From support for sick or underprivileged members of society to conservation campaigns, Royal Resorts has an enduring commitment to the community. This Cancun pioneer has been helping those in need for over 30 years. Through the Royal Resorts Foundation (Fundacion Royal Resorts A.C.) it is now seeking more ways to give back to society by contributing to health and education campaigns, sustainable development and by protecting wildlife.
For many years, Royal Resorts has supported a variety of social causes including orphanages, shelters for victims of domestic violence and charities for children with physical and mental challenges. It is a contributor to the Red Cross, the Cancun-based conservation NGO Amigos de Sian Ka’an A.C., Grupo Desafio A.C. Cancer Relief and the Ciudad de la Alegria A.C. (City of Joy), a community center on the outskirts of Cancun with a hospice, old folks home, school, orphanage, a women’s refuge and food kitchen.
The Royal Resorts Foundation (Fundacion Royal Resorts, A.C.) was established in 2006 to give continuity to this philanthropic work and extend its coverage, enabling it to benefit more and more people and combat the threats facing the area’s fragile ecosystems. Since October 2011, the Royal Resorts Foundation has chosen four key issues to be the beneficiaries of its fundraising initiatives, they are as follows:
Education for Children
Despite universal access to public primary and secondary education in Mexico, as a result of extreme poverty, many children still miss out on school altogether or are forced to abandon their studies to help support their families. The goal of the Royal Resorts Foundation is to help address this problem by raising $30,000 US to provide scholarships for 144 students from marginalized areas on the outskirts of Cancun so that they can study at the Mano Amiga School in the Ciudad de la Alegria. Just imagine helping so many children fulfill their academic potential and pursue their dreams. This is a way to transform lives.
The Fight against Cancer
Cancer rates are on the rise around the world and Mexico is no exception to the rule. It is estimated that one in 11 women in Cancun will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their lives. The state of Quintana Roo also has one of the highest incidences in the country of cervical-uterine cancer and Human Papillomavirus is also on the rise, especially among young girls.
Cancer awareness is still low, particularly in rural communities, and many women do not get the early screening they so desperately need. Royal Resorts is supporting Grupo Desafio de Quintana Roo A.C., a cancer awareness organization that was founded in 1999 by a group of women who have all fought their own battles with cancer. Its mission is to help all those living with cancer, regardless of sex, age or type of cancer. The group gives seminars on cancer, risk factors and the importance of early detection in colleges, the workplace and to community groups, and provides testing and treatment for patients who are unable to pay for it themselves. They aim to discredit taboos, spreading the word that the disease is curable if caught in time and promoting a culture of prevention.
The goal of Royal Resorts Foundation is to raise money to pay for cancer screening for patients from the poorest sectors of society, giving them the weapons they need to combat the disease and a second chance for life. The sum of $30,000 US will provide 250 mammograms, 300 APE studies for prostate cancer and 250 HPV vaccinations for suspected cases of Human Papillomavirus.
Saving the Mayan Jungle
Covering large areas of the Yucatan Peninsula, Chiapas, Guatemala and Belize, the Great Mayan Jungle is an ecological treasure house, widely regarded as one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots and a vital green lung. Yet it is threatened by urban sprawl, deforestation, forest fires and pollution.
The Royal Resorts Foundation has joined a regional initiative implemented by Amigos de Sian Ka’an and the Mexican National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR) to safeguard four million hectares of tropical forest, and the creatures that inhabit it, in the state of Quintana Roo.
The Royal Resorts Foundation aims to raise $30,000 US to enable Amigos de Sian Ka’an to purchase 5,000 acres of forest. Such measures help increase carbon capture and offset the terrible effects of climate change. For every peso raised by the Royal Resorts Foundation and other supporters of the Amigos de Sian Ka’an campaign, the Mexican Government has pledged to donate another peso through the National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR).
Relief in Times of Need
The Royal Resorts Foundation intends to support the Royal Resorts Employee Relief Fund and offer a helping hand to staff in times of crisis. Aid is given on a case-by-case basis and extends to grave illnesses, major surgery, accidents and to provide care for the terminally ill. The goal of the Royal Resorts Foundation is to raise $30,000 US for the fund.
Royal Resorts’ Ongoing Support for Conservation and Sustainable Development
The fundraising initiatives of the Royal Resorts Foundation complement the causes already supported by Royal Resorts such as the Amigos de Sian Ka’an campaigns for the protection and study of the Yucatan’s wild cats, including the elusive jaguar, and Children & Nature, a project to help Mayan craftsmen and their families. By purchasing Children & Nature wooden bracelets from The Royal Market and La Paloma Gift Shop, members and guests are supporting sustainable development in the Mayan communities of central Quintana Roo.
The Royal Resorts Foundation is also offering aid to CANDI (Cats and Dogs International), a nonprofit organization for the protection of stray dogs and cats in Mexico and the Caribbean. Through a combination of spay and neuter operations, adoption and education programs, it is able to save the lives of thousands of animals every year and find loving homes for them. CANDI works with local NGOs in Cancun and brings down volunteer vets to work with local vets at clinics twice a year.
How can you help?
We invite Royal Resorts members and guests to join us in supporting the Royal Resorts Foundation, it is an opportunity to give something back to this wonderful area we all call home and the people that make our time here so special. By making a donation you will be helping the community, changing lives and preserving the area’s natural heritage for future generations. There are a number of ways that you can show your support: leave a contribution in the collection boxes at the Front Desk, add a donation to your Club bill at the end of your next stay or send a wire transfer from your bank back home. Visit www.royalresortsfoundation.org for details on how to go about doing this. Every little helps. And if you would like to volunteer, donate equipment or even organize your own fundraiser, the Royal Resorts Foundation would love to hear from you.
Visit www.royalresortsfoundation.org for more information and campaign updates. Additional news will also be published on www.royalresortsnews.com
