BajaNomad - Fund for the family of Elsa Aguilar Gerardo "La Mijita"

Fund for the family of Elsa Aguilar Gerardo "La Mijita"

woody with a view - 11-22-2008 at 11:25 AM

Taking the idea from Duke62 and others I would like to enlist Doug or Antonio to administer a fund that we all can donate to to help Elsa's survivors with funeral and burial costs, not to mention getting their taco shop cleaned up and back in business, if that is what they choose to do.

Maybe a paypal donation or something. I know there are many worthy causes at this time of year and times are tough for many people. So if you can find a few dollars that you can send to "our" friends, they would certainly appreciate it. Imagine how the family would feel receiving the donations from people they don't even know exist!!!

I'll U2U this thread to Doug and Antonio to see if they want to take the lead.

Thank You!

BAJACAT - 11-22-2008 at 12:40 PM

:light:

Thanks Woody for settings this up..

toneart - 11-22-2008 at 01:42 PM

I'm in if it can be set up.

bajario - 11-22-2008 at 01:52 PM

Im ready to donate. Just tell me how.

schwlind - 11-22-2008 at 04:46 PM

I'm in too!...

Linda

DianaT - 11-22-2008 at 07:28 PM

Hoping to hear details of how to donate soon----

Diane

bajamikey - 11-22-2008 at 08:00 PM

i'm in!!!

thebajarunner - 11-22-2008 at 08:01 PM

on board

jettygirl - 11-22-2008 at 08:38 PM

ready and willing ... will watch for updates.
thank you ......

duke62 - 11-23-2008 at 04:02 AM

Gracias, Woodie. O.B. people are the best. Perhaps we could meet at Pacific Shores to plan it out? There was a waitress there that..... Well.... I digress. :cool:

As I say when I am about to lose at poker, "I'm all in." U2U me if you want me to help you with logistics, etc. My family is willing and able to help any way we can.

p.s. My sweet, heart of a lion, 14 year-old boy stumbled upon this thread because I had left it up while I had to go do something (I think I was letting the chickens out of their coop to range), and he is wondering what he can do. Should he have a stand outside a grocery store? Convince the the school to do a fundraising by making and selling tamales? Gives ya a bit of hope for the next generation, no?

p.p.s. We will be out of contact as of Tuesday, through the following Monday, as we will be at our place south of Erendira for Thanksgiving.

p.p.p.s. This should be the subject of a different thread but our Weber grilled turkey is perfection. It has taken many consultations with friends over Tecates and tequila, but I have the best barbequed turkey recipe in the world. Si, es la verdad. Not gloating, but, gourmets and coyotes alike come from miles around, just to be invited to sit down in front of that beauitiful yardbird. A hint: The key is the orange slices and spices I put into the turkey's cavity, which is attuned to the butter/spice/orange essence that is pushed under the skin, and which, after four to five hours on the Weber, infuses the meat with, well, just that.

p.p.p.p.s We will also hopefully have bags of clothes and toys for the field workers down there on Turkey Day. Baja Geoff can attest to the conditions los indios de Chiapas y Oaxaca (most of whom don't even speak Spanish, only the language of their Aztec ancestors) endure in their jail facitilities they call "farmworker housing." The razor wire on top of the 10 foot high fences the Jefes working for Dole say is to protect them from "bandidos." In reality, however, it is to prevent them from leaving.

woody with a view - 11-23-2008 at 07:12 AM

so far Doug is willing to lead the effort as far as collecting the donations. he is working on it and will post when he has some time.

Happy Holidays to ya-alls!!!!

schwlind - 11-23-2008 at 07:39 AM

Thanks Woody and Doug... we're standing by to make our contributions!

bajaandy - 11-23-2008 at 08:05 AM

Standing by...

Thanks for running point Woody, and Doug for logistics.

BajaNuts - 11-23-2008 at 03:48 PM

count on us~~~

Elsa's funeral...

BajaCactus - 11-23-2008 at 09:48 PM

My friends... I truly admire your good willing and great heart... I feel touched by your noble and unselfish sentiments.

