The San Miguel Community Foundation (SMCF) has completed another successful year of grant donations to some of San Miguel’s most needy charities.

During the past year local charities received a total $126,104 from SMCF, an increase of $8000 over 2009. The grants went to 16 organizations.

Although founded over 30 years ago as a pass-through to provide U.S. tax deductible receipts for U.S. citizens contributing to qualified Mexican charities, which it still does, SMCF is much more than that.

SMCF uses its own earnings to underwrite community projects not undertaken by specific organization. Donations to SMCF come from generous people in our community through bequests such as cash donations, houses, land and other non-monetary items. The distribution of grants twice a year from this endowment pool has become its most important function. These donations are tax deductible.

Typical of last year’s grants were funds given to Casita Linda to help build two homes for poor families in the campo.

Aid was also provided to Cruz Roja. Three Mexican foundations made a country-wide offer to Cruz Roja chapters that if they were able to purchase one ambulance, they would match it with a second ambulance. SMCF provided a matching grant to our local chapter and two ambulances were secured for SMA. SMCF also provided Cruz Roja with trauma equipment and oxygen therapy equipment.

SMCF donated money to the Lions Club for diabetes testing, matched a grant requested by the Mid-day Rotary Club to refurbish a fire truck for the Bomberos, helped fund a spay and neuter clinic van for Amigos de Animales and a new cattery for the SPA, and provided funds for scholarships to Mujeres en Cambio and Jovenes Adelante. Many other organizations were helped in similar ways.

SMCF would like to thank each and every one of you who has made a donation this year. It is good to remember, especially in this time of economic hardship, which affects the neediest the most, the adage of Norman MacEwan “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

SMCF is holding a seminar on March 11 on estate planning. It will emphasize how you can take advantage of estate planning options. The speaker is Mike Jarvis, a financial planner from the U.S. Look for more information in future Atencion ads and articles. Mark your calendar now.

For more information about SMCF please go to the website at www.sanmiguelcommunityfoundation.org or call 152-7447 to speak to the SMCF bi-lingual administrator, Araceli Cerritos.

The collaborative efforts of the Midday Rotary Club and the San Miguel Community Foundation resulted in the Fire Department (Bomberos) of San Miguel de Allende successfully refurbishing an old truck. Chairman of the Bomberos board, Juan Antonio Pérez Solis said, “The truck we received was originally given to us a few years ago, but it had many defects and for about a year was left in the truck plant in Salamanca. We needed about 150,000 pesos to repair it.” Plans were made to buy a truck in Arizona, but the acquisition was not feasible, and the expat community decided to support the Fire Department by repairing the truck, which now is in excellent condition.

The Midday Rotary Club and the Rotary Club of Trail Blazer, Canada, along with the San Miguel Community Foundation helped the firefighters raise the necessary funds for repairs. The truck is the ideal size for San Miguel’s narrow cobble-stoned streets. Pérez also announced that another truck is in repairs and will be ready in about 10 weeks at a cost of 150,000 pesos. “We have already paid 100,000 pesos thanks to money raised by selling Firemen calendars with the support from the Rotary Club.” He said a new fire truck costs about 1.2 million pesos and currently it is impossible to buy one.

John Doherty, a member of the Midday Rotary Club, added, “I went with my fireman’s helmet to the San Miguel Community Foundation to ask for their cooperation and we raised US$7,500 to repair this truck, and we’re working with the calendar sales to repair a second truck. We are very proud to work with the firefighters.”

The Fire Department currently has three first-response fire trucks, a rescue truck, two ambulances, two utility trucks and a 10,000-liter tanker truck. The department’s staff of 60 is made up of firefighters and emergency medical technicians who respond to fires as well as deal with gas leaks, hazardous materials management, automobile rescue and medical emergencies.

During the official handover of the fire truck, Mayor Luz Maria (Lucy) Núñez; president of the Rotary Club–Midday, Enrique Orvañanos; president of the Fire Department, Juan Antonio Pérez Solis; director of Liaison with NGOs Irma Rosado and members of the San Miguel Community Foundation, among others, were present.