You can help the children with your contribution.
Please send contributions to the following address:

Radiant Futures
2635 Kendalwood Ln
Charlottesville, VA 22911

100% goes to care for the children

A unique quality of our organization, all of our Directors and Management Staff are volunteers. Which means all the money raised for the children goes to the children. This idea is very important to Radiant Futures, founder and president Gloria Call. It was her plan when creating this organization that if a donor contributed a dollar for the children, 100% of the dollar would go to the children and their needs. With the dollar so much stronger than the peso in rural Mexico where we are working, every dollar does make a difference. We are so grateful for the contributions by many of you to make this effort a success.

Please help, even $10 makes a positive difference.

Interested in Volunteering

We would be happy to have you ...

Director of Volunteers:
Tyler Croft, Email: radiantfutures@gmail.com

Location

Los Alamos is located in the small town of Rosario Ixtal, which has about 400 citizens. This is in the State of Chiapas but away from the unrest in the northern part of the state. We are located in the southernmost part of Mexico. We are only a few kilometers from the country of Guatemala. The largest city near us is Tapachula and the city we fly into. It is about 20 kilometers from the Pacific Ocean. The climate in Tapachula is hot and humid but in Rosario Ixtal we are much higher and while it is still hot, it is quite comfortable. Los Alamos is about 25 kilometers north of Tapachula toward the mountains. The summer is the rainy season and we get quite a bit of rain, usually once a day in the afternoons. The winter is much dryer but during both seasons the evenings can get cool and a sweater or light jacket is recommended.

Travel

You can get to Mexico by way of numerous airlines. You should book on a flight that will get you into Mexico City in the morning or late afternoon in order to make a connection with one of two airlines that will take you to Tapachula. The two airlines are AeroMexico and Aviacsa. Both have flights into Tapachula, Aviacsa is often cheaper but with less availability. For your return flight there are 7:00 AM flights out of Tapachula which get you back into Mexico City in the morning. Then you can book a flight to leave Mexico City anytime after 10:00 AM. It is very important that you let us know what day and time you will be arriving in Tapachula so we can pick you up at the airport.

We have had some success with volunteers traveling by bus also. There are good first class busses that traverse southern Mexico. We would only recommend the first class busses. A good websight to check is http://www.ticketbus.com.mx/ which can be viewed in both English and Spanish. If you are considering bus travel, talk with the director of volunteers for more information.

Room/Board

We have space available in Los Alamos for your stay. Los Alamos is a 6,000 sq. ft. home with running hot water. You will be sleeping in dorm style rooms with the children. We have made arrangements for meals to be provided. We ask for a contribution of $100 (U.S.) for the first week, and $50 (U.S.) for each additional week, per person. This will cover the cost of the meals, transportation to and from Tapachula, Chiapas, MX (upon arrival and departure) and utilities during your stay at Los Alamos. We prefer the volunteers to actually stay at the home, as there is not a good alternative in the town.

Expectations of the Volunteer

Your job is an important job and much will be expected of all volunteers, who will need to place the needs of the children above their own. The days are long but rewarding because we are working with these wonderful children. The majority of your time will be spent teaching, caring, reading, and playing with the children. We want to encourage most of the time you spend with us to be in direct contact with the children. We want them to grow up with an appreciation for different cultures, different people, and different ideas. We want you to sing songs that you knew from growing up, tell them stories that your parents told you, and share with them the games and activities that you enjoyed as a child.

We also ask you to bring some recipes that were your favorites growing up, or are typical of your family or your region. Most ingredients you will need to cook them are available, and we want to you to cook what you know also. This is all part of helping the children experience as much as possible and give them every advantage in knowing more languages, knowing more cultures, and appreciating what other people can teach them.

As you begin your time, you will probably spend a lot of time doing the things that the children want to do. They are getting old enough to have definite ideas and desires. As you spend more time with them, the ideal is that you transition from what they want to do all of the time, to leading and guiding them through things that you know how to do and love to do with children. Taking them for walks around the grounds, showing them butterflies, and doing small arts and crafts. It will will be your challenge and reward to come up with these activities that stimulate their little brains and imaginations.