This tragedy did not only deeply affected Elsa's family... the whole town is also in shock... this is the first time ever something like this has ever happened in El Rosario.

Getting back to Elsa... her family struggled several days to recover her body in Tijuana... after she died, last Wednesday, she was taken to the coroner and then... her whole family (husband, daughter, son... everyone in Tijuana) was taken to give declarations of the crime at the State's Crime Investigation Unit... then it was a whole bunch of paperwork and going back and forth among several governments departments to recover Elsa's body.

It was wrong... her family was deeply wounded and suffering and our outstanding bureaucrats made their best effort to complicate things as much as they could... so wrong.

Anyhow... yesterday (Saturday) ... they could finally take La Mijita to El Rosario and have her funeral... Today (Sunday) she was buried.

Her family is now not only terribly sad, but disoriented and "out of face"... stunned... you see, La Mijita was the hearth of the family, she was the spark of her family... their whole income depended on the leadership of Elsa in their small restaurant.

I would be happy to assist in anyway to have some money sent to her family... of course I will also pitch in some on behalf of BajaCactus and my family... at the least it will help them to reorganize their lives and start all over again.

Unless Doug has already started something... we can use our PayPal account and/or US bank account to receive any money... once we have something worth while, I can have it immediately transfer to El Rosario via BajaCactus.

Our PayPal account is under info*at*bajacactus.com... if you send some money there, please indicate that is for La Mijita's Family... and if you can, include a small message for their family... I will print it and forward it to their family as well.

If you prefer not to do it online, let me know via U2U and I can give you our US bank account info at the Washington Mutual (now Chase) for a direct deposit/transfer.

Also, if anyone would like to write some words for them, send them to me, I will print them and relay them to El Rosario.

If there is anything else you think I can help with, just let me know.

May God Bless us all.

Antonio Munoz
BajaCactus
"Where the Baja is so much more than a dream..."

[Edited on 11-24-2008 by BajaCactus]

bajaandy - 11-23-2008 at 10:20 PM

Antonio, thank you for the update. I have made a donation to the PayPal account. My condolences to the family.

duke62 - 11-24-2008 at 01:55 AM

Gracias, Antonio. So sad. I will try the PayPal account tomorrow

Hasta. :saint:

shari - 11-24-2008 at 08:30 AM

gracias por su apoyo amigo por esta familia...we will drop by your hotel today...perhaps you can put some kind of nice box for donations there too.

thebajarunner - 11-24-2008 at 09:31 AM

Antonio,
I will make a paypal the end of the week,

my kids are coming Thurs. to help me set that up,
I also need to send $$$ to Shari for a reservation.

This whole thing is just soooooooo sad.

DianaT - 11-24-2008 at 09:56 AM

Help?

When I go to www.bajacactus.com it shows the site underconstruction---can't get into the info section????

Thanks
Diane

schwlind - 11-24-2008 at 10:17 AM

Antonio,

Just made our contribution to the Elsa fund through paypal.

God bless you for taking the lead in helping this family through the most difficult of times.

Linda and Jerry

bajaandy - 11-24-2008 at 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jdtrotter
Help?

When I go to www.bajacactus.com it shows the site underconstruction---can't get into the info section????

Thanks
Diane

Diane,

What you need to do is go to PayPal.com. (If you haven't used it before, you'll need to set up a paypal account. It's easy, and you can use a credit card to make the payment... or bank account, etc.)

At the paypal.com site you'll need to click on the "Send Money" tab. That tab will have a place to enter the address that Antonio gave. (info"at"bajacactus) Put in the dollar amount you want to send, pick cash advance and then follow the steps to finish the transaction.

Hope this helps.

Andy

BajaGringo - 11-24-2008 at 11:31 AM

Gracias Antonio por hacer esto...

Jack Swords - 11-24-2008 at 11:54 AM

Antonio...we will be driving down next week through El Rosario. Can we drop off a contribution to the family at BajaCactus?

DianaT - 11-24-2008 at 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bajaandy

Quote:

Originally posted by jdtrotter
Help?

When I go to www.bajacactus.com it shows the site underconstruction---can't get into the info section????

