Hello, my name is Barry Talbot. I have proudly been a member of Rotary for 40 years and have been affiliated with the Canadian Wheelchair Foundation for 20 years. I have served as past president of the Yellowknife Rotary Club, and I’m currently a member of Club Rotario Mazatlan Norte and an honorary member of the Obregon Rotary Club.

For the past three years, my wife, Julie, and I have, with the assistance of family and friends, have supported the school in Santa Teresa located in Mazatlan, MX. The community is one of the poorest in the city. This past Sunday we visited the community and identified 8 families that could use help this Christmas season. There are more, and if this fundraising drive is successful, we will extend the help to other families.

To make this possibility a reality, we have launched a fundraising drive on GoFundMe entitled Operation Christmas Hope for Santa Teresa.

The people here face hardships that most of us can only imagine: homes with no heat or air conditioning, many with dirt floors, cupboards that are often bare, and children who have learned to stop wishing for a Christmas gift. This year, with your help, Julie and I wish to change all of that.

Our goal is simple:

: to place gifts in the hands of children

: to deliver food and blankets to the families

: to provide baby formula and diapers to mothers who receive little to

no support

Every contribution matters—no matter the size—and becomes part of the miracle.

A $20 donation might buy a child their first toy, a $30 donation could give a family a holiday meal, and a $50 to $100 donation could buy blankets, baby formula, diapers, and supplies that will last well beyond Christmas Day.

Together we can bring joy to the children, relief to the parents, and hope to a community that needs it more than ever.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being part of Operation Christmas Hope for Santa Teresa.

All the best to you and your family this Christmas.

Julie and Barry