Help Save A Sato bring happy, healthy, rescued dogs to loving homes on the mainland.

Save a Sato is a nonprofit foundation that rescues dogs from beaches, streets, and construction sites across the island of Puerto Rico. The organization gives them immediate medical attention, food and shelter, and lots of love. When they are ready, satos (as these rescued animals are commonly referred to on the island) are sent on nonstop American Airlines flights to cities in the continental U.S.to partner shelters (Boston, Hartford, Newark, etc.). From there, they are adopted into loving homes.

Save A Sato is in need of transport escorts to make this possible… Federal law prohibits our sending dogs without a corresponding traveler. If you are leaving Puerto Rico on an American Airlines flight, please consider being an escort. It’s easy and free!

Information on how you can help out by becoming a sato escort

For Spanish click here / Para información en español

Tonight is Earth Hour which means that millions (hopefully 1 billion) of people around the world will be switching off their lights from 8:30pm to 9:30pm (local times).  The event’s organizers have done a fantastic job in spreading the word and getting people involved online.  Start off by visiting the official website and register so you can share your own videos, pictures, and blogs about the event.  There’s also a wide variety of download materials you can use to promote your participation in tonight’s Earth Hour 2009 event and get your family, friends, and co-workers involved! And of course, Earth Hour is on most major social networks, including Twitter and Facebook.

EyeTour is joining the global community in this effort, in hopes of reaching the established goal of 1 billion Earth Hour participants around the world.  Events such as this one help promote preservation and a healthier, cleaner environment in which natural wonders such as Puerto Rico’s Laguna Grande, Las Cabezas de San Juan, and El Yunque National Forest are safe from harm.

Join us tonight for an hour and give our planet a breather!

From the Earth Hour Facebook Group:

Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia with 2.2 million homes and businesses turning their lights off for one whole hour. Only a year later and this event had become a global sustainability movement with up to 100 million people across 35 countries participating. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome’s Colosseum and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square, all stood in darkness, as symbols of hope for a cause that grows more urgent by the hour.

In 2009, at 8.30pm on March 28, we are asking people across the world to turn off their lights and join together in creating the vital conversation about the future of our precious planet. Earth Hour is a message of hope and a message of action. Everyone can make a difference.

It’s as simple as a flick of the switch. Join us for Earth Hour 2009.

PRESS RELEASE: IVANKA TRUMP AND PUERTO RICAN GOLFERS VISIT THE CENTRO ESPERANZA IN LOIZA WITH UNITED WAY

Ivanka Trump, representing the Trump International Golf Club, and three of the four Puerto Rican professional golfers who will represent the island at the Puerto Rico Open, made a stop on their busy schedule to visit, along with United Way (Fondos Unidos de Puerto Rico), the Centro Esperanza (or Hope Center) in Loíza.  Max Alverio, Wilfredo Morales, Miguel Suarez and Ivanka Trump shared the morning with the center’s children, who receive preschool education in the ‘Casa de Niños Montessori’ of the Centro Esperanza. To the surprise of all guests the little boys and girls recited the ‘Negroide’ poetry of Luis Pales Matos and danced Bomba and Plena with Ivanka Trump and Michael Suarez. 

During the activity, the golfers and Miss Trump had the opportunity to meet members of the center’s music program ‘Creando y Cantando’ (Creating and Singing), consisting of children between the ages of 7 and 14. The Band’s talent and expertise was evidenced through their musical repertoire with which they delighted the guests.  They were joined by Popular mascot ‘Populoso’ and the Puerto Rico Golf Association who brought balloon figures for the children to enjoy. 

This visit is part of the alliance established between the Organizing Committee for the Puerto Rico Open and United Way to invest resources in projects that impact the community. “Through this alliance, in 2008, we were able to develop initiatives such as the project ‘Compaz de Salud’ Workshop, which aims to promote a culture of peace among Loíza’s youth, and a scholarship program aimed at encouraging the youth of Rio Grande to continue post-secondary studies,” noted Samuel González, president of United Way. “The call for applicants to the Fellowship Program will be held in March 2009,” added González. 

“This year we dedicated the tournament to children, so this visit is very important for our organization. In the 2008 edition of the Puerto Rico Open presented by Banco Popular, we were able to pool together with United Way $200,000 for charities and we hope to overcome that figure this year,” commented Sidney Wolff, chairman for the event. 

From March 12 to the 14, United Way will host an exhibit area in the Puerto Rico Open for children, young people, and the parents who attend the event. As part of the program, there will be arts and crafts workshops, as well as drawing and graffiti classes, board games, parenting information, and the United Way’s  ’Éxito a los 6′® (Success by 6) will be distributing Child ID Kits.  In addition, golf enthusiasts will have the opportunity to get the LIVE UNITED t-shirt in support of the organization’s call to action.

About Fondos Unidos de Puerto Rico / United Way: Puerto Rico’s United Way is a call to action: Help out. Volunteer. Support a cause. LIVE UNITED ™. Live United aims to promote social welfare, to recognize that when we extend our hand to help those in need, we are affecting the welfare of society as a whole. Today, this nonprofit organization financially supports 144 charities which provide health services and promote social welfare in Puerto Rico. It also has programs such as Community Impact 2-1-1 in Puerto Rico, the Volunteer Center and the initiative Success by 6 ®. Throughout 42 years of experience, United Way has distinguished itself by promoting a culture of social responsibility in Puerto Rico by promoting volunteerism and partnerships in the area of social investment. 

About the Centro Esperanza: This center is one of the 144 non-profit organizations affiliated with United Way since 1977 and is located in the municipality of Loíza. Administered by ‘Las Hijas de la Caridad’ (Daughters of Charity), the Centro Esperanza has four programs: ‘Vida y Esperanza’ (Life and Hope), ‘Creando y Cantando’, Casa de Niños Montessori del Mar (Children’s Home), and ‘Arriba Loíza’. The Center’s mission is to promote and facilitate the development of children and families with limited economic resources within the community of Loíza and surrounding areas, through education - supporting families to ensure their welfare.