November 2013 Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Fundraising through volunteering at the PGA golf tournament

Summary To support our partners at the health project, the Horse Theraphy and Integral Care Centre, volunteers and staff participated as volunteers in the PGA Golf Tournament. The centre works thanks to donations and volunteers that help with the therapies. By participating on this activity we helped them to get funds to continue running their programme; this will contribute to the integral development of children with special needs. The cost of the necessary therapies that the each child needs for a month is around 115 USD and most of the parents lack the resources to cover it; therefore the need to participate in various activities to raise funds.

Figure 1 Inaugural shot

Report The Horse Therapy and Integral Care centre was created due to the concern that parents of children with special needs had as they were interested in rehabilitating and improving the quality of life of their children. It was formed on March 18th 2008, to help children and young people with physical injuries, motor, mental and sensorial disorders. The parents had an active role in the creation of the centre, and they were trained and learned to ride horses to help on the therapies1. Since its creation, the centre has worked to raise funds to maintain a school where some of therapies are delivered as well as the extra sessions they have at the horse centre and the pool. One of the activities where they participate to raise funds is the PGA Golf Tour. The players and tournaments of the PGA TOUR support more than 3,000 charities. These local and national organizations work in a range of areas affecting the lives of millions in the communities where they live and play2.

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In 2007, El Camaleon made history by becoming the first golf course to host an official PGA TOUR event in Mexico, and for the third time the Horse therapy and Integral Care Centre made a team to volunteer in order to get funds. As one of our main objectives is to support our partners to raise funds as well as to continue working towards the integral development of the Figure 2 Second shift team children at the Special Needs School, GVI volunteers and staff participated volunteering for 4 days along with other 11 volunteers from the centre (fig. 1 & 2). Some participated as marshals and some others as captains, to be in charge of the 16th hole in the two shifts. Thanks to this participation, the Horse Therapy and Integral Care centre received a grant of $4,000 USD. For each GVI participant they received a donation of $285USD, meaning that in total, the GVI volunteers and staff raised $885USD that will cover for 7 months of therapies for one children at the Special Needs School. We are very happy to have participated in this great tournament that helped our partners to get a very useful donation to continue running their programme and that will reflect on the children s well being. To find out more about the Health Project in Mexico visit: http://www.gvi.co.uk/programs/volunteer-healthFigure 3 GVI volunteers in training at the PGA tour

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References 1 http://ceai.org.mx/ 2 http://www.pgatour.com/

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