The Golden Strings

     The Golden Strings held their annual benefit dinner concert at Salvador’s Restaurant in Ajijic, Friday, March 4. Known as the “Breakfast Club” by many longtime residents going back to 1998, Salvador’s owner Jorge Arreguin and host Antonio Bonilla went all out to provide a friendly atmosphere and an excellent menu choice of tender roast beef or chicken cacciatore to make the Golden Strings fundraiser a success. Just as do most of our local restaurants, Salvador’s opens its door to accommodate many Lakeside charitable events. Some years back, when a good portion of the roasted pig—that was on the menu at a well-attended charitable event—mysteriously disappeared from the kitchen where the event was being held, Salvador’s jumped into the breach by preparing trays of sandwiches and delivering them to the site to supplement the pork that the pig-thieves had overlooked. The Golden Strings was founded by Jon Esquivel and Marvin Harthcock to provide the instruments and instructions for the many musically talented Mexican children whose family’s parents could not afford to pay for either lessons or the needed instruments. When Jon Esquivel returned to the States to live, Marvin Harthcock continued the work of the Golden Strings that they started together. Harthcock’s most important wish is for a foundation grant or other benefactor to provide the chil-dren with new instruments as needed. As the waiting list grows, so does the need for financial as-sistance to keep the Strings going. Contributions of any amount are gratefully accepted and receipts for tax purposes are provided. Contributors pay solely for instruments, for sponsoring an individual child and for the accoutrements needed such as replacement strings, music stands, a copy machine for reproducing music scores and the donation of a piano would be deeply appreciated. The cost of each violin and case is 200 dollars, and the cost of a guitar and case comes to about 100 dollars. When the money is available, the teachers take an arduous eight- hour round-trip drive to two villages in Michoacan to purchase the instruments for the children. You can make a difference by sending a check in pesos or dollars made out to The Golden Strings of Lake Chapala, A.C. (must be made out exactly), and sent to Apartado 821, Chapala, Jalisco, Mexico. Or, your check will be picked up by calling 01-(376) 35093 (in Ajijic dial 763-5093). To a musically gifted child, learning how to play an instrument is a lifetime dream. (JUST IN: Hearing of the need for a copy machine, Peter Johanson a longtime resident of Ajijic, has generously donated a copy machine to the Strings).