Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - A barefoot little girl came up to me one day in Puerto Vallarta and gave me a pink heart-shaped sticker. Then, looking up with her sad eyes, she held out her hand. I gave her two pesos and went on my way feeling very strange and forgot about it quite quickly lying on the beach with a coconut.

When I remembered I was at the annual Rockin' Under The Stars fundraiser listening to a speech by Melissa Canez about the work of her care organization Corazón de Niña. I wondered where the girl was now.

With all of the luxury Puerto Vallarta has to offer it can be easy to forget about the underlying poverty. It can also be very easy to turn a blind eye to it while you try to enjoy your vacation or retirement. Melissa Canez has certainly not done this.

Corazón de Niña was started when Melissa took in some children from an orphanage that was closing down. Now she has 45 children, aged four months to twenty-three years, living in two houses, all from backgrounds of extreme hardship such as squalid living conditions and human trafficking.

Melissa's efforts are made possible by donations and fund raisers like Rockin' Under the Stars, as Corazón de Niña receives no funding from the government.

Rockin' Under the Stars was one of the best nights I've had in over five weeks of being here in Puerto Vallarta. It took place at the Casa Karma boutique resort, located on a beautiful beach cliffside, with the sun setting out across the water.

I met some great new people that I wouldn't have met normally, and everyone was very sincere and proud, happy to help make a difference and give back to the community. The buffet food was of the highest quality, all kindly donated by local restaurants, and there was live music by sold out performer Paul Fracassi. There was simply a great atmosphere and a real sense of celebration for the success of Corazón de Niña.

They have operated since 2011 and made some amazing progress. "We have embarked on a 2016 full of confidence and gratitude, thanks to our ever-growing family and community of supporters," Melissa Canez said. "Our children are thriving in every way, enjoying a tremendous sense of security, opportunity and unconditional love. They are busy attending school and English classes with an average GPA of 90 per cent, and partaking in many after-school activities."

The newest chapter of the Corazón de Niña story is the launch of their home-made tortilla factory. Not only will this generate income, but it will also be a great way for the children to work and gain business skills. They have shown an impressive entrepreneur-like attitude in that "they did their own market research, figured out all the logistics, distribution networks and developed the concept and product to be different than any other tortilla factory in the Banderas Bay region."

The night ended with dancing, and I caught a ride home with Michael Nolen of the Good Morning Wake Up Show. I told him about the barefoot little girl giving out heart-shaped stickers and we both agreed it was ironic - sad and ironic. Yet with organizations like Corazón de Niña you can have hope and optimism. The work that they have done (and continue to do) is extraordinary.