The home at Los Alamos is very much like running a large efficient family, everyone contributes. We are looking for volunteers who can see what needs to be done, and do it. In addition to spending time with the children, your time will be also spent assisting with duties around the house and grounds - which may include meal preparation, painting, cleaning, landscaping, gardening, and general upkeep i.e. watering and weeding.

Above everyday duties, each individual may have certain talents that they can contribute. Some volunteers have painted murals, some have showed cake-decorating skills, some love to garden or play music. Whatever your skill, we want you to share that with us. There may even be an opportunity to share that skill with adult members of the community by teaching them in our new workshop.

We keep Los Alamos a smoke free environment for the health of the children, so if you smoke please find a way to suspend this during your time with us.

Knowing Spanish is a plus but it is not critical for you to come. At Los Alamos we speak English to the children because we want the children to be fluent in English as well as Spanish. This gives them an advantage in life; both culturally and eventually in jobs and contributing back to society. Many volunteers would like to pick up some Spanish, or have a chance to practice Spanish while in Mexico. Be assured, you will have plenty of opportunity to practice. Only the children and some of the people at Los Alamos speak English, and communication with everyone else is in Spanish.

Costs

As a small private organization, we do not have major sponsors or outside sources of funding. Therefore we ask that volunteers provide their own transportation to Tapachula, the nearest airport. From there, someone from Radiant Futures will pick bring you to the group home. Once in Mexico, we ask for a contribution of $100 (U.S.) for the first week and $50 for each additional week to cover the cost of meals and housing. There are no other costs associated with volunteering with Radiant Futures. It is recommended that you exchange your extra money from dollars to pesos either in your home country or at the Mexico City airport before you get to Los Alamos. You will want to bring some additional money for transportation costs throughout the towns, and extra spending money for treats, gifts, mosquito repellent, souvenirs, and whatever else you desire to buy while you are in Mexico. The cost of living is very inexpensive, so this does not amount to much.

Safety First

We want your experience to be a rewarding one so we encourage activities with the locals, some sightseeing, and recreation when time is available. You will be exposed to Mexican culture and the amazing natural beauty of lush southern Mexico. This is a great opportunity to enhance your Spanish and to gain an appreciation and love for the Mexican people as you serve the little children. However, all volunteers need to realize that this is a foreign country and many activities common in your country are not available or wise in Mexico. To protect the volunteers, we have established a 9:00 PM curfew and we discourage dating and travel at night unless accompanied by another person. Once you are at Los Alamos we will advise you of additional customs and actions that will help to make your stay a rich, rewarding, and most importantly a safe one. All safety rules must be obeyed for your protection and the protection of the children - disregard of them will require your leaving, for your own protection as well as that of Los Alamos and the children there.

Communication

There are several Internet cafes that have sprung up in the small town close to Los Alamos. For communication purposes, we have found that this is the best way to stay in touch with your loved ones. A free web-based email account, such as Hotmail or Yahoo can be easily accessed (although learning to type on Spanish keyboards will be frustrating for the first little while.) This is quite inexpensive, usually about 7 pesos an hour (60 cents U.S.). Some international cell phones have worked in town, but none so far have worked at Los Alamos. It tends to be much cheaper to call into Mexico than to call out. Volunteers can give the number at Los Alamos to friends and family to call in. International calling cards can be purchased for calling out, but again, are expensive.

We are very excited for you to come to Los Alamos and to be involved with helping to enrich the lives of our little children. We have found that each volunteer has something different to offer to the children and the home. And each volunteer's life is enhanced in a different way by the work of service that they perform here. We look forward to receiving all the greatness you have to offer and watching how your life is enriched through helping the lives of our children.

Get Involved

If this experience is of interest to you, please contact our Director of Volunteers, to discuss your interest, and when you can volunteer. The earlier the better, as our volunteer space does fill up!

Tyler Croft, Email: radiantfutures@gmail.com