February 8th was a special evening for children in need of help in Puerto Vallarta. Some of the 43 young boys and girls living at Refugio Infantil Santa Esperanza, a children’s shelter, came to the Celebración Para Los Niños event at the SECRETS Vallarta Bay/ NOW Amber resorts to sing and dance to the delight of over 300 people attending. Other children from Sendero de Esperanza y Amor, a non-profit organization supporting families living at the site of the old dump in Bosque de Progreso, also performed and later joined into a fun congo line snaking throughout the Gran Salon. Even the children dancers of the famous Ballet Folklorico Xiutla benefited from the generous hearts of the people at this special event. Vallarta’s finest restaurants provided delicious and plentiful food for this spectacular evening along with a constant flow of wine, beer, sodas, etc. Over 200 donated items or certificates went home with lucky bidders at the silent and live auctions, raising needed funds for basic operating costs at RISE and Sendero. Thank you to the committee members and volunteers for their hard work and devotion to this project; to SECRETS/NOW for their amazing support; and to all who attended this wonderful and magical evening “para los niños”. See you all again next year!! For more information about RISE, please call 222-7857. Visiting hours are Monday through Saturday from 11:00 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. For information about Sendero, please email Cecilia Altamirano at Cecialtdom@hotmail.com