History of Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico

Our little town of Porvenir, tucked between mountains that circle it, has about 1,200 inhabitants (and that’s not counting the dogs, cows, horses, and chickens). With the ocean a scant 20 minutes away, we experience a temperate climate ideal for growing wine grapes  and all sorts of outdoor activities. People come from all over Mexico to sample our wines, ride horses through the vineyards, bolt around town and the mountains on rented quads, or sit quietly at one of the many boutique hotels scattered about. It seems with each passing year, more tourists seem to visit our little valley, which for most of our neighbors makes for good business.

Despite the affluence of those who visit, those who live here don’t enjoy many luxuries. Many toil in the vineyards or work long hours at the factories in neighboring Ensenada. Frankly, most of the families squeak by earning $110 per week. Some folks in the states spend that much on Starbucks in a month!

Despite the obvious hardships of providing the basics, let alone saving for medical costs or children’s birthdays, the ability to create opportunities for children to play organized sports is something they only hear about from family who live north of the border. Both parents here usually work six days a week and rely on extended family to help raise their children. The thought of taking children to sporting practice let alone participate on a team seems more a dream than a reality.

Tournament of the Valley 2007
Over three years ago a local church (along with assistance from Ventana Ministries) started a youth soccer league for the elementary aged children. We organized a four weekend tournament for local children to develop skills and play soccer. Volunteers were contacted using the adult soccer leagues and teams were quickly formed with parents and coaches willing to bring this opportunity to their children.
Ventana contacted a few AYSO organizations in the states asking if they had any used equipment and uniforms they could donate to the cause. The response was very encouraging. We were donated tons of soccer gear and uniforms from towns as far as Las Vegas. Eight teams were scrambled together, representing different local towns from the valley, with one of them being a team from the local orphanage (who just happened to win the entire tournament.)

The tournament resulted in a pleasant surprise; the teams wanted to keep playing! We are pleased that the league continues to play each Saturday simply because of their love for soccer. We now have children from an orphanage, Indian reservation (yes Mexico has those as well) and six neighboring communities regularly gathering for competitive games. Normally many of these children would never have contact with one another until they got to high school they are enjoying activities their older brothers and sister didn’t enjoy.

How can you help?
I presented the idea of starting a baseball league for the elementary students to soccer coaches. Many liked the idea but I detected a bit of hesitancy. I assured them they wouldn’t have to be the coaches for this as well, and their half-hearted smiles turned into big, cheesy grins. We brainstormed who they knew that had baseball experience and if they would be coaches that cared for children. Nearly a dozen names were bantered about in a matter of minutes. The ball was beginning to roll; we now had to hope for baseball gear.

This past summer Ventana contacted Little League Baseball Committees from the great Santa Cruz area to see if they could help us develop baseball in the area. During the board presentation it became evident early on that they had accumulated tons of discarded or obsolete equipment that was filling up storage sheds. They liked the idea so much that they sent out fliers, posted it on the website, and made announcements during the try-out season.

With open hearts and glad spirits, countless families cleaned out their garages and closets to donate unwanted baseball gear. We have gathered enough equipment (helmets, bats, and catcher’s gear to equip about ten teams), but are lacking in cleats, gloves, and baseballs.

We are planning on holding our 1st annual Valley Tournament and baseball clinic during Spring break when the local children are out of school. We are currently contacting professional baseball players, HS coaches and players, to join in our effort to lead our 3 day clinic. The dates are tentatively set for April 6-9th.

If you could rally a few folks in helping gather donated equipment or even help at the clinic that would be a tremendous bonus as well.

Updated 3/01/2009