Royal Resorts volunteers joined the Ciudad de la Alegria Dia de Reyes convoy on January 6 to give a Kings Day surprise of toys, sandals and candy to hundreds of children in Mayan villages in Quintana Roo and Yucatan.
In Mexico, children traditionally receive toys from the Tres Reyes Magos, the Three Kings, on January 6, many writing letters saying that they have been good all year and asking for a favorite toy. The convoy was planned to reach children in remote rural communities that might miss out on Kings Day events often organized in larger villages.
The meeting point for convoy volunteers was the Ciudad de la Alegria community center on the outskirts of Cancun at 6 a.m. to load trucks with huge bags of toys, soft toys for tots, footballs, bikes, sandals, boxes of food, clothing, candy and even piñatas. Then it was time to hit the road.
There were two routes and two convoys, one to communities in the Tulum-Coba area and the other following a route through northern Quintana Roo and Yucatan, which called at tiny hamlets and villages in the Xcan-Tizimin area, accessible by single lane roads. These are communities deep in the forest that are really off the beaten track; a few homes clustered around a church, a rural school and a small grassy park or square.
The sight of the convoy drawing up caught the attention of the villagers, the word spread and there was soon quite a crowd. The children met the Three Kings and had fun with volunteers who lined them up to receive toys, sandals and candies. There were piñatas to be broken, more candies to collect and some lucky children even took home bikes they won in a raffle.
Other volunteers distributed clothes and food and there were grocery boxes for elderly residents, some of who remembered the Ciudad de la Alegria staff from previous visits. One couple of helpers had even brought biscuits for the village dogs.
In total more than 2,900 toys and pairs of sandals were distributed. Many of the toys were donated by Royal Resorts members, guests and employees and a big thank you goes out to all those who gave generously and helped in spreading happiness to so many children.
Gracias!
Help the Royal Resorts Foundation
If you missed the Royal Resorts Christmas Toy Drive and would like to give to children in need, why not donate to the Royal Resorts Foundation or bring gifts of new toys, children’s clothing and school materials all year round? Learn more about the Royal Resorts Foundation and its causes: study scholarships for children, the fight against cancer, physiotherapy for children, employee emergency relief in times of serious illness, support for community programs and conservation.
