The History of Grupo de Apoyo & Y.E.S.

A summary of accomplishments since 1989:

In 1989, the first slow pitch co-ed tournament was held in La Paz, consisting of ten American teams. The 240,000 people of the city had never seen the game of softball played before. The Tri-State Umpires Association, which was hired to officiate the tournament, was approached to assist the state & city governments in establishing a slow-pitch softball program for men & women. A system for co-ed ball in elementary & secondary schools was also to be developed, as part of their physical education program.

Since then, in addition to the school programs, both little league and adult league programs have been established in the State of Baja California Sur. Some today's adult league players actually got their start in softball through our original efforts. Over 500 American friends have volunteered to collect an estimated 50,000 pounds of sports equipment & school supplies, which were delivered to La Paz and outlying areas. These items were donated primarily by American Little League teams, schools, softball teams and private industries.

In October of 2002, with the sponsorship of the International Softball Federation in Plant City, Florida, six women athletes from the World Professional Softball League joined us for clinics in La Paz. Included was Julie Smith, 2nd Baseman for the Olympic Gold Medal winning United States Women's Softball Team. The women initiated the first professional clinic for International Girls (ages 12-18) Fast Pitch Softball in Mexico. 500 girls were bused in for a weeklong series of Fast Pitch Clinics.

With the help of the Government of Mexico, we have since expanded these programs to include the construction of a Sports Complex based in La Paz to house numerous sports programs, which includes a running track, a Softball & Little League Baseball Complex. The complex is now used by these programs and for qualifying International Tournaments.

In February 2004, a shipment of soccer cleats, balls, and shin guards were sent to Chicxulub Puerto in Yucatan State. The kids were very pleased. One team called the cleats their " lucky shoes ", winning a game against a private school from Merida, the biggest city in their area. This year we started as mexican civil assoc. will all legal & notarized paperwork on the name of: ASOCIACION DE BENEFICENCIA RAYMUNDO THOMAS, A.C.

In March of 2004, our sister organization in the USA (YES), with the sponsorship of Nike, sent a 45 foot trailer full of equipment to La Paz. We also flew a group of top professional coaches down to La Paz to conducts a weeks worth of clinics in 6 sports. Girls tennis was introduced. 2005 was a banner year as for the first time in the history of the state, we have worked with the government to establish sports in the schools and now have kids ages 8-16 playing a variety of sports. We have created a soccer program for girls 8-16, which is also a first. We had the first annual Special Olympics in Todos Santos, with 150 kids participating. New Little Leagues were started in 5 villages who have never had such a program.

In March of 2006, we held the 2nd annual Special Olympics in La Paz, in which over 500 kids participated. June brought the 2nd annual Professional Coaches clinic in La Paz with 14 top USA coaches in 7 sports. We worked with over 1000 kids and their teachers in these clinics.

Musicos Amigos our sister Fd., here in La Paz has opened a Music, Art, & Dance school for 225 kids. Working with the Governor, we have been working on a new community service/special education dormitory for 150 kids, for which will have a complete music, sports, & arts program. The facility will also offer programs for seniors, job training, and child care.

2007 We started a breakfast program daily for 100 elementary school kids. We also have expanded our competitive sports programs to 4 more schools and we have over 1000 kids now playing. We have continued to get used equipment from our sister foundation YES in the USA.

2008 will be another great year as we now because new donor, AHK FD and YO, inc. Fd from Boulder Colorado have started construction on a new Sports /Community Center which will service 7 Colonies and over 7,000 people in all age groups There will be free classes in Art Music, English Computer, etc We will have Sports Clinics, with Pro players from the USA , Leagues and Tournaments in 5 sports. YES USA will continue to look for new & used sports equipment to supply our needs.

The opportunity to tell even a part of this story is both an honor and a privilege, especially in recognizing all those whose efforts and contributions have grown to change our communities and impact so many young lives. We believe it is quite remarkable that such a relationship between two countries with language and cultural differences can transcend every normal boundary and build a bond that continues to matter and be productive for all these eighteen years.