Thanks
Diane

Thanks Andy. I do have an account, or at least I think I still do. :tumble:

I will try it.

Diane

DianaT - 11-24-2008 at 01:38 PM

Done----

Thanks for the help Andy.

Diane

BajaGringo - 11-24-2008 at 01:54 PM

Having a PayPal account is a great way to move money to friends and family when out of the country as well as make purchases online where you don't want to give a credit card. More and more places accept PayPal everyday.

Helping Elsa's family is a great excuse to go ahead and sign up for an account today if you don't already have one. They use an encryption process more secure than the government currently uses and have great fraud protection resources. Check it out and let's all join in helping these folks out in this devastating time they are going through right now...

Skipjack Joe - 11-24-2008 at 02:12 PM

Thank you for taking matters in your own hands, Woodie, and to make this happen. I've never personally stopped at their restaurant but will make a point of it and see if there's anything else we can do in addition to the money sent.

Were the criminals every aprehended?

Santiago - 11-24-2008 at 02:32 PM

I think we need to think of Antonio's time here. It will be so much easier to account for and then give the $ to the right people at the right time if we all use PayPal. I suspect he is asking that not just for our convenience. My 2 cents.

tripledigitken - 11-24-2008 at 02:36 PM

Has anyone heard of a theory as to why these people were attacked?

Ken

BajaGringo - 11-24-2008 at 02:46 PM

I was in El Rosario a few days ago and the word on the street is that the targets were rival narcos who just happened to be eating at La Mijita. As the border is getting clamped down they are looking to control some remote routes/landing areas in the hills southeast of El Rosario, based on several conversations I had with locals and a few who are politically connected.

Elsa was an unfortunate an innocent bystander...

woody with a view - 11-24-2008 at 06:17 PM

Let's hope the family can make some sense of this terrible tragedy...

We love you :saint:

Mijita

, por siempre!!!

BajaNomad - 11-24-2008 at 08:11 PM

Thank you Antonio for taking the direct lead in regards to directing funds in support of Elsa's family.

For anyone (lurkers?) seeking my "official" endorsement in having this go through Antonio and BajaCactus - this is it: Please send donations for Elsa's family - directly through the web site PayPal.com - to the email address: info(at)bajacatus.com

http://www.paypal.com

My family's thoughts and prayers at this time are with Elsa's family as well as the entire town of El Rosario.

Regards,
--
Doug Means

Thank you all...

BajaCactus - 11-24-2008 at 10:57 PM

I would like to thank each and everyone of you for helping Elsa's family... I am really proud to be part of this community... there is still hope for this world!!!.

Also a huge thank to Doug for allowing all of us to help each other through this site.

Regarding donations being left at BajaCactus no problem... just please put your donations inside an envelope along with a message indicating is for Elsa's fund... outside the envelope please address it to me (Antonio Munoz)... that way it will be given to me personally. I will add it to the total fund. I will instruct my staff to have some envelopes at hand.

You can leave them either at the Motel front desk or the Administrative offices (second floor of the Gas Station).

On the other hand... in this matter, I will absorb all the commissions being charged by PayPal, that way Elsa's family will receive the whole sum you all are donating with so much sentiment and love.

If there is anything else you believe I can do, please let me know.

God Bless you all,

Antonio Munoz
BajaCactus
"Where the Baja is so much more than a dream..."

BajaNuts - 11-24-2008 at 11:37 PM

Just did mine at paypal...

woody with a view - 11-25-2008 at 06:51 AM

Just an idea. It would be best to give the donations to the family all at one time instead of a lot now, a little next week and so on...

How about we close the window on donations through Baja Nomad/Baja Cactus via Paypal one week from this Friday, Dec 5th?

After that date maybe just stopping by the taco stand and offering some kind words and buying lunch would be the best way to help the family down the line, if they decide to keep running it.

Thanks for everything!

BajaNuts - 11-25-2008 at 09:08 PM

I'd appreciate knowing what the total will be. Also, let's keep bumping this thread to keep it at the top of the daily posts.

jodiego - 11-26-2008 at 07:30 AM

Just made my donation. Thanks to all for making this happen. Another reason I frequent this board.

shari - 11-26-2008 at 10:50 AM

Just stopped in to Baja Cactus yesterday to make a donation and suggested they put a nice donation box on the desk as well. This family will need as much help as they can get to get back on their feet and every little bit helps whether it trickles in or comes in a large sum. I too am proud to be part of this caring nomad community.

