Notes from the September MVOC Meeting
Introductions – Everyone gave their name and branch of service - lots of Navy and Air Force vets, few Army.
Since August’s meeting:
Another donation of food and water to the firefighters
Amazon water project –
John reported about his most recent trip to Panintsa – villagers came from three other villages to receive the donated water filters. The trip was a big success
Maria Luisa de Moreno Foundation –
MVOC and friends donated 524 notebooks, 300 pairs of scissors and over 100 folders!!! Through Frank and Susan Vault, coloring books were also added on how to be kind to animals. On August 31, Frank and Susan, along with John, Clarke, Marianne and Richard attended the party for the kids and assisted in handing out the 300 backpacks to the underprivileged students.
Special Guests:
Lucy Peralta showed hats that she makes by hand. She’s been making them for over 40 years and we could tell by the quality.
Pablo Hurtado showed his leather goods – he can make anything from belts to purses to jackets. Leather Cuero. Manufacture and Repair of Leather Goods +593 096 829-3783
Lorena Hurtado provides 24-hour nursing care to anyone that needs it. She also available to visit homes for shots and treatments. Florence Nightingale CIA,LTD, www.enfermerascuenca.com +593 097 936-8314
Kim Curls talked about her business, Horse Trekking of Ecuador. She has horses of all sizes for anyone to ride. www.horsetrekkingecuador.com horsetrekkingecuador@gmail.com +593 099 172 2849
She also does tours and told of one to a rum factory, for $11 per person, that included samples of their product.
Christian LeBlanc is a model builder and talked about how he gets his models, supplies and paint and had several samples of his work, which were amazing. He had a handout for Modeling Resources in Cuenca.
Cuenca's HVA Clinic: Mark Tomlinson gave an update on the clinic – it’s open and taking patients!!! He explained what he does, as the volunteer Veterans Service Officer, and what the paid staff at the clinic do.
Website: Francis Collins gave an update on our website MVOC.ec and the changes being made. This newsletter is being generated from there, rather than from Clarke’s personal email account and is also available for viewing there. A Facebook page is in the works as well.
Merchandise: We have hats, shirts and patches with the new logo. Hats are $8 and shirts are $18 and come in 10 colors and four sizes. Women’s shirts are available as well. The logo patch, by itself, is $4. We are not making any profit on the sales…everything is exactly what the cost is. Twelve hats were available for purchase right then and several orders were placed for shirts and patches. We are using a shop called Bordados Gama, Calle Tarqui 11-30 and Calle Mariscal Lamar. If you would like to go there on your own, feel free – they have our logos in a computer, and you can pick out your own shirt or hat or just get yourself a patch. If you want to order one, info@mvoc.ec
Upcoming Events:
John, Ken Jones and Clarke met with the former governor of Azuay, Milton Benetiz. As a result of that meeting all MVOC members were invited to an Open House at the Brigada Portete Artillery base outside of Cuenca. We plan on another visit in October or November. The details will be discussed at our October meeting.
Marine Corps Ball, to celebrate the 249th birthday of the Marines, will be held in Guayaquil on November 8th at the US Consulate office. All veterans are invited. If interested, please add your name in the poll in our Whatsapp group or email info@mvoc.ec .
Veterans Day event –
Clarke reserved the Abraham Lincoln Center for the 2024 Veterans Day event. Nov 11 @ 11 A.M. The auditorium holds 130 people. Among other speakers we will have a guest speaker from the US State Department in Guayaquil.
Christmas Party for Tadeo Torres--
The 2024 party for the orphanage children was discussed and was approved. The date and other info to be determined…we will be looking for sponsors to keep our costs low.
MVOC Christmas party
MVOC Christmas party will be discussed at our October meeting.
Around the room:
The widow of a veteran thanked Mark and Clarke for their help in starting the search for her late husband’s DD-214. That’s what MVOC wants to be about – veterans helping veterans.
Larry Grandis brought up poker night – two more players are needed. If interested email info@mvoc.ec
Next Meeting:
Monday, October 7th we will meet again at Sabatino’s Garden Restaurant. Please mark your calendar now and plan to attend. Click HERE to place your lunch order. If you have any ideas for guests, or have a topic you think would be informative to learn, please contact Clarke or John info@mvoc.ec.
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