Cozumel News July 4th, 2014: HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY EVERYONE!
The Stars of Cielo. A reader requested clarification of what is going on with Cielo. All indications are that it is not illegal to visit Cielo, just a warning not to damage the stars. I have provided a recap of the two June articles I found on Cielo.
What a better way to celebrate the fourth of July than to honor a great American. Cozumel’s Susan Bonnett has worked for this community tirelessly for years. Here is an update on her health and what we can do to keep her Three King’s Day Celebration going strong.
Last, but not least, The Cozumel Sun’s is starting a “New Section,” Read all about it!
In Novedades issued of Friday, June 20, 2014, the article headline read: “They go after the stars of Cielo.” Yesterday a campaign to care for this echinoderm was launched with decals and media coverage.The National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (Conanp) in conjunction with local and state authorities, service providers, environmentalists and students started the awareness campaign for the care of starfish, “No Heaven without Stars “.The campaign consists of broadcast media and distribution of stickers to avoid damage to marine organisms.
Chulim Guadalupe Alvarez, president of the environmental group Sky, Land and Sea (Citymar) lamented the lack of presence of representatives from federal agencies like the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) and the Federal Environment Protection Environment (Profepa). He said it is another example of the lack of interest by the authorities to regulate actions that threaten flora and fauna of the island. Eliot Reyes Novelo, Director of Ecology and Environment on the island said that as to the exploitation and marketing of this species, Cozumel City Council has no authority. “These vendors have their permissions from the respective federal authority regulating the issue at all times. The starfish is not a protected or endangered species.
In Novedades issued of Sunday, June 8, 2014 the article headline read: “The stars of Heaven Jeopardized.”One of the iconic sites of the island of the swallows is a starfish shelter . These echinoderms are precisely why this place gets its name, “Heaven.” It is located within one of the five protected areas in the municipality. Starfish are extracted daily from the marine environment for tourists to photograph. The representative of the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas said this is fostered by tourism service providers.
In several parts of the city it is possible to see how these specimens are sold in stalls, in the absence of the presence of the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (Profepa.) Heaven is a sandbar that forms about 800 meters from the coast, in the southern tip of the island of Cozumel. This place can only be reached by sea and it’s a must stop for tourists coming to the island.
Gonzalez Christopher Baca, office manager of Cozumel Marine Park says that dive guides and tourist services providers are the main promoters of this malpractice of handling and water extraction. The star suffers damage every time a tourist pulls it out and stays out of the water too long. He explained that there is concern that a slogan like “Cozumel, where you can touch the stars” is damaging and has punished six tourism service providers about this issue.
Three Kings Day 2015 Fundraiser
January 6th is the Holiday “El Dia de Reyes” or Three Kings Day in Mexico. The children of Mexico look forward to this holiday, as it is the day that gifts are traditionally exchanged, not on Christmas day. It commemorates the three wise men that traveled from afar bearing gifts for the baby Jesus. Susan Bonnett has been a powerhouse volunteer in Cozumel, Mexico. She realized that some families could not afford gifts for their children on The Three Kings Holiday, so she started the Three Kings Day Fundraising Project to deliver gifts to the poorest of Cozumel Families. This page is dedicated to Susan Bonnett’s Three Kings Day 2015.
In addition to Three Kings Day project, Susan organized activity groups for the children in her neighborhood. The Children That Clean Cozumel Group, raised money for the school supplies and shoes by cleaning up the neighborhood. Susan worked endless hours tending a garden for the Senior home, was a Red Cross volunteer, if there was a need, Susan was there.
While visiting family in the United States last year, Susan discovered she had cancer. Her friends and the Cozumel Community came together to keep her dream alive and thanks to the generosity of so many wonderful people in 2013, we were able to distribute over 800 gifts to the children of Cozumel, Casa Hogar Juan Pablo III (Cozumel’s nursing home) and the Bomberos’ children – Cozumel’s firemen.
We made a video of all the activities over the last Kings’ Day Celebrations and if you haven’t already viewed it, please click on this photo and it will take you to the website.
Susan is still in the U.S. undergoing care toward her recovery from ovarian cancer. The last update from her friend Joan Roberts described Susan as still struggling, but little by little, getting better. Keep her in your prayers. We all have high hopes she’ll be joining us on the next round of Kings’ Day Celebrations.
Every year Susan sent out a wish list of items she’d like to distribute to the groups she has worked so hard to support. We are asking for your support to make Susan’s Three King’s Day 2015 be once again a success. As always, there are no overhead costs with Susan’s celebrations and if you can donate, be assured the donation will go directly to the people Susan loves so much.
Who Benefits
Las Fincas Families
Las Fincas is government land the Mayans homestead in. The population is roughly 2000 and Children make up a lot of those people. Here you will find homes made of pallets, cardboard, Sheet metal and some stick style homes where the lack of running water is not that uncommon.
Casa Hogar Juan Pablo II
This nursing home started in a small house on 30th Avenue until a local woman donated land north of the Transversal Highway. The home is solely funded by donations and payments from the residents.
The Bomberos’ Children
The Cozumel Fire Department has around 32 employees to safeguard over 90,000 citizens and an entire island that entertains about 3 million cruise ship passengers each year. Susan started making sure each of their children had a gift for Kings’ Day after she discovered how little they were paid – if paid at all.
Wish List Items
Tooth paste, dental floss, tooth brushes
Underwear – boys & girls, all sizes
Hotel soaps, shampoo, lotion, etc.
Baby bottles
Personal care items – lip glosses, nail polish, Barrett’s/ribbons, hair
brushes, small sewing kits
Cash for groceries
Barbie’s or other similar dolls – new or used
Coloring books, crayons, pencils, etc.
Action figures, misc. toys, puzzles
Baseball caps – a hit with the dads
or, as Susan says:
“most of all use your imagination & have fun shopping”
Casa Hogar Juan
Pablo II Needs
The nursing home understandably has it’s own list of items they need daily:
• Pantry items
• Adult diapers
• Socks with grips, Size M
women’s clothing – blouses,
robes, sweaters, light jackets,
men’s clothing –pants with drawstring
or elastic waistbands, Size L
sports t-shirts
Gena Meyer (caribdivergena@gmail.com / 987-112-5116) and Jan Cuzamano from the No Name Bar have again volunteered to gather the donations and you can drop them off with Jan or contact Gena directly. This year, with so many problems taking extra luggage on the airlines, we’ve added an option to make a donation through PayPal. If you are interested in this option, please contact Kathy McGinn.
Cash Donations
If you’d like to make a cash
donation and direct it toward a
specific group (e.g. groceries
for the nursing home or
sponsor a bombero’s child),
please notify
Kathy McGinn
( woofem@me.com )
or Gena Meyer
(caribdivergena@gmail.com).
COMING NEXT IN THE COZUMEL SUN
VOLUNTEER & DONATION OPPORTUNITIES
The Cozumel Sun will be adding a section “Volunteer Opportunities.” Susan Bonnett’s Three Kings Day will be the first page added to this section. I am requesting that all volunteer organizations send me a description of their program, photos, description of volunteer opportunities available, contact information, and donations needed.