DianaT - 11-26-2008 at 02:16 PM

Bump

schwlind - 11-27-2008 at 01:59 AM

Antonio,

Jerry and I sincerely hope that the fund raising is going well for this family.

Linda

thebajarunner - 11-27-2008 at 01:43 PM

Antonio
I just zapped some funds to you
and a note of encouragement on this day that is supposed to reflect our Thanks...
and yes, we all have much to be thankful for.

Blessings,
Dick

Fund raising...

BajaCactus - 11-27-2008 at 02:57 PM

The fundraising is going well... so far we have managed to gather a little over $600 Dlls.

Thank you all for your support to Elsa´s family.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!!!

Antonio Munoz
BajaCactus
"Where the Baja is so much more than a dream..."

DianaT - 11-28-2008 at 02:58 PM

Thanks Antonio,

We sure hope there will be more.

Bump

fdt - 11-29-2008 at 12:33 PM

bump

toneart - 11-29-2008 at 01:39 PM

I put a contribution into Antonio's WaMu bank account on Wednesday, and let him know today that it was done. I scanned the receipt and tried to paste it here into U2U, but couldn't do it. I will paste it into his email (I requested his email address in today's U2U).
Not that the receipt is required, but I think it is good for his accounting.

Keep the contributions coming, please.

Sharksbaja - 11-29-2008 at 01:50 PM

Antonio, you are a good man. Chk your Paypal acct. Corky

toneart - 11-29-2008 at 02:32 PM

Cork,
I didn't remember my username, password, etc. I never used it since the two Hurricane John funds.

WaMu is convenient to me so I just did it that way. Both ways work well and the important thing is to suggest the bank as an option, so as to encourage everybody to make a contribution. The other reason for posting it is to blah blah blah and bump the string back to the top. I am seldom at a loss for words.

Quote:

Originally posted by Sharksbaja
Antonio, you are a good man. Chk your Paypal acct. Corky

jodiego - 11-30-2008 at 08:30 PM

bump

DianaT - 12-1-2008 at 10:08 AM

WaMu is a good alternative.

ELINVESTIG8R - 12-1-2008 at 10:48 AM

Thank you Antonio!

toneart - 12-1-2008 at 01:54 PM

Oops...Duh!
Corky, I just realized you were addressing Baja Cactus Antonio.
Being that we had earlier history with Pay Pal, and the fact that your message immediately followed mine, I just zipped a reply.
Anyway, this will again bump it to the top. Keep the donations coming in, Nomads.

Quote:

Originally posted by toneart
Cork,
I didn't remember my username, password, etc. I never used it since the two Hurricane John funds.

WaMu is convenient to me so I just did it that way. Both ways work well and the important thing is to suggest the bank as an option, so as to encourage everybody to make a contribution. The other reason for posting it is to blah blah blah and bump the string back to the top. I am seldom at a loss for words.

Quote:

Originally posted by Sharksbaja
Antonio, you are a good man. Chk your Paypal acct. Corky

BajaNuts - 12-1-2008 at 11:44 PM

a few more days to bump...

jodiego - 12-2-2008 at 06:48 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by BajaGringo
I was in El Rosario a few days ago and the word on the street is that the targets were rival narcos who just happened to be eating at La Mijita. As the border is getting clamped down they are looking to control some remote routes/landing areas in the hills southeast of El Rosario, based on several conversations I had with locals and a few who are politically connected.

Elsa was an unfortunate an innocent bystander...

Is there any hope of these murderers getting caught? A more frightening thought to me......is anyone actually looking for them?

BajaGringo - 12-2-2008 at 11:18 PM

I hope so!

Bump!

ELINVESTIG8R - 12-3-2008 at 06:33 AM

woody with a view - 12-3-2008 at 02:32 PM

Okay, so a little more than 48 hours until the window closes for the La Mijita fund. Thank You all for giving whatever you could and Thank You all for the thoughts and prayers. It's a big world out there, until it's someone you care about.

