Volunteer Opportunities in Lo de Marcos
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
There are so many wonderful opportunities to volunteer while you are here visiting. Volunteerism adds a richness to your stay, an opportunity to meet people you might otherwise never have met, to give back to the community, to integrate more deeply, and to feel the wonderful sense of connection and satisfaction that comes from giving of yourself and your time.
There are opportunities in Spanish and English, with adults, children, and animals, with care for the environment, one time opportunities, on-going opportunities, gifts of time, or items, or money. There is always a way to give.
“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” – Muhammad Ali
Below you will find a current list of volunteer opportunities, along with descriptions, commitment, whether you need to speak Spanish, and who to contact. Thank you for your interest and generosity!
May your volunteer position bring you more goodness than you ever could have imagined!
Proyecto Tialli:
Proyecto Tialli is a one to one service project that pairs volunteers who speak some basic Spanish with people who are chronically ill, housebound, at end of life, or otherwise isolated.
The commitment is one hour per week for a minimum of two months.
Helpful skills include: movement educators, yoga, nursing or medical backgrounds, massage, recreational therapists, commitment, an open heart, a desire to make someone’s life just a little better.
You must speak some basic Spanish. You will be supported for the first several meetings and then you will create your own relationship and focus for your time together. You will have a chance to meet people in the community that you would otherwise never know, and you will gain a much deeper understanding of the realities of this community and what people here face. You can make a huge difference.
Contact Molly Lannon Kenny WhatsApp +1 206 579 7813 or La Ermita LdM Facebook
Los Limpiadores:
A clean up group, working together for an hour each week, cleaning up an area of Lo de Marcos town or beach.
ALL volunteers (and all languages) welcome!
Come once or come every week.
Contact Shelley Cook WhatsApp +1 218-831-5225
Ocean Connectors:
Ocean Connectors Mexico is an environmental education program that visits public elementary schools from Las Lomas (Bahía de Banderas) to Las Piedras (Compostela). The children learn about sea turtles in 4th grade, about whales in 5th grade and about migratory birds in 6th grade. In addition to the class, we organize a field trip for the groups, where they carry out pre-planned activities. We have space to receive volunteers in all processes, we can give a list of dates and times to visit the schools and support the groups in our presentations.
The presentations and activities last two hours, and each day we go to a different school. I can pick up the person interested in volunteering and take them home, depending on which community we go to, we could have a 10-40 minute drive. During the presentations you can help us to keep order in the group and help children with writing difficulties to complete their activities. Also technical issues such as connecting computer equipment.
During the field trips we take the children from their school to Costa Canuva, our partner, where we do activities depending on the grade and the topic seen in class. This activity involves arriving at the assigned school, checking permits, loading the children into a truck and taking them to the site (all accompanied by a member of the ocean connectors team). At the site different activities are carried out, the volunteer can help by giving a workshop (if he/she speaks some Spanish), or organising the site and the children, taking pictures. Finally the children are returned to the schools. Again, I can pick up the volunteer and take him/her back home. Estimated time: 6 hours, including travel time.
We also need volunteers to organize the events. This year we are going to have one community event, a small environmental fair on October 13th, in the community of Paso de las Palmas (10 minutes from Compostela) with workshops for the children of the primary and telesecundaria.
We need volunteers to support the workshop participants and for the logistics of the event. During March next year we will have our first fundraising event in Mexico, it will be in Lo de Marcos and we need volunteers for the organisation of the event, as well as to sell some tickets and to support us in the development of the event. Contact: Zinthia López: 4431895168 or María Hernández 3221311827
Amigos de Animales Lo de Marcos:
Various volunteer opportunities throughout the year to help with Amigos de Animales Lo de Marcos, a local animal rescue in LDM. Including helping at sterilization clinics, walking foster dogs and socializing them, working the information booth at the local Tianguis, driving animals to veterinary appointments. Contact Nancy McKenna Whatsapp +52 322 384 1745 or FB Contact Deb Tulsky Whatsapp +1 617 571 1033 or FB
