December 29, 2006, Susan Roettinger honored for philanthropy, By Jesús Ibarra

The late Susan Roettinger, former president of the local Red Cross board of directors, was honored last Thursday, December 21, with a bronze bust by sculptor Laura López Bañales and a commemorative plaque at Plaza de los Filántropos (Square of the Philanthropists).

Roettinger is the second member of the expat community to be honored by sanmiguelenses in the newly established placita opposite Real de Minas, on the site where the Red Cross facilities were located for 25 years. The first was the late Stirling Dickinson, who lived in San Miguel from 1937 to 1998 and was well loved by the community for his work in rural education programs and his contributions to the education of many poor sanmiguelenses.

Jaime Fenton, current president of the local Red Cross board; Christopher Finkelstein, City Hall secretary; and Bett Adams, president of the San Miguel Educational Foundation, unveiled the bust and plaque.

“Susan was an altruistic person who fought all her life, especially during the last four years, against human pain. She loved San Miguel and sanmiguelenses,” said Fenton, who announced that Roettinger’s ashes would be placed in a special site at the Red Cross facilities on Libramiento Manuel Zavala. Adams said the educational foundation would donate US$15,000 to the Red Cross for equipment.

Susan Roettinger was born in 1945 in the United States. She joined the Red Cross in 1995 and became president of the local board in 2001. During her tenure, Roettinger won several financial battles.

She left the presidency in March 2004 and moved to San Francisco, Nayarit, where she passed away on April 16, 2006. Roettinger also worked at Atención San Miguel, Hospital de la Fe, the San Miguel Educational Foundation and other volunteer organizations.

Imagine a parade of children, moms, staff, volunteers, board members and construction workers going from Hogar de los Angeles de San Miguel de Allende, A.C., to a piece of land in Santa Julia that is full of grass and cacti.

There is an excitement that keeps everyone moving to the terrano. The small children are carrying cardboard stars and wings. The big kids are carrying signs that say “¡Arriba los Angeles!, ¡Yo Soy un Angel!, ¡La Primera Piedra!, ¡Donde el Corazón Canta! and ¡Mis Amigos Son Angeles!”

That little dream became a big reality on Monday, December 18, when Hogar de los Angeles laid the first stone—la primera piedra—at our new site in Santa Julia for our second center that will offer not only daycare but also after-school care and a medical clinic.

About a year and a half ago, we met Teresita Landín, a grandmother to three of the children cared for at Casa de los Angeles. When we did our usual home visit, our director, Miguel Hernández Chávez, asked about the land behind their little house.

Teresita said that it had belonged to her husband, but since he died three years before the family hadn’t been able to pay their taxes and utilities. In helping the family get the titles to the land in Teresita’s name and helping to pay back taxes, Teresita became one of our special angels.

She wanted to help us, so she asked that a parcel of the land be put in the name of Hogar de los Angeles. A donation of 400 square meters! Since that day, we have been raising funds to begin construction of Hogar de los Angeles–Santa Teresita, named in her honor.

Hogar de los Angeles began as a free daycare center located in the heart of San Miguel on March 6, 2001. It is a safe haven for the children of mothers who come from the outskirts of town to work or to sell their wares at the local mercado. Often, these children were being left home alone before this center was established.

Laying the first stone was quite a memorable day. Walking the three-quarters of a mile to the new land, cheering and singing, was just the beginning. Betty Song, an American board member, was present, representing the other eight US board members who are working hard to continue to raise funds for the work we do.

Director Miguel Hernández Chávez spoke of how many families are on our waiting list and how this second center will help to serve even more. He said, “Hogar de los Angeles has grown to be a community center in which single working mothers find the support they need to make a better life for their families.

“Besides help with their children, these families receive medical care, meals, home and bathroom construction, transitional housing, summer camp, a food bank . . . all in a relationship of mutuality that respects the dignity of each individual.”

Founder Donna Quathamer asked all present to help bless the land and prayed for the safety of those working there. “This is truly a miracle among the many miracles we have experienced in our six years,” she remarked.

We anticipate that the construction of this second center will take about a year. If you would like to be a part building this new home, you can send your tax-exempt donation to Hogar de los Angeles, Prolongación Pila Seca 18, Colonia San Antonio.