I'm more grateful now than ever for the people in my life and the things i take/took for granted. Take a moment to hug those you hold dear, remind them how much you love them and let's look out for each other, not just during this season of giving but all year long.

All our best to all of you and yours!!!

And Thank You again to Doug and Antonio for everything.

susanna - 12-3-2008 at 09:05 PM

Antonio, I will make my donation thru paypal tonight. I have set up an account
and want to Thank you for this opportunity to help a family in need. It could of been any one of us traveling thru El Rosario.May God comfort the family of Elsa
at this time of great loss.

Sharksbaja - 12-3-2008 at 11:04 PM

Antonio, the cash I left at your Paypal acct "info(at)bajacactus.com" on 11/27/06

is still listed as "unclaimed". Do you see it there? Corky

BajaGringo - 12-4-2008 at 09:42 AM

bump...

susanna - 12-4-2008 at 12:11 PM

Antonio i had some problems sending my contribution thru p pal and need an acct #

toneart - 12-4-2008 at 12:47 PM

Susanna,
I have noticed that Antonio goes through periods of time without responding here on BajaNomad. He obviously has a lot on his plate.I have a U2U message in to him for a week now and he hasn't responded. He will get back here eventually, when he gets some time in his busy schedule.

Woody, Doug,
Would it be possible to extend the donation time limit until we hear from Antonio, and then let him decide the closing date?

Quote:

Originally posted by susanna
Antonio i had some problems sending my contribution thru p pal and need an acct #

DianaT - 12-4-2008 at 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by susanna
Antonio i had some problems sending my contribution thru p pal and need an acct #

Susana,
I had trouble at first because I entered info*at*bajacactus.com ----exactly like that.

After I smacked myself along side of the head and realized that *at* really meant @, I had no trouble.

Did you try that address?

Diane

Skipjack Joe - 12-4-2008 at 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jdtrotter
Susana,
I had trouble at first because I entered info*at*bajacactus.com ----exactly like that.
Diane

How embarrasing!

All nomadhood now knows! :lol:

DianaT - 12-4-2008 at 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Skipjack Joe

Quote:

Originally posted by jdtrotter
Susana,
I had trouble at first because I entered info*at*bajacactus.com ----exactly like that.
Diane

How embarrasing!

All nomadhood now knows! :lol:

Guess we will now need to change our truck, change our BA house, and all travel undercover now --- but if I just sent this information in a U2U and not on the open board, she could have blackmailed me. :yes:

Did I tell you I also shoot lots of pictures with the lens cap on? :lol:

Back to keeping this on top and I hope Doug reads toneart's message and keeps this open a little longer, and I hope the fund is growing.

Diane

[Edited on 12-4-2008 by jdtrotter]

woody with a view - 12-4-2008 at 03:04 PM

Antonio does indeed have a lot on his plate, so to speak. I think that the BajaNomad contributions will be very welcome but there needs to be an end date for this fund. I told Antonio I'd pick a date so he wouldn't be too put-out having to administer this fund along with everything else he has to do.

The closing day is tomorrow, although we never called a time so if you can send some $'s to La Mijita's family it would be best to do it ASAP. Everyone who has already contributed, THANK YOU!!!!

There is always the option of stopping for lunch or dinner when staying at Baja Cactus, or while passing through. This is one great family and I can only hope they are as strong as Elsa was and continue to grow their little business well into the future, with Elsa smiling down on them :saint:

.....

susanna - 12-4-2008 at 05:34 PM

I would rather deposit at Wa Mu Bank if someone has the acct #.
I did have the same problem but i caught it but there was another problem
w p pal

woody with a view - 12-4-2008 at 05:35 PM

what problem are you having?

Problem?? Que problemo??

thebajarunner - 12-5-2008 at 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by susanna
I would rather deposit at Wa Mu Bank if someone has the acct #.
I did have the same problem but i caught it but there was another problem
w p pal

My kids tell me that I am "computer retarded" but I managed to figure out Paypal all by myself, and safely and easily transmit some funds for this worthy situation.

