Celebrating 133 Years Of Life

     Jimmy Kaye and Regina Potenza are both from Chicago, were both born in April, and both arrived—although separately—in Ajijic in 1987. This commonality created a bond that developed into an enduring friendship. In 1992 they decided to throw a combined birthday party and invite 109 friends—the number equal to their combined ages. The party was such a success; they decided that this year, with their combined ages of 133 years, they would do it again. As to their individual ages, we’ll only mention that Jimmy was 75—you can do the math. On a typically beautiful April day in Ajijic, over 100 friends gathered in the garden of the Old Posada to celebrate the birthday honorees. Both Jimmy and Regina are always upbeat and ready to help friends when help is needed, and just as ready to party when the work is done. Jimmy Kaye has enthusiastically given his time and labor in benefit of the disadvantaged Mexicans for the entire 18 years he has lived here. Perhaps his biggest project was building housing in the Santa Maria barrio of Chapala for the eight displaced families consisting of 56 persons that had been ousted from the old train station in 1993. At the time they were displaced, the Mexican government gave each family two rolls of tarpaper and little else, to build themselves a place to live. Having no land, the families began putting up tarpaper shacks in the Barrancas. Jimmy stepped in and going practically from door to door in the foreign colony and elsewhere, secured donations that enabled him to erect eight houses in the Santa Maria barrio in Chapala. Aware that Christmas for the children would be a poor one that year, Jimmy established a tradition of taking a Christmas party to them. This past Christmas the number of children had grown to 158 under the age of 12. Through private donations and with the help of friends, each child received a wrapped Christmas gift complete with the child’s name. We extend our best wishes to Jimmy and Regina for many more happy birthdays to come.