You know there are avantages to doing volunteer work that you never expect.

Being a former nurse, I joined the Lake Chapala Society volunteer group that monitors blood pressures every Monday and Friday.                                                                                        Today I told a man, that he had great vital signs. His blood pressure was 110/70 and pulse 64 - you can't get much better that that!

He went on to tell me that he came to Ajijic with a mission, a mission to lose weight and get healthy. He did just that. He lost 80 pounds and went from a 50inch belt to a 36 inch belt.

How did he do it? He ate a good diet full of the fresh fruits and vegetables that we are so blessed to have here at such a reasonable cost AND he walked! His starting goal was 7 miles a day which he did accomplish and is now up over 20 miles a day. He walks the Ajijic malecon which measures one mile on a return walk.

He returned about 10 minutes after we talked and showed me a picture of himself on his driver's licence, double chin and all. He did not look like the same man! The one thing he emphasized is the need for daily consistancy in order to succeed.

So put on your walking shoes and take advantage of the good foods available to us here - that is if you need to improve your health! It can be done. (I think) I will try the Ajijic malecon.

I received the following e-mail this week and thought it was worth passing on. We look forward to seeing you at the meeting.

Click on the address below to see the webalbum pictures of the market held every Tuesday.

"The organic farm, ACA and its brand name Great Greens, have been a fixture in the Lakeside area for many years. Marie Pruden has been in charge of the farming part of the operation, while her partner handled the business end. Through it's years the Great Greens reputation has grown, as has demand. Being able to produce a great product and being able to manage operations are not necessarily compatible. That's why things are changing at ACA. Marie has welcomed the input of a group, "Friends of ACA", to help reorganize the operation of the farm in order to put it on a sustainable financial footing, grow the business end and provide resources to support the non-profit part of the business. Some very knowledgeable and far-sighted people are involved in this effort. You are encouraged to attend a meeting to learn about these exciting changes and to offer input to help maintain this community asset.

The meeting is Saturday, August 14th from 2:00-3:30 at LCS.

We need as much organic produce as our community can produce. Marie is committed to that goal.

Please take time to join us on Saturday. Bring your ideas!

Greg Ochs."

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrightteammexico/AjijicOrganicGardening#

You may have read in some of our blogs or newsletters about the many things we learn from our real estate clients.

One of our listing clients lives in a pretty community, La Huerta in Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico. She happened to mention one day that an organic market was held within walking distance of their home, held every Tuesday morning. So one Tuesday, soon after, Don and I took off to visit the market. It is presently held at the home of one of the members of the Green Transition in Actions Group. The group supports local Mexican farmers who wish to develop their organic farms into viable businesses. What a great market and wonderful produce! If you live in the area you too can join the group and support the efforts of the local farmers.

The group organizes events: one which I attended was a tour of one of the organic farms high up the mountain. The farmer is creating a model for others to follow. His vision is to have a community of small organic farms or homesteads. He toured us about his farm, explaining his clean water system and the organic herbs, fruits and vegetables. He is an herbalist also. After the tour a lunch was shared by all

The group is in the development stages and seeking those interested in promoting this endeavour. We have included some pictures for your interest.

Just another reason that we love our Ajijic community.

http://picasaweb.google.com/wrightteammexico/AjijicOrganicGardening#

REALTORS IN THE VOLUNTEER COMMUNITY

The longer we live here (and it has been 12 years), the more we learn about the foreign contributions to the low-income Mexican families in the community. Volunteering is alive and well at Lake Chapala.

This October I attended the 3rd Annual Women's Fair, as our LCS Blood Pressure group was hosting a booth. As it turned out, it was a good choice to attend as the organization of the affair was terrific. I was exposed to new medical doctors who were the speakers. More on that subject later.

Ninos Incapacitados del Lago(Sick Kids at Lakeside)had a booth that I visited. Rich Petersen, the Clinic Coordinator, who was manning the booth gave me their video and pamphlet. What a great video it is-"16 minutes that may save a life".

I was so pleased to see in the credits that the 20 MLS real  estate offices in the area financed the production of the video.

Please check the website to learn more: http://www.programaninos.org

I will write more on the other volunteer programs designed to help the under privileged in our community. Stay tuned.