top of page
Cover Photo.jpeg

HISTORY & PROJECTS

Sailfest has come a long way, from raising an initial amount of 1500 US dollars to now surpassing 3 million pesos.
We have accomplished many projects ! We have successfully constructed multiple classrooms, washrooms, kitchens, playgrounds and covered shaded areas. 
Due to the large number of projects we have completed, we are unable to display them all. Therefore, we have organized the most significant ones by year for your viewing.

2002

image.png

Sailfest was created in 2002 when one of the sailboats visiting Zihuatanejo Bay had school supplies they wanted to give to a local school. Gloria & Richard Bellack also sailors had been working with a school Netzahualcoyotl– a school founded by Maria for the indigenous children who did not speak Spanish.

 

 Other boaters joined in and they made a fun event to raise money… that first year they raised $1500US. Gloria and Richard matched that amount from the Bellack Foundation. Making it $3000US

The boaters made SAILFEST into an Annual Fundraiser.  $11,500 was raised and again the Bellack Foundation matched it into $23,000 US$

 

image.png

“Netza” school … Cruisers and international visitors donated school supplies and performed several impressive “workdays” fixing electrical, installing fans, cleaning, painting and landscaping.

2003 

image.png
image.png
image.png

Rick’s Bar donated his space for Sailfest headquarters, for the four-day events of raffles, beach day with the kids, cruisers seminars, race around Roca Negra, poker chase, chili cook-off, street fair, Sail parade with paying guests onboard, and a wrap-up BBQ.

2004 

Volunteers and work continued at the Netzahualcoyotl Primary school then gradually moved over to Nuevo Creacion, a small school on another hillside above Zihua.

LosNinos Inc a US charity founded in 2004 addressed the daily needs of the school: providing uniforms, shoes, backpacks, books, school supplies, teaching materials, and scholarships.

 

Por Los Ninos a non-profit association was created by Sailfest and the Bellack Foundation to administer and distribute the funds raised by Sailfest-related activities. The nine-member advisory committee is made up of both international and bilingual Mexican residents.

image.png
image.png
image.png

2005

Funds raised were distributed to other schools to repair roof, finish bathrooms, build security wall, buy materials for electrical circuits and glass windows, plumbing supplies for a new well.

 

Over 80 sailboats came into Zihua bay to take part in Sailfest.

image.png

2006 

“Nueva Creation Building Fund” Por Los Niños in partnership with Sailfest, the City of Zihua and the Zihua Rotary Club International established this fund to help move the poorest children from their wood and tar papered shacks on a dangerous cliff face to a new permanent primary school on the 5,000 square meters of land donated by the city.

image.png
IMG_1441.jpg

2007

Sailfest is now a 5-day event and includes an auction with donations from local businesses and artists.

 

 

IMG_0235-2.jpg
image.png

A Benefit concert and CD release party featuring “The Sounds of Zihua” a collection of music donated by local artists.

Peter Boyce on boat SV Edelweiss joined the Bellack and Underwood matching funds raised.

image.png

2008

image.png

Octavio Paz … With funds raised from the “Nueva Creation Building Fund” a completely new concrete school was built giving the children a safe school. There were so many children additional wood structures had to be built for classrooms.

IMG_3917-1.jpg
image.png

Carol’s Rice and Beans began at Octavio Paz to support their lunch program. The goal was to provide a hand-up not a handout so after a year the program moved to Primaria Vista Mar where Por Los Niños had just built a kitchen.

image.png
image.png

2009

With the help of the City of Zihua, volunteers, parents, Rotary and Sailfest funds many other schools, kitchens and bathroom were repaired and built .

image.png

With the recession, fewer and fewer sailboats were able to make it down to Zihuatanejo. But the interest was still there to help the children. The land based volunteers came forward to help the sailors carry out their annual fundraiser. Lorenzo Marbut – Director of PorLosNinos stepped in to be Chairperson for Sailfest until the sailors could get to Zihua.

2010

Emiliano Zapata Kinder/Primary School. Emporio hotel, Ixtapa donating 50% of materials and labor. City of Zihuantanejo built the bathrooms and Rotary led Arkansas volunteers painted.

image.png
image.png
image.png

Kitchen built at Colegio Bachilleres, Pantla

Scholarships ... Each year high school, and university academic scholarships as well as English language scholarships are provided to students and teachers.

image.png
image.png

 $261,273 pesos was spent on construction

$106,000 Carol’s “Beans & Rice” program has provided  enhanced nutrition at low-income schools.

2011 

Centenario de la Revolucion Primary School, Col. La Joya. Materials to begin construction of new 3-classroom school. Parents provide labor. Canadian donor pledges funds for kitchen/lunchroom.

 $103,500  Scholarships.Funding for 16 English language scholarships, 6 high school scholarships, 5 university scholarships

image.png
image.png

In addition Rotary International provided a $250,000 peso Humanitarian grant for classroom furnishings, kitchen equipment & playground construction.

 

Caring volunteers arrive weekly with suitcases stuffed full of school supplies, backpacks and uniforms.Helen & Memo (Bill Bradly  raised funds to pay a small stipend to many dedicated, young volunteer teachers. And the list goes on.