Hope that many more are inspired to beat the deadline and make this a meaningful fund.

Just my hope for today...

DianaT - 12-5-2008 at 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by thebajarunner

Quote:

Originally posted by susanna
I would rather deposit at Wa Mu Bank if someone has the acct #.
I did have the same problem but i caught it but there was another problem
w p pal

And you managed to do it without even embarassing yourself like I did. :lol:

Many people need deadlines---so I hope they now go for it.

Diane

woody with a view - 12-5-2008 at 09:24 PM

bump...

I hate to see this thread die!!

thebajarunner - 12-6-2008 at 11:11 AM

Hope that anyone not "in" can do so, and soon,

what a worthy gesture on our part!!!

Update...

BajaCactus - 12-10-2008 at 05:34 PM

Hi everyone...

Sorry for not replying sooner, but I was in El Rosario for a few days and kept track of time working hard down there.

We received donations at our PayPal account, the WaMu account and also a few were dropped at BajaCactus... I will consolidate all of them right now and will get back with the result.

Also let me tell you that, as some of you already know, PayPal charges around 2-3% per transaction when receiving payments through them... however in this case BajaCactus will absorb each and every commission, so Elsa's family receives in full what you all have donated with all your hearth.

About Elsa's family... as expected, they are all still devastated for the way the spark of her family was ripped from their lives... the food stand is still close and it seems they do not have the willing or strength to go on with that... "perhaps in another location sometime in the future"... that is what her family told us.

I will get back soon with the results.

Thank you all...!!!

Antonio Munoz
BajaCactus
"Where the Baja is so much more than a dream..."

woody with a view - 12-10-2008 at 05:48 PM

it is just soo sad what this great family is going through. hopefully, time can heal their hearts...

Thanks, Antonio

David K - 12-10-2008 at 05:49 PM

Thank you Antonio... that is really super of you and Baja Cactus Tourist Services!

susanna - 12-10-2008 at 07:32 PM

Antonio i made my contribution Tuesday 12/09 at the Wa Mu branch in Sacramento. Thank You for all your time and hard work.Que Dios te Bendiga.

Results...

BajaCactus - 12-11-2008 at 11:44 AM

Hi,

I would like to thank everyone for your gesture of generosity and humanity you all have showed... some of you never met Elsa, nevertheless and even though we are passing through and economic recession, came out and tried to help another human being... this act has thought me a lesson... no matter how lost or lonely we feel, as long as there are fine people like you all, we will never be alone.

It does not matter how much you donated, what matters is that you reached out and were willing to help... Thank you for helping me remember there is still hope for our world.

Regarding the sum you all raised... the total came out to be $940 Dollars... a the current exchange rate that is more than $12,500 pesos... this much will help a lot Elsa's family... and I believe right now is the perfect moment for them to receive it, since they have been without and income for a few weeks... today (Dec 11th) I will delivered this money to Elsa's family.

I have a detailed list of the donations, however I am doubtful to post it here... so, in order to make this as transparent as possible, if anyone who donated would like to see it, please e-mail me and I will be happy to send you a copy.

We will keep praying for Elsa's family... so they find the strength to heal their souls and survive this tragedy.

May God Bless you all!!!

Antonio Munoz
BajaCactus
"Where the Baja is so much more than a dream..."

[Edited on 12-11-2008 by BajaCactus]

woody with a view - 12-11-2008 at 11:49 AM

Thanks to you all!!!!

This place rocks....

ELINVESTIG8R - 12-11-2008 at 01:11 PM

I just want to humbly say thank you to all of you who were able to help Elsa’s family and for those who offered prayers for her and her family. I also wanted to say a special thank you to Antonio and his family for all they did to get this off the ground. Everyone has gone "Above and beyond the call of duty" and made a difference in the lives of a family who lost so much. I truly am humbled. David

Skipjack Joe - 12-11-2008 at 04:35 PM

I hope that when they catch those guys they'll practice some drive-by shooting on them.

jodiego - 12-11-2008 at 05:53 PM

Thanks woody, thanks Antonio, and thanks to all who donated.
:yes: