Category: Make It Happen

Legend of the Hummingbird

A truly magical evening at Liga MAC A.C.‘s Legend of the Hummingbird! ? In support of Liga MAC students and families, this evening under the stars featured a contemporary dance performance, as well as modern Mexican cuisine prepared by San Jose del Cabo’s top chefs! Special thanks to all of those who #MakeItHappen!

Changing Lives Through Education

Liga MAC is changing lives through education.

For 21 years, Liga MAC has helped to nourish, heal and give opportunities for education to thousands of individuals in the community of San José del Cabo, B.C.S. Mexico. This includes over 5,000 grants to children and young adults during the last 13 years. Learn more about their mission online: Liga MAC A.C.

Ocean Blue World: Behind The Brand.

Cabo’s Most Exclusive Luxury Platform Creates Impact with Philanthropic Giving

Ocean Blue World, a global leader in the luxury market, is committed to helping nonprofits achieve their missions. Integrated into the fabric of the company, the global networking platform continues their journey of philanthropic giving through meaningful efforts that empower change. With a growing list of discerning clients, internationally recognized luxury brands and advertisers, their far-reaching sphere of influence is a powerful instrument that speaks to the heart of human experience. Behind the luxury brand, it is the bigger narrative of focusing on the greater good of others that remains at the center of it all.

Ocean Blue Magazine, the sister component of Ocean Blue World, donates a double spread for philanthropic initiatives in every quarterly edition, shining the light on various nonprofit organizations. Strategically aligning with writer @rafaelmicha, Managing Partner of the renowned Grupo HABITA, this donated editorial contribution celebrates giving opportunities and upcoming benefit events in the art, health, and education scenes. Encouraging participation and joining in the conversation, Micha, in collaboration with Ocean Blue World, brings to the foreground the importance of supporting a good cause. Read the latest issue. With an international print distribution structure, Ocean Blue Magazine is well positioned to unlock the power of giving and share their charitable compassion to readers around the world.

Well respected in the Los Cabos community and beyond internationally, Ocean Blue World, alongside the authoritative force in the luxury real estate market – Engel & Völkers Snell Real Estate – willingly gives back to those in need contributing time, talent, resources and services. Committed to making a difference, the company´s philanthropic endeavors center around collaborating with Los Cabos homeowners, high-profile business owners, entertainers, captains of the industry, members of royalty and investors, all in support of hardworking local charities.

Vanessa Fukunaga, Owner and CEO of Ocean Blue World and Engel & Völkers Snell Real Estate states, “We sincerely cherish our participation alongside the myriad of charitable organizations in Los Cabos and beyond and work hard to ensure that giving back to the community is top of mind. The act of giving is a core value of our business and provides meaning for what our teams stand for. As we grow, so does our ability to give back to the community.” Fukunaga, on the board of the AMA Foundation dedicated to saving the oceans, and the youth center for Club de Niños y Niñas Baja California Sur, among other charitable establishments, is the driving force and vision behind Cabo´s most exclusive luxury platform leading with passion and strength to genuinely help those in need.

The forward-thinking luxury brand raises awareness of philanthropic efforts through a dedicated #MakeItHappen section on their elite digital platform and an in-house Ocean Blue Productions team that presents #BehindTheScenes coverage at local charity events. Additionally, a specialized team of social media experts seek to interpret messages of social and community impact, including an upcoming digital Turtle Watch campaign that tracks Ocean Blue’s turtle on its journey through the seas. Follow the excitement in 2020 as Ocean Blue World looks forward to furthering their commitment and significance with philanthropic giving.

Ocean Blue World is proud to support the nonprofit organizations including Casa Hogar, Liga Mac, Los Cabos Humane Society, Los Cabos Children´s Foundation, Heart4Cabo, Building Baja´s Future, Red Autismo, The Del Vado de Santa Rosa Children´s Kitchen and more.

Transforming Lives One Heart at a Time

#MakeItHappen for Los Cabos

In a tourist hub known more for it’s party night life, most people who visit Los Cabos only see one side of the diverse destination.  Scratch under the surface a little bit and many gems are to be found, from local choirs and orchestras to locally sourced authentic restaurants and tiny isolated beaches.  When you go even deeper you find people doing incredible things for the community and people that live and work to make this paradise what it is.

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Project RCKLESS, founded by DJs Rik Sotero and Less Santana, started Heart For Cabo after Hurricane Odile destroyed many homes and businesses in 2014.  A Category 4 making landfall is a rare and devastating occurrence and was a source of great pain for many families.  The silver lining is that it also woke up the need for community action and support.

Heart For Cabo provides many different types of help for the people including: raising money and donations for food and clothing, building houses, providing medical supplies, education and counseling.  These are just a few of the amazing things they have done over the last 5 years.  Heart For Cabo recently provided Christmas gifts for many families bringing smiles and joy to roughly 85 children through the help of donations and volunteers.

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Altruistic to the core, Heart For Cabo is a non profit organization and are truly doing this to make the world a better place.  They believe in the pursuit of love and service to others, improving the welfare of the people. Nearly 30 homes have been built but more than just the structure, which on it’s own is impressive, each family has been taken in as part of the community, adopted, and loved.

Writer David Rakoff said, “Altruism is innate but not instinctual. Everybody’s wired for it, but a switch has to be flipped.”

Thank you Heart For Cabo for making it happen and flipping the switch!

The beautiful Baja Peninsula is not only home to many prospering communities but also a flourishing marine life. These thriving communities have been successful due to the essential efforts done by many local organizations to protect and conserve the biodiversity of Baja.

The ten Baja Waterkeepers are part of those groups doing the amazing work to ensure the right to safe and clean water in the beautiful communities of Baja that we call home. The Baja Waterkeepers Fund at the International Community Foundation (ICF) supports the regional collaborative of these ten Waterkeepers fighting for clean water and healthy communities.

Collectively the Baja Waterkeepers are conducting monthly monitoring programs on over 75 coastal sites for bacteria and pollutants that pose public health risks. The results are published immediately on Swim Guide – an app that provides real-time water quality information on the beaches you are visiting. The Waterkeepers are ensuring you stay informed that your favorites beaches are safe for swimming for your family and friends.

Additionally, the Waterkeepers are building resilience in their communities by leading environmental education workshops, beach cleanups, youth leadership programs, conducing illegal fishing surveillance and leading efforts to restore and protect watershed ecosystems. Their work is countless and extremely vital for our thriving Baja communities.

Most recently, their work was effective in collaborating with their local partners in passing the single-use plastic ban in Baja California Sur. Now, they are diligently working to implement this ban by educating their community (businesses, hotels, schools, restaurants, etc.) to focus on changing their plastic use and moving towards a more environmentally conscious choice.

Strengthening their work helps shape future environmental policy and behavior in this incredibly biologically diverse region. You can be a part of the solution when you donate to the Baja Waterkeepers Fund.

For more information on the Baja Waterkeepers, contact Angelica Leyva, [email protected]

Understanding and Combatting Cancer in BCS

By: International Community Foundation (ICF)

What causes cancer? How do we improve our chances of catching it early and treating it successfully? These are questions that every country is trying to answer. Especially in Mexico where malignant tumors are the third leading cause of death, resulting over 84,000 deaths in 2017.

The International Community Foundation (ICF) has been working to improve cancer treatment in Baja California Sur (BCS) for nearly a decade. In 2007, ICF invited representatives from the St. Jude International Outreach Program to explore the development and implementation of a much-needed Pediatric Oncology ward at the public hospital in La Paz. Since that initial visit, a partnership was formed with St. Jude, Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego, UCSD, and several local organizations, and ICF has granted approximately $200,000 to support staff training and needed resources to provide the highest quality of care and services for these young patients and their families.

In recent years, local partner organizations in BCS have shared their alarm over official statistics and anecdotal evidence of extremely high cancer rates in the state. But as they dug deeper, they realized what was missing – data.

After a few years of research and planning, ICF and local partners, including La Paz-based organization Center for Renewable Energy and Environmental Quality (CERCA) and fellow-funder Los Cabos Children’s Foundation, launched a population-based cancer registry, in order to collect demographic, diagnostic, and treatment information.

On January 14, 2019, the BCS Cancer Registry, A.C., now an official Mexican nonprofit organization, signed a collaborative agreement with the state’s Secretary of Health, beginning a formal relationship to ensure consistent access to medical records and the ability to inform public health activities and policy.

With high quality data on the size and nature of the cancer problem in the state, medical officials and policymakers can take needed actions to improve early detection and treatment, increase prevention efforts, and study possible causes of cancer in the region.

ICF is proud of its role as financial supporter, technical advisor, and thought partner for this important new effort and we look forward to learning more about how to combat cancer in Baja California Sur. To learn more or to support this work directly, contact Alana Ortez, Senior Health Program Officer: [email protected].

Since 2010, there has been Children’s Libraries in La Paz, Baja California Sur, specifically designed and created for children from 1- 12 years to fall in love with reading. Currently there are 5 free Abrapalabra Children’s Libraries located in strategic places throughout the city.

The goal of Abrapalabra is to make books available to children and to share them as a source of inspiration and fun. Helping to change the misconception that they are boring and compulsory, which is often the impression children get from their school work.

At Abrapalabra, kids will always find original, interesting, attractive, and inviting stories for reflection. Their goal is that children improve their reading

comprehension through creative manual activities that make their imagination fly. Every afternoon from 2:00 to 6:00pm, from Monday to Friday and on Saturday mornings, they have storytellers and librarians who overflow with creativity and inspiration to offer to their young readers.

In addition to the books, Abrapalabra also offers Robotics and reading comprehension workshops with Lego Education teaching materials.

When in La Paz you are welcome to visit one of their beautiful libraries and watch the magic happen!!

For more information and to support Abrapalabra’s work: you can visit their donation page, go to the ICF website- www.icfdn.org or Contact Eliza Brennan, ICF Program Officer, Education- [email protected]

This Valentine’s Day, women are feeding their hearts with love, wellness, and health. And Go Red For Women, a non-for-profit organization pioneered in 2004 by the American Heart Association, is leading the charge on this initiative, proving that through awareness, research, and educational programs, women can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, one red dress at a time.

Yes, we said dress. With heart disease and strokes claiming the lives of over 500,000 American women, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), the AHA, and various other organizations have joined together to coin the red dress as a national symbol for women and heart disease awareness.

Thus, amid New York Fashion Week, there’s no better time and place to showcase the power of the red dress, then across the runway.

On February 7^th, models, celebrities, and influencers – including Sheinelle Jones, Padma Lakshmi, and Brooke Burke – adorned their favorite ultra-fabulous red dresses in honor of the annual Go Red For Women Red Dress Collection event in New York City.

But these ladies in red didn’t only strut designer gowns, sequins, and Bichon Frise puppies, but a message of empowerment. That when fought together, there’s nothing women can’t do to.

And by the end of the evening, they proved correct, raising thousands of dollars to support the Go Red For Women cause.

Supported by Macy’s, women can continue to celebrate this month of love all February long with inspiring stories, lifestyle tips, and the purchase of Calvin Klein’s red dress with 10% of proceeds donated to Go Red For Women.

Located on a 250-mile coastal wetland complex in Baja California Sur, Laguna San Ignacio is a refuge for the Pacific Gray Whale to give birth and raise their young in harmony.

Like many of today’s magnificent natural wonders in the world, this place has kept its wild and pristine status through the collective efforts of conservation groups and funders joining together with the local community to seek permanent protection for crucial areas around the lagoon.

This Alliance successfully secured and protected 340,000 acres and 150 miles of coastline, virtually eliminating the threat of industrial or large-scale commercial activity and permanently protecting 199,000 acres of critical habitat. The Alliance is continually working towards sustainable economic alternatives to protect this beautiful ecosystem.

Our efforts to conserve Laguna San Ignacio as a wild sanctuary are motivated by our fundamental connection to nature. The health and well-being of our planet depends on the protection of wildlife and their habitats, as well as gaining the support from the communities living in the places we are fighting to protect.

Without people taking action, true conservation cannot be advanced. Please support our efforts in maintaining the ecological integrity of this crucial gray whale sanctuary by making a donation to the Laguna San Ignacio Whale Fund.

The International Community Foundation protects the natural beauty and ecological integrity of critical sites in Mexico and Latin America through collaborative initiatives, such as the Laguna San Ignacio Conservation Alliance. The Laguna San Ignacio Whale Fund held at ICF supports the long term protection of Laguna San Ignacio and the gray whales. To find out more about how to visit the Lagoon or to support the Whale Fund contact us at https://icfdn.org/