The City of Zihuatanejo donated approximately $250,000 pesos worth of construction materials, labor & school desks.

Developing Stages of Centenario de la Revolucion

2011 this is what made up a small school in the La Joya neighbourhood. Dirt floors, no walls, chicken wire and rags.

image.png
image.png

Parents dig for the new foundation 

image.png

First three classroom building completed

image.png

Second three classroom building

under construction

image.png

Third three classroom building completed

image.png

Second three classroom building completed

image.png

Final three classroom building built with funds raised by 10-year-old Austin Brown.

image.png

In 2014 a new kitchen was added which was funded in memory of Judy White.

New washrooms and office 2013

image.png

Roof over basketball court provided by Porlosniños, City of Zihua and private donor

image.png

2013 

  • $335,000 pesos. Built 5 new classrooms, two bathrooms, a school kitchen, a playgound and a Life Skills Learning Center for Special Needs cildren, in partnership with the City of Zihauaneo and International Rotary Clubs             

  • $101,500   Scholarships                                        .

  • Other projects included reconditioning of old computers, and donation to Rotary Children’s Emergency fun.

image.png

Francisco Madero, Col. Las Pozas. Provide materials to build one new classroom. Cement for floor and roof donated by Jorge Sanchez Alec. Parents donated part of the labor.

image.png
image.png

$13,200 pesos donation from Rotary International for Prim. Bicentenario de la Revolucion furniture including 60 school desks, and lights, fans, whiteboards, enclosed bookcases, teachers desks and chairs for all 9 classrooms.

2014

$686,615 pesos New Construction & Repair 

Carol’s “Beans & Rice” program provided approximately 30,000 nutritious meals to disadvantaged primary school students in partnership with Los Niños, Inc., our sister foundation in the United States.

$86,200 pesos Niños Adelante students, 3 Niños Adelante university scholarships & 1 special matching-grant scholarship.

$193,103 pesos General Grants 

Austin Brown, a 9-year-old from Texas, in two years raised enough money to build a three-classroom building & Jane Fiala donated $10,000 US for a kitchen.

image.png
image.png

2015

$686,615 pesos New Construction & Repair 

$193,103 pesos General Grants

Carol’s “Beans & Rice” program provided approximately 30,000 nutritious meals to disadvantaged primary school students in partnership with Los Niños, Inc., our sister foundation in the United States.

Carol Roman takes over Sailfest Chairperson position Lorenzo remains Director of PorLosNinos, of which Carol is the administrator

image.png
image.png

Kínder Nueva Creación, Col. El Progreso, Coacoyul, – 2 new classrooms

image.png

Colegio de Bachilleres 

image.png

2016

image.png

Jardín de Niños Francisco González Izazaga, a new kitchen & lunch área.

Colegio de Bachilleres...The project provided 6 new classrooms including a fully equipped, air-conditioned computer room, 2 bathrooms, a school kitchen, and a covered lunch area.

 

The highly regarded Bachilleres program is designed to provide an educational path to future employment for bright teens that have left school prior to graduation. Direct donors to the school include Ayuntamiento (city/county government), providing 8 construction workers for 10 weeks; CFE, CAPAZ and TelMex waived installation fees to extend power, water, sewer, and phone/internet lines to the school site. Concreto El Hujal, headed by Lic. Jorge Sanchez Allec, provided heavy machinery for one week to break up the boulder field and level the site, and provided all the concrete floors. The school parents contributed nearly $100,000 pesos, and volunteered their labor, to complete the project. (They even co-signed a loan to raise funds.) Grupo El Plateado provided the building materials at their cost.

 

The 200+ local businesses that donated gifts and services to the Sailfest auctions and raffles raised $251,390 pesos toward the purchase of building materials. The completion of this Colegio de Bachilleres was the most ambitious single-year project in the 16-year history of Sailfest/Por Los Niños and marks the 102nd classroom, bathroom, kitchen, or playground built by this community partnership.

2017

$1,229,225 pesos Construction 

$180,767 pesos Nutrition Program

Carol’s Rice & Beans Over 35,000+ meals are served to low income primary school students. Without this program many student go hungry.

$184,980 pesos Scholarships

$84,600 pesos Operating Expenses One-time government-required audit of 6 years of revenue & expenses.

image.png

One-room classroom at Octavia Paz plus 5 other new classrooms, a kitchen, two lunchrooms and perimeter security at other schools. 

Colegio de Bachilleres Additional construction at the high school with additional computer room and office, paved cancha and retaining wall.

image.png

The cruisers put the SAIL back into Sailfest, thanks to Tim & Donna Melville and all the cruisers who organized and offered more opportunities with:

Sunset and music cruises,

Rally ’Round the Rock,

Sail Parade

IMG_0512.jpg

2018

Construction :

$1,242,626,Por Los Ninos

$121,850 Concreto El Huja

$128,000 City of Zihuatanejo

$153,600 Parents Committees & Hotel Emporio 

New Cancha cover at Octavio Paz. Also, a kitchen roof, two playground roofs, a retaining wall, a dining room, a bathroom and two gates at various schools in the Zihua area.

image.png
image.png

The Joyce Cote Memorial Science Lab is the first-ever 100--% privately funded classroom. Donations were made in her memory by her husband and friends…many Sailfest volunteers.

