In case you missed it or don’t live in Arizona, you can still see Laura interviewed on Horizonte.  The show, hosted by Jose Cardenas,  airs every Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. on Arizona PBS Channel 8.

Catch the show tonight to see one of Laura’s friends, Mark Walker, discuss the AFP/Hispanics in Philanthropy Event which Laura attended yesterday.  Mark Walker is the new Vice President of Development for Make-A-Wish Foundation International and Member at Large at AFP (Association of Fundraising Professionals).

The AFP Luncheon was followed by a stimulating panel discussion, featuring:

• Belen Gonzalez, Grants Manager, Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, “Women’s Giving Circles.”
• ErLinda Tórres of ALAC, Advocates for Latino Arts & Culture Consortium , Inc.
• JP Dahdah, President of Entrust and the Advance Guatemala Foundation.
• Patricia Lewis, ACFRE, Senior Professional-in-Residence, ASU Lodestar Center

If you miss seeing Mark tonight, you can watch him online by going to Horizonte’s web site.

We will all be shopping for the holidays, but with a tighter budget this year.  With GoodShop, you can buy your gifts and make a donation without spending an extra penny.

Plus, you will shopping at the same places you would shop anyway: Toys R Us, Amazon, Apple, Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Best Buy, HP, Barnes and Noble, Sephora, Sears, Macy’s, PetSmart.  You can even buy gift cards or e-gift cards at the stores or through American Express.  Some stores allow you to buy online and pick up at your local store!

It takes just a few seconds to go to goodshop select your charity (we hope you choose Tia Foundation), and then click through to your favorite store and shop as usual.

Please tell 10 friends about GoodShop and GoodSearch today. They’ve been featured in the NY Times, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, Oprah Magazine and more.

Charities need our help to spread the word now more than ever!

P.S. Tia Staff uses GoodShop to make all our travel arrangements with sites like Travelocity, Expedia, Cheap Tickets and others.  We buy all our office supplies thru Office Depot, Staples, Office Max and Sam’s Club.  We always check GoodShop first before buying anything!

Confirmed cases of Dengue Fever now number in the thousands in the state of Jalisco, Mexico, though some estimate suspected cases as high as 25,000+ and the season is far from over.  Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever cases, the more serious strain, comprise more than ten percent of all reported cases.  During a normal 52 week year, Jalisco sees an average of less than 2,000 cases.  Unfortunately, cases are popping up in areas that do not normally see Dengue activity.

There is no cure and no vaccine to prevent Dengue.  The best defense is to eliminate places where mosquitoes like to breed, properly apply mosquito repellent, and use screens to prevent mosquitoes from entering homes.  Any standing water containers should be removed and cleaned to eliminate the mosquito eggs and larvae.

Tia staff (Laura and Kate)  currently in Mexico liberally applies strong mosquito repellent and follows all the recommended guidelines.  Our Community Health Workers (Promotoras) also have received thorough education, thanks to UAG’s PMC brigades,  in preventative measures as well as how to care for Dengue patients and how to identify when a patient needs escalated care.  Our partners at UAG’s clinics, hospitals and PMC brigades are working tirelessly to offer excellent care to all those afflicted.

We hope that our friends here in Mexico at UAG, Global Vantage, ITESO, etc.  recover quickly and stay well!

As of Wednesday, August 5, 2009, the Tia Foundation is registered as a non profit organization in Mexico. The news came a month after official papers were submitted, making Tia now officially known as Fundacion La Tia in Mexico!

This registration enables us to accept tax deductible donations from Mexican citizens and employ full time staff in Mexico, as well as receive other benefits available only to registered non profits. In addition to these substantial benefits, being registered in Mexico makes Tia eligible for several international grant programs, and will greatly increase the credibility of Tia in Mexico.

Thank you to all of our board members in Arizona for their support during this process. And a very special Thank you and Welcome to our new Mexican board members: Monica Garibay Fernandez del Valle, Antonio Dominguez Perez and Eduardo Barron!