Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - The International Friendship Club (IFC) hosted its 3rd annual Open House Tuesday evening, January 14, 2014. With over 300 people attending, the courtyard and meeting spaces were filled with members and guests alike.

The weather could not have been nicer, offering up a perfect Vallarta evening, and Jorge Acosta entertained us all with his beautiful voice and guitar accompaniment.

Guests were met at the door by volunteers and each guest received complimentary drink tickets while hors d'oeuvres were served by volunteers. Restaurants supportive of the IFC's charitable missions donated delicious offerings: Bravos Restaurant and Mi Pueblito at Los Arcos Hotel brought trays of yummy appetizers, and the River Café set up a food station serving a delicious Lasagna. In addition, IFC volunteers made many other great tasting snacks for all to enjoy.

This year there was a silent auction offering mint condition fishing equipment and a beautiful Spanish guitar that had been donated to the club. The members and guests mixed and mingled for 2 hours, meeting new people and learning about the IFC and the charities it supports.

One couple was celebrating the first anniversary of the night they met a year ago at the IFC Open House. When Linda Gilpin of Vancouver was visiting PV last year a friend brought her to the Open House, where she was introduced to Dave Beally. Dave was living full time in the Vallarta area, but is originally from Calgary. Now they are spending the winters in PV and summers in Vancouver together. Sounds like the Friendship Club lived up to its name!

IFC President Dan Grippo offered special thanks to all the volunteers who made this event possible, especially Mandy MacLeay, who organized the entire event, with able assistance from Clara Forbes on food preparation. Fred Forbes handled the beverages and Linda Mellor the entertainment, while T.J. Hartung handled the silent auction. Mariana Early and Dennis Dzubay were photographers on hand, and there were many more volunteers than there is room to list here - but you know who you are and you are very much appreciated!