2019

image.png

$2,049,845 Construction: 

Construction also of a kitchen, dining room, 2 bathrooms.  Also many repairs and upgrades to other schools. 

image.png
image.png

$490,023 Nutrition

Classrooms at: Madam Currie, Centenario, Kinder 20 de Novembre, Kinder Niñoes Heroes.

 

$395,500 Scholarships & Becas

$38,300 Accounting, legal, banking 

In partnership with the City of Zihua and El Hujal Concreto a Basketball court roof was finished at Aguila Que Cae

image.png

 Colegio de la Bachilleres received a basketball court

2020

$2,430,687 pesos Construction

 Colegio de Bachilleres, Las Pozas, 2 classrooms were added upstairs, and refurbished another, plus a roof over the basketball court.

$100,000 Niños Adelante English scholarships

            Grupo Caracol: $5,000.00

            Music in Zihua: $2,600.00

image.png

Vicente Guerrero built a new kitchen

Roof over the basketball court at Tropicana Primary

image.png

Colegio de Bachilleres Zihua finished the computer room and added a second floor for the Lorenzo Marbut library with room for 2 future classrooms.

S1,655,166 Becas and extra covid support  to provided food hampers to families in need 

Rice & Beans supports two community kitchens

image.png
image.png
image.png
image.png
image.png
image.png
image.png

2021

$1,249,985 Construction total 

image.png

Refurbished a science lab

image.png

New desks for three high schools in collaboration with Rotary Prince George

Built a dining room and fully equipped kitchen at Colegio Bachilleres in Coacoyul

$492,090 Nutrition Program

Food hampers and a community kitchen that fed 1200 meals per week in a low-income

$980,624 Scholarships and extra Covid help

image.png
image.png

2022

$3,178,689 Projects and accomplishments Construction 

Sailfest/Porlosninos built 6 bathrooms, 10 classrooms, 3 kitchens, 1 dining room, refurbished 10 more classrooms and put a roof on a kinder for a total of 163 projects. This would not have possible without the matching grant from Jorge Sanchez Allec, the mayor of the City of Zihuatanejo. 

image.png
image.png
image.png
MJR_4219-2.jpg
MJR_4169.jpg

$444,049 Nutrition Program 

•The Rice and Beans Program, after 11 years is still supporting Casa Para Ninos with food, King's day gifts and more. 

image.png

$1,881,546 Scholarships 

image.png
image.png
image.png

• Primary Hermenegildo Galeana Pantla – 28 Chrome Books, Rachel Plus internet program, refurbished 2 classrooms.

111,269 Operating expenses - legal, accounting and bank fees

2023

$2,189,040 Construction  

$161,219 Rice and Beans Program    

$1,307,968 Scholarships

$34,523 Emergency Medical

Guillermo Prieto Primary Covered Play Area and refurbished basketball court

Cobach, Coacoyul High School, windows for new classroom

Frida Kahlo, books for their literary program, sports equipment.  Paint for interior and exterior of school. Parents provided the labor.

Hermenegildo Galeana Primary School in Pantla

         covered multipurpose area, refurbished

         basketball court, kitchen renovation

MJR_2519.jpg
2B5A2695.jpg

Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez Primary in Los Achotes, covered multipurpose area and refurbished basketball court

Rachael Program

Hermenegilda Galeana Barra de Potosi – computer                     desks, speaker, and microphones, 20 Chromebooks                 and Rachel Sever, Air conditioning for computer classroom

Jose Marti Secondary School- 26 Google Chromebooks

Cobach Vallecitos – Rachel system, fans for computer room

Frida Kahlo 20 Google Chromebooks and Rachel Server, fans, air conditioning and refurbished  computer classroom.

20231106_121657.jpg

UAGro, San Jose, Ixtapa   - University Automata Guerrero 
Preparatorio Sistema de Bachillerajo

A joint project completed in 2023 by Sailfest/Porlosninos, City of Zihuatanejo, and Rotary Ixtapa

MJR_0279.jpg

Before - only half constructed classrooms

2B5A2941.jpg

Now - there are walls, windows and doors

MJR_0230 - Copy.jpg

Before - no roof, walls   or floor

_MJR3423.jpg

Now - a beautiful computer room. Rotary Ixtapa supplied the computers

MJR_0234.jpg

Before - open classrooms, no walls, or doors

2B5A2936-2.jpg

Now - there are walls, windows and doors

MJR_0257.jpg

Before - a deplorable bathroom system

_MJR3417.jpg

New septic system, boys and girls washrooms with doors

MJR_0286.jpg

Before - incomplete structure of classrooms

20231107_110159.jpg
MJR_0282.jpg

This is the present kitchen/common area. Maybe our next project with your help

Now - there are walls, windows, doors, roof and a coat of paint

bottom of page