Becas Vallarta is celebrating 50 years of continuously giving scholarships to Vallarta's young people of great ability and inadequate resources. We are proud to have done this with an all volunteer force - no paid staff, no office, no telephone, no office equipment! Our marvelous volunteers do everything at their own expense!

Tickets are still available for our major fund raiser - the upcoming Becas Ball at the Casa Magna Marriott Hotel in the Marina on Saturday, February 26 at 7:00 p.m. It is going to be a fabulous event with a cocktail hour compliments of local businesses in the garden, sit down dinner in the ballroom with wine donated by Trio and Vitea, music for dancing and entertainment by Grupo Cubana and an incredible Silent Auction of prizes donated by the generous businesses of Puerto Vallarta and beyond.

To whet your appetite for the event there will be gift bags filled with amazing items from Fandango Teatro Vallarta, Lalo Morelos, Marcelo Mico, Carl Timothy, June Rosen and more.

We have door prizes capped by white gold and diamond earrings by Nino Fopianni of Mexico City, a spectacular Silent Auction, featuring dinners in Champions Sports Bar, Café des Artistes, Daiquiri Dick's, Época, La Palapa, Mikado, No Way José! and The River Café.

We have Hotel Stays in the Hacienda San Angel, Casa Isabel, Casa Magna Marriott and Embarcadero Pacifico in Puerto Vallarta; Casa Encantada in Patzcuaro, Casa Espiritu Alegre in Guanajuato, Dickinson Guest House in Guadalajara, Quinta Don Jose in Tlaquepaque.

We have recreation at Ed Eden Eco Park, Barcelo Hotel, Canopy River, Club de Golf de la Marina as well as Objects de arte from Artell, Elements, Lalo Morales, Mundo de Azulejos and Jewelry from Cassandra Shaw Jewelry and June Rosen Lopez.

We cap it off with a bottle of Tequila Don Crispin, orchids from Florese Vallarta and the "Piece de resistence" by Lalo Morelos Design Department on Constitution - a bedroom chair of Mexican Primavera covered in natural linen from Oxaca with a painted back of La Perrita Loca.

All of the above have been donated by incredibly generous businesses who believe as we do that we can change lives through education and make a real difference in the lives of our students, their families, their city and their county. What a tribute to these companies who themselves are experiencing this bad economy, but continue to support Becas Vallarta.

Tickets are $100 USD or $1,200 pesos. Please call me at (322) 223-1371 or 044-322-182-0215 or email me at phvicars(at)gmail.com for your tickets before it is too late.