Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico - Last month, Mayor Arturo Davalos cut the ceremonial orange ribbon, officially opening La Casita for service to the South Side as a dozen high-ranking City officials, members of the Amapas Neighborhood Association Board, and ANA member-contributors looked on.

La Casita will act as a substation for 24/7 police, fire and ambulance services, substantially reducing response-time for emergencies on the South side of Puerto Vallarta - from Amapas, south to Boca de Tomatlan.

Long in the planning, the City had the white-washed, red tile-roofed bungalow on Highway 200 and the manpower to staff it... but not the money for furniture and equipment to support round-the-clock services.

So the ANA, its members, friends and neighbors, including Conchas Chinas, got together and raised over $8,000 USD to buy office furniture, a Pullman kitchen (complete with refrigerator & coffee maker), bunk beds, mattresses and sheets, tables and chairs. We even stocked the fridge!

A well-attended fund raising party at ANA Board member Gene Mendoza's Fusion Restaurant - with 50% of all food and beverage sales, and 100% of everything else, going to the cause - included the 'adoption' of various items by good-hearted donors.

A good time was had by all, including a number of Bomberos, but ANA also opened a website so people who couldn't attend the party were still able to make online donations.

Mayor Davalos was generous in his thanks and praise for the ANA's efforts, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with City Hall on other projects that benefit Amapas.

ANA plans to continue supporting our police and Bomberos with needed equipment, so it's not too late to make a contribution. You can go online to GoFundMe.com/PVCasita, contact Viviana at admin(at)amapaspv.com, or call the ANA office at 322-244-0185.

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The Amapas Neighborhood Association is the official association of residents and business owners in the Colonia Amapas of Puerto Vallarta. A volunteer and not-for-profit association with about 350 members, the ANA was founded in 2002 to improve the quality of life in Amapas. We work to keep our neighborhood safe, beautiful, desirable and welcoming to tourists and residents from all countries and walks of life. We are also the official "Junta Vecinal" or neighborhood council for Amapas, the legal representative of the neighborhood to the city government. Learn more at AmapasPV.com.