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
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 $23,000 US$
“Netza” school … Cruisers and international visitors donated school supplies and performed several impressive “workdays” fixing electrical, installing fans, cleaning, painting and landscaping.
2003
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.
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.
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.
2007
Sailfest is now a 5-day event and includes an auction with donations from local businesses and artists.
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.
2008
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.
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.
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 .
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.
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.
$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
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.
Parents dig for the new foundation
First three classroom building completed
Second three classroom building
under construction
Third three classroom building completed
Second three classroom building completed
Final three classroom building built with funds raised by 10-year-old Austin Brown.
In 2014 a new kitchen was added which was funded in memory of Judy White.
New washrooms and office 2013
Roof over basketball court provided by Porlosniños, City of Zihua and private donor
2013
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$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
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$101,500 Scholarships .
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Other projects included reconditioning of old computers, and donation to Rotary Children’s Emergency fun.
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.
$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.
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.
$86,200 pesos Niños Adelante students, 3 Niños Adelante university scholarships & 1 special matching-grant scholarship.
$193,103 pesos General Grants
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
Kínder Nueva Creación, Col. El Progreso, Coacoyul, – 2 new classrooms
Colegio de Bachilleres
2016
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.
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.
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
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.
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
$2,049,845 Construction:
Construction also of a kitchen, dining room, 2 bathrooms. Also many repairs and upgrades to other schools.
$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
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
Vicente Guerrero built a new kitchen
Roof over the basketball court at Tropicana Primary
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
2021
$1,249,985 Construction total
Refurbished a science lab
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
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.
$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.
$1,881,546 Scholarships
• 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
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.
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
Before - only half constructed classrooms
Now - there are walls, windows and doors
Before - no roof, walls or floor
Now - a beautiful computer room. Rotary Ixtapa supplied the computers
Before - open classrooms, no walls, or doors
Now - there are walls, windows and doors
Before - a deplorable bathroom system
New septic system, boys and girls washrooms with doors
Before - incomplete structure of classrooms
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