Back in December I was fortunate enough to be able to go out to Mexico for a week, specifically the region of Puerto Vallarta. This wasn’t for me to top up my tan, but to visit the projects set up by ‘The Seaver Foundation’ (TSF) on behalf of RunThrough, who have been supporting the charity since it’s creation, and see for myself the impact they are having on the community.
So, I would to introduce you all to the incredible Seaver Foundation!
The Seaver Foundation, founded in 2014, promotes socially excluded children’s rights to participation. Working with the children and families within the Madre Selva, Gardenia & wider Bosque del Progreso (MSG) region TSF is striving to open the door of opportunity for the community.
Through the employment of local professionals, and passion shared amongst volunteers it was clear to see from the day I got to MSG that those doors where most definitely opening.
Something I was not aware of, and in all honesty took for granted having grown up in the UK, is the disproportion of schools and teaching resources in comparison to children. This significant imbalance means that children are only receiving half the school hours we do in the UK and are scheduled to attend either in the mornings or the afternoons to ensure all children are taught everyday. So there is no wonder why the children of MSG are falling behind their UK counterpart.
This brings me to tell you about the first project I visited – Little Steps, Big dreams.
Little Steps offers a morning (10am-12pm) and afternoon (1pm-3pm) class for children aged 3 to 14. Classes include maths, reading and writing and physical activity, and both the morning and afternoon sessions are offered a meal before they leave.
Growing rapidly Little Steps has seen numbers jump from 16 to 92 in the past three months after positive reviews from both the parents and children as well as the schools attended by the children. With the capacity meeting only a fraction of the demand for schools in Mexico projects like Little Steps are essential to ensure the children are meeting their potential and being offered every opportunity to learn.
There was one project in particular I was keen to see, the boxing programme implemented by TSF and solely supported by RunThrough. The boxing project was introduced as an extracurricular activity open to all ages and abilities within the MSG community – run every Saturday morning from 9:30-11am by the very talented teacher Roberto, whose excitement, passion, belief and commitment is remarkable. It is even known that he wakes the children before the session to make sure they don’t miss it, this just speaks volumes for his character – what a role model!
With children aged anywhere between 3-17 years old currently attending there is a clear calling for activities the children can take part in over the weekend. Attendance has a tendency to fluctuate week on week seeing anywhere between 3 and 14 children take part, this can be due to the heat, a neighbourhood party the night before or changes in family circumstances.
Saturday Box has become an integral part of one young girls life and through recent sponsorship by RunThrough she has been able to join a professional boxing gym. Jessica, now 14, was highlighted by Roberto because of a natural talent and passion for the sport from the offset – she is now training 5 nights a week in a professional gym alongside an experienced cuban coach. I think it is safe to say the doors for opportunity are wide open for Jessica and it brings joy to us all at RunThrough to have recently received the news that she had her first amateur fight a couple of weeks ago and WON!!
I can honestly say that I feel honoured to have had the opportunity to see TSF in action and I am incredibly proud to be a part of RunThrough having seen the impact made through continuing financial support. The Seaver foundations collaborative and open culture can only lead to great things!
If you would like to run in aid of The Seaver Foundation and help to fundraise for this incredible hidden gem of a charity and help us to continue our support, register your interest on the TSF website HERE.
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Find out more about The Seaver Foundation and how you can get involved on their website HERE
You can also follow them on Facebook @TheSeaverFDTN and Instagram @TheSeaverFDTN
If you have any questions or just want to get in touch to learn more about RunThrough’s partnership with The Seaver foundation feel free to contact me at [email protected].
