There are many ways you can help Amiguitos and make a difference in vulnerable children's lives.

Go!
Give Financial Support
Volunteer
Gather Supplies
Tell a Friend

Go!

By traveling to Veracruz you will experience first-hand the challenges and joys of vulnerable children and families.  Teams are formed for: guiding patients through the clinic, Medical Histories (bi-lingual), Dispensing Medicines/Vitamins, Intake Station(taking blood pressures, weight, height & temperatures), Medical Team (Doctors/Dentists), Bags (preparing gift bags), Pharmacy (Pill counters, Pharmacists and label writers), Children’s Program (education, crafts, games and outings), and Construction (Painting, Concrete, Wiring). Everyone can find a role on a work trip.  Family groups are encouraged (generally children age 12 and up).  Often groups of teens sign up together with adult sponsors.

View current Veracruz Trip Registration Forms (PDF)
Travel Information about Veracruz, Mexico (PDF)

Give Financial Support

Amiguitos  a tax exempt public charity!  Please write all checks directly to "Amiguitos" and send to our address below.   Of course you can still give online (click the "Donate" button) or mail in your check.  Thanks!!

Amiguitos
Attn: Curtis Wait
228 S Jefferson Ave
Louisville, CO 80027

Your ongoing support enables current programs to expand:

Sponsor a Child
($160 USD per child per 4 month school term or $40/month)
Children go to school hungry and do not learn.  Amiguitos is feeding children every day so that they will learn and grow.  In addition, every day children receive help with their homework in our Amiguitos center (or attend the Amiguitos center as their school if they are unable to attend public school).  To sponsor a child, simply make a $160 donation (checks to "Amiguitos" sent to Amiguitos, 228 S Jefferson Ave, Louisville CO 80027 or click the big yellow "DONATE" button and use a credit card online).  We will assign you a child and contact you each term to renew your sponsorship.

We collect for school terms each January, May and September (or some sponsors find it easier to have their bank automatically send funds/ or have Amiguitos charge their credit card each month).  Email us at info@amiguitos.net if you want us to  help set up automatic payments.

$40/month is too much?  You may sponsor a child's food ($25/month) or tuition to the homework program ($15/month) and we will find another donor to pick up the remaining amount.

Annual School Uniforms and Fees
Some students can not afford to pay for the uniforms required at the public schools or the fees for public school and so would not attend school without help.  These costs  are ~$200 USD per student one time per year.  Generally we discover which children need help each July and must buy their uniforms and pay fees each August to keep them enrolled in public school.

Medicine
Amiguitos provides a doctor who examines the children every month and then Amiguitos provides medicines free of charge to children to address any illness.  In addition, Amiguitos holds clinics in the public schools throughout vulnerable neighborhoods of Veracruz each June and December.  Medicine for these programs cost over $10,000/year.  A donation of any amount will help us provide medicine to keep children healthy.

* * *

Any amount of support can make a big difference for the children in these neighborhoods.  70 cents provides a meal for a hungry child.  We encourage children to gather their change and change the world for another child.

Simply donate to Amiguitos and we will assign you a child to sponsor.  Some sponsors like to cover food, tuition and uniforms for their sponsored child.  Most children have 2 or more sponsors taking care of different parts of the program (1 for food, another for tuition and a third for annual school uniforms).  The choice is yours to help as much or as little as you wish.

Amiguitos (EIN# 26-3394832) is a tax-exempt public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.  Amiguitos does not turn any child away from its programs and so food and tuition assistance is provided to all children in need who come to our centers.  Your gift in the name of a specific child represents a gift to the entire program.  Amiguitos does not use its limited resources to track gifts to each specific child from donation to distribution.  We use your donations where it can do the most good by pooling them with the gifts of others to help transform the lives of vulnerable children & families through the support of their health, education and development.  And, because you are helping Amiguitos reduce hunger and poverty, your gift is tax deductible.  

Volunteer

Planning meetings are held throughout the year to answer questions about Amiguitos and to organize support for the work trips to Veracruz, Goldi’s visits to Colorado and the continuing programs in Veracruz.

• Put up posters twice a year at your organization.
  
• Donations need to be collected, sorted & packed for work trips. 
  
• Supplies and medications need to be organized and/or purchased.
  
• Newletters and promotional materials need to be prepared.
  
• Grants must be written and administered.
  
• Donations accounted for and acknowledged. 
  
• Medical personnel need to be recruited and organized. 
  
• Volunteers to coordinate trip activities are needed in the USA.
• Volunteer as the Amiguitos contact at your organization.
  
• We are looking for board members:
       Medical Director
       Construction Director
       General Board Members
  

Gather Supplies

Donations of clothing, school supplies, craft supplies and sports equipment/toys are needed for every work trip.  A small gift (toys,  band-aids, toothbrushes, ….) is given to each participant at clinics (~1,500 per work week).  Gathering items for others to take is a great help.  Some volunteers have established a “item of the month” drive in their organization or faith community.  One month – socks; another month shoes; another month band-aids; next – toothbrushes; another – vitamins; craft supplies;  small toys….   By spacing out requests and being specific, others are not overwhelmed and find it easier to support the work trips.

Tell a Friend

You may not be able to go to Veracruz, but you might know someone who would love the chance to join a work trip.  Talk to others about the work that Amiguitos is doing.