons - someone with that kind of mind - who is interested in how things work - to support our various clubhouse systems, especially helping with the audio-visual for presentations, but also with clubhouse security and other systems.
Please contact Stan Wagner, at stan@redthreadcg for more information!
Please contact
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