Thanks to all of you who have donated over the years, Hogar San Pablo is becoming a “new” home for our boys. I was lucky enough again this year to spend my birthday with Father Tovar in Mazatlan , Mexico . Our founder, Donelle Manton, of the Tres Islas Orphanage Fund, was there with me and several other donors to rename the orphanage to honor the kindly priest who has devoted his life to rescuing and salvaging the lives of over 500 boys who have come to call this orphanage “home” over the years:

I would like to share the day with you in pictures.
Our boys have grown so much over the past few years and are becoming such fine young men! In large part, this is due to all that you have done in rebuilding their home to a structurally safe and sanitary one and supporting them with nourishing food.

 The third photo down is a photo of some of the first boys (now men!) Father Tovar rescued in 1975 that grew up at the orphanage. They still consider Father Tovar their father.  Many of these men, their wives and children as well as the boys who live there now attended the renaming of the orphanage to “Father Tovar’s Home for Boys” and the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

On Tuesday, we began work, for the third year in a row at the orphanage.  The back yard was in need of an over-haul. The boys had nowhere to play that was clean, no basketball hoops or volleyball net. A major clean up and restoration was much needed.  Thanks to the great help of many donors, the Tres Islas Orphanage Fund was able to pour cement to establish a basketball and volleyball court with courtside benches to sit on and a wall so the basketballs and volleyballs would bounce back into the court instead of going over the edge of the property, down the steep, adjoining hill, never to be seen again. Equally important, a sidewalk was poured so Father can go to the court and watch his boys play (and give them playing tips!) The boys worked side-by-side with us, learning the proper way to paint professionally, helped us tear up and haul-off weeds and debris and enjoyed two days as we became better friends and buddies. 

Our mission was to repaint the back walls, which had never been painted and in places were tagged with graffiti as well as to re-stripe the basketball court. Mark, age 17, from Washington, who was our youngest donor, worked hand-in-hand with Bob, from Colorado and Al, from Florida in removing the old basket ball hoops and putting up the new ones (in very hot weather!) Genca, from Colorado , Jan, (Mark’s mom) Dotty, from Pennsylvania and Marta, from Florida , worked side-by-side painting and clearing the rubble-strewn landscape. Tom and Donelle purchased this red Volkswagen van (aka “The Maz Mobile” to haul all of our tired bodies around during our stays in Mazatlan!

A very special thank you to all of our work crew and the people in Mazatlan who helped make this happen for Father Tovar’s Home for Boys. . .Hogar San Pablo.

The final touches were done on Thursday.

A Job well done by ALL!

Father Tovar watched from his window while all of us upgraded what he now calls “our beautiful park” and when we completed the improvements, Father joined us on the basketball court and threw the first ball.  

Being a part of this project, having so many of you care and also be apart of it, fills my heart with so much
Love and Joy. 

Thank you, for all you have done.

Laura M