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 News from Around Banderas Bay | February 2008 
"Big Jack" Food Festival and Make-A-Wish Mexico Fundraiser at Fidencio's a Success
 Bob Cohen - PVNN
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| | MAW Executive Director, Rosario Cibrian took a break from the Make a Wish booth to chat with BanderasNews reporter, Bob Cohen. | 
| | 181 people attended Make-A-Wish Mexico's 8th Annual "Big Jack's Barbeque" Food Festival and Fundraiser on February 8th. | 
| | From left to right - Nancy, Big Jack and Ed holding the nice hunk of prime beef. | 
| | Bob Mandel, (L) Founder and President of Make-A-Wish Mexico with MAW Vice President and owner of Tropicasa Realty, Wayne Franklin. | | |
One hundred and eighty one people gathered together at Fidencio's Restaurant on Los Muertos Beach in Puerto Vallarta on February 8th to attend Make-A-Wish Mexico's 8th Annual "Big Jack's Barbeque" Food Festival and Fundraiser.
The big question I had was, "who is 'Big Jack,' and have I been missing something in the Puerto Vallarta non-profit community the last few years?" Meeting Jack, I asked him how he first got involved with the Make-A-Wish Foundation. From Linden New Jersey, Jack and his family began to vacation in Puerto Vallarta a number of years back.
He was aware of Make-A-Wish from the United States and contacted the local office, which is also the national office for Mexico, and asked how he could help. Since he has been running a catering business in New Jersey for years, he decided to offer his culinary expertise for a casual, fun dinner to help MAW raise money for the terminally ill children that the organization caters to.
"Big Jack's" Barbeque has become a Make-A-Wish tradition thanks to Big Jack, who has been coming every year to offer his work and talents, to the delight of those of us who enjoy his outstanding cuisine, and in support of the Make-A-Wish Foundation in Puerto Vallarta. Jack has also increased the length of his vacations here and has purchased a house that he will utilize more each year.
This year was no different than previous years - except it was better. The food is brought in with the whole group directly from their catering business in New Jersey giving those that crave some U.S. style food from time to time the chance to enjoy the scrumptious dishes that Big Jack and his team and family prepared.
This dinner was a great opportunity to gather, share and enjoy good times, while at the same time supporting the mission of Make-A-Wish Mexico. Between ticket sales and the 50-50 raffles, $15,000 pesos were raised to help fulfill the dreams of boys and girls from all over Mexico that need the strength and encouragement necessary to face the illnesses and/or long term treatments that gravely strike them at such young ages.
For those that missed the event, the menu included the following delicious items:
• Roast Prime Rib Carving Station
• Texas Style Pulled Pork
• Jumbo Saffron & Garlic Shrimp
• Stuffed Shitake Mushroom Chicken Breast
• Pasta a la Vodka
• Eggplant Rollatini
• Pork Tenderloin w/Port Wine Sauce
• Swedish Meatballs
Beer, Wine, Sangria and sodas were also included in the ticket-donation price.
On hand at the event was Bob Mandel, the President and Founder of Make-A-Wish Mexico, who is very comfortable grabbing a microphone and asking folks to buy more raffle tickets and donate more for the kids that are served. The Puerto Vallarta staff was at Fidencio's as well: Rosario Cibrian, the Executive Director; Mary Carmen, the Executive Assistant; and Adriana, who heads up events and fundraising.
Since its foundation, Make-A-Wish has granted more than 187,000 wishes worldwide, and each day many more wishes are added to the list. It is for that reason that events as generous as this are of extreme importance to the foundation and its ability to carry them to the afflicted kids.
If you are interested in visiting the Puerto Vallarta Make-A-Wish office to get involved, or make a donation to the organization, please use the contact information below.
Make-A-Wish Foundation de Mexico
San Salvador 337-A
Col. 5 de Diciembre
(322) 222-9111 or 222-9112 |
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