For the past few years, I have had the pleasure of heading to Cabo San Luca, Mexico for a vacation, enjoying Sammy Hagar’s Birthday Bash and recharging. However, when you love your job – it never really leaves you. So, being the servant leader, I try to be – you find ways to continue to “Pay it Forward”.  Thus – my good friend Bryan Shaul came into my life.  For ten years running, he has put together a group that has donated clothes, toys, health products, and in my case new soccer balls. As a group, we load donated suitcases and bags – transport them down and then pass out the goods to many underserved communities as we could.  The suitcases and bags were then left behind to aid additional efforts.

Since poverty and inequality indices are increasing along with tourism, some civil organizations and foundations are promoting humanitarian tourism, which has the idea that travelers occupy part of their time and resources, with the purpose of showing solidarity with those who are going through difficult situations due to war, disease, poverty, famine, or a natural disaster, and help them selflessly.

The Indiana Indiana Soccer Association has always prided itself on thinking outside the box to make our sport inclusive to all and to help those less fortunate find a way to enjoy the world’s most popular game.  Teaming with the Fundacion Solmar is one of the civil organizations that most encourages humanitarian tourism.  Our team was able to visit the organizations below – specifically a school for single-parent families suffering from abusive relationships and a local soup kitchen/community center for a poverty-stricken community.

• Los Niños del Capitan, founded in 1999, is a registered Mexican non-profit charitable organization dedicated to helping children from low-income mothers and children living in poverty in Cabo San Lucas. Our mission is to provide day-care/school to children living in poverty in a safe and loving environment; to provide a social and educational foundation that will assist the children to become useful, self-assured individuals; and as needed, to help parents develop a sense of responsibility and respect for their children.
• Ninos de la Sirra AC (For the Children of the Sierra AC) – Is a soup kitchen and educational programming for more than two hundred children. Paty Rivapalacios, director of the foundation and the dining room, organized with her team the inn for the children who come to receive their daily breakfast at their facilities in the Caribbean Bajo expansion neighborhood. The trust is that the entire community has shown to continue collaborating with the Association" Por los Niños de la Sierra ", whose concern is to provide opportunities and quality of life to the most vulnerable children."

Obviously, they loved seeing the soccer balls and ODP jerseys/shorts going out to the kids, but they were even more blown away by the fact that 82 bags were collected and donated full of all sorts of needed items (clothing; shoes; toys; stuffed animals; candy; toothbrushes/health care kits; etc.). Servant Leadership at its best!

About The Solmar Foundation - The Cause:  

The primary goals of the Solmar Foundation are best explained through the history of the Solmar Group and its founder, Don Luis Bulnes. When Don Luis Bulnes came to Los Cabos, the town was little more than a small fishing village with a landing strip and a fish cannery. His visionary approach created water, electricity, and connectivity infrastructures that transformed Los Cabos into the bustling and successful tourist destination it is today 

The health and prosperity of Los Cabos is deeply intertwined with the vision of the Solmar Group. Aligned with this view, our company created the Solmar Foundation, a non-profit organization that lends a helping hand to members of the community that need it most. Because of our founder’s role as President of the Fire Department’s Patronage, we are proud to say the Solmar Foundation received Mexico’s Presidential Commendation in our efforts to provide aid to the less fortunate. 

 Well Forward and How You Can Help - Our anonymous benefactor has done it again this year and sent $500 to help with luggage fees/shipping for the Cabo/La Paz kids!!! So, we am looking for anyone in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, or other nearby states that doesn't have to pay baggage fees to volunteer to haul a bag down for me! I will ship the suitcase to you via UPS Ground and will decide at your convenience in Cabo to get it picked up and brought to Playa Grande. Our goal this year is 70 suitcases and looks like my Indiana group will be bringing between 30-35 so looking for some help on the remainder.  

For info on how to help Contact: Bryan Shaul bryanshaul@gmail.com

The objective – Servant Leadership and Paying it Forward.