COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
July 18, 2008 San Miguel de Allende  

Volunteer, support and get involved with San Miguel’s nongovernmental organizations.

Amigos de Animales http://amigosdeanimales.blogspot.com/ 

We are dedicated to improving the lives of dogs and cats in San Miguel by curbing overpopulation via the spaying and neutering of pets whose owners cannot afford to pay; educating children and adults about the care of and respect for animals; and working with the San Miguel Municipality to end the suffering of street animals and lost pets.

Amigos recognizes the value of animals and is committed to serve them because they lack the ability to speak for or defend themselves in the face of abuse, abandonment and neglect.

President: Arno K. Naumann,, info@amigos-sma.org 

Atención edit@atencionsanmiguel.org
Insurgentes 25, 152-3770
Open Mon–Fri, 10am–4pm
Editor in Chief: Suzanne Ludekens

Audubon http://www.audubonmex.org/ 

The Audubon mission is to experience, enjoy and protect the birds of the region and thereby enhance and promote our understanding of the local ecosystems; to educate and enlist the people of the community to restore and maintain the quality of our natural environment. Audubon, partnering with other NGOs and the ecology departments of the city and state, will work together to restore the Upper Rio Laja Watershed; develop and maintain a birding sanctuary and research center in Parque Landeta for the purpose of education and recreation, and in the future, assist in any other related ecological enhancement and protective projects.

President: Linda Whynman, vellum1@mac.com 

Biblioteca Publica www.bibliotecasma.com 

Insurgentes 25 and Reloj 50A CP 37700
Open Mon–Fri, 10am–7pm, Sat 10am–2pm 

The library of the future and the education/cultural/community center of San Miguel is home to the second largest collection of English-language books in Mexico, the bilingual newspaper Atención, the House & Garden Tour and Theater & Café Santa Ana. Provides secondary & tertiary scholarships, art classes and many other activities for sanmiguelenses.

President Gregory Diamant

General Manager: Miguel Kegel: gm@bibliotecasma.com 

Casita Linda www.casitalinda.org 

Casita Linda is a Mexican nonprofit organization founded in 2001. Their primary goal is to provide simple decent housing to the most disadvantaged who are living in shacks. We are focusing on helping those with such limited resources they cannot apply for government housing programs. For the families we help, even organizations such as Habitat for Humanity are beyond their reach.

Executive Director: Jean Gerber jean@casitalinda.org 

El Charco del Ingenio http://www.laneta.apc.org/charco/ 

Open daily from sunrise to sunset. Conservatory of Mexican Plants: open 9am–4pm. 

Information, memberships and guided visits: Tel/fax (415) 154-4715, (415) 154-8838 

e-mail: charcodelingenio@gmail.com. 

Admission 30 pesos, children under 10 free. Discounts for students and groups. Annual membership: 500 pesos.

El Charco del Ingenio is an extraordinary natural monument. Its name comes from a natural pool, nestled in an impressive canyon, which popular legend has interwoven with myths and stories since the Spanish conquest. Among the rocks and scrub lie vestiges of aqueducts and waterworks from the past. A historic reservoir receives the water draining from the nearby mountains, forming permanent wetlands where birds and other wildlife abound. During the rainy season, water overflows the dam, cascading into to pools in the wooded depths of the canyon. The high canyon walls open towards the west, with a magnificent view of San Miguel at the foot of the hills, the wide valley of the Laja River and on the far horizon, the Guanajuato Mountains.

Information: Naomi Zerriffi, nzerriffi@yahoo.com 

Jóvenes Adelante http://jovenesadelante.org/ 

Jóvenes Adelante (Youth Go Forward!) was founded in 2001 by a small group of volunteers in San Miguel to provide five-year university scholarships to outstanding Mexican high school graduates without sufficient resources to continue their education.

Applications are accepted and reviewed in the spring for scholarships commencing in August. Applicants must show a determination to succeed, have superior grades in their preparatorias and demonstrate the need for financial assistance. Following initial interviews, the most promising applicants are visited in their homes where the level of economic need and family support is evaluated.


Students selected for scholarships receive a monthly stipend, support and encouragement; a mentor with whom they meet monthly; and the opportunity to study English in small classes with fellow students. 

Thirty-nine scholarship recipients currently study law, medicine, dentistry, engineering and accounting in 16 universities throughout Mexico. Ten graduates are professionally employed.



New scholarships awarded yearly are determined by donations from individuals and foundations and the success of ongoing fundraising events. 



Rotary Club of San Miguel de Allende- Midday www.rotarysma.org  

Meets: Hotel Real de Minas, Tuesdays, 12:30pm 

A multicultural English-speaking Rotary Club was chartered June 30, 2005, in San Miguel de Allende Their mission is to work on projects to help the residents in the greater San Miguel community. 

President David Bossman

SPA (Sociedad Protectora de Animales) http://www.spasanmiguel.org/ 

Los Pinos 7, colonia Lindavista, (CP 37736) a right turn off Calzada de la Estación, just before the bus station. Mail: La Conexión, Aldama 3 (mark envelope SPA).Weekdays: office hours 10am–2pm; volunteers 11am–2pm. Information: Tel: 011 52 (415) 152 6124, Para información en español, por favor llamas 152-6124. The Sociedad Protectora de Animales has been leading the charge in animal welfarefor over 20 years. It is the only animal shelter for dogs and cats in San Miguel and environs.We have a 24/7 operation which houses up to 100 animals. For this, our annual budget is high and so are our spirits as we register our major makeover in the last two years.

We fund an on-premises clinic which offers low-cost veterinary care, vaccinations and spay/neuter Services to needy resident animal owners. Our adoption numbers are constantly increasing as the accumulative effect of an ever-more professional operation plays out. Recently, we have instituted a community outreach sponsorship program which trains young Mexicans to work with animal obedience and care. This provides the youth potential employment in animal sitting and care, which is much in demand among San Miguel’s foreign and traveling residents.Director: Natalie Hardy, natalie@spasanmiguel.org.