Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - Under the sponsorship of IFC, the Libros for Learning group returned this year with more libraries for kids in Cabo Corrientes and Puerto Vallarta.

They started with a visit to the Refugio Infantil Santa Esperanza (RISE) with a library of Spanish books for the elementary age kids. Glenn Baron, Patrick Baron, and Alicia Rangel from Libros for Learning were joined there by Mandy MacLeay, IFC President; Mel Bornstein, Glenn’s uncle and chairman of the IFC Education Committee; and Bill LeBeau, Vice President of the IFC with his wife Beverly.

After that, Glenn, Patrick, and Alicia headed out to Cabo Corrientes with six more libraries. They visited schools in Las Guasimas, Chimo, El Refugio Suchitlan, La Sacuceda, Chacala, and Mascotito. They were joined on their trip by two men in the newly elected city government, Ignacio Palomera, the Director of Foreign Relations, and Carlos Cesar Robles, the new Director of Education, who got a chance to see the kids with their new books.

In the past five years, the IFC and Libros for Learning have supplied more than 35 libraries to schools in Cabo Corrientes and outlying areas of Puerto Vallarta. Their efforts have provided more than 6000 books.

There are a couple of pieces of great news for education in Cabo Corrientes. First, the new Presidente of Cabo Corrientes is a former teacher himself and is setting a high priority on school progress. The second is that early plans are underway to turn an old schoolhouse in Tehua into a community library. This would be the first public library in the district. The foundation set of books for the community library is the Libros for Learning library that has been in use in the school since 2008.

The folks in Libros for Learning are making plans for the coming year. They will conduct a reading workshop for the primary school teachers in Cabo Corrientes. This seminar will focus on using book packs to teach reading skills in small groups. If you are interested in helping with this, or know someone who is an elementary teacher, please contact Glenn Baron at gbaron(at)carolina.rr.com.