Gloria Bellack: From international skater to Zihuatanejo philanthropist

Over the years, Zihuatanejo has seen its stock of singular women from different countries who telephone Mexico home. Whether part-time oregon full-time, these women look determined to marque a lasting content connected their adopted community. One of these singular women is Gloria Bellack, who, successful 1999, on with her hubby Richard, founded 1 of the astir palmy nonprofit organizations this bustling and vibrant metropolis has seen. 

Originally named the Bellack Foundation, it is present known arsenic Por Los Niños, an enactment with a ngo to assistance underprivileged children done assistance to section schools and scholarships for students. The enactment distributes wealth raised from Sailfest, Zihuatanejo’s fashionable two-week regatta lawsuit and fundraiser, which attracts folks successful the sailing assemblage from acold and wide each year.

Por Los Niños’ ngo centers connected helping underserved children successful the Zihuatanejo country done assistance to schools with meals, supplies and more. It besides awards scholarships to promising students. (Por Los Ninos)

From fig skater to Reno showgirl

Bellack started her beingness acold from Zihuatanejo, from humble beginnings successful Beaumont, England, wherever she began crystal skating early. As she grew older, fig skating became her passion, and she yet taught the athletics astir the country, including successful Leeds, a ember mining town. 

“The ember was truthful heavy that aft class, erstwhile we removed our apparel to shower, determination was an outline of soot stenciled connected our bodies. And sometimes the fog was truthful thick, it was hard to breathe, overmuch little skate,” 

Bellack joined and had a son, but by the property of 45, she had joined 3 much times. During this period, she mingled with the philharmonic legends similar Mick Jagger, Englebert Humperdinck and adjacent Princess Margaret, whom she met astatine an awards ceremony. 

She taught skating successful Australia for 3 years earlier relocating to the United States successful 1980. There, Bellack began a caller vocation arsenic a figure-skating showgirl successful the Razzle Dazzle crystal follies successful Reno, Nevada, a large-scale, theatrical ice-skating revue that besides featured celebrities.  

Much similar successful England, the ever-popular Bellack met during this clip with immoderate of the astir fascinating celebrities of the era, including vocalist Vicki Carr, Olympic skater Dorothy Hamill, entertainer Sammy Davis, Jr. and histrion John Travolta. It was besides wherever she met Richard Bellack, a handsome hose aviator with United Airlines, who yet became hubby fig five.  

Bellack gathering histrion John Travolta. (Gloria Bellack)

Together, the Bellacks lived for 8 years connected a vessel successful San Diego, wherever Gloria — who had retired from skating — held respective positions astatine the KKIC Yacht Club astatine Shelter Island, including that of rear commodore.

A propulsion toward Mexico and helping others

Throughout these years, the Bellacks felt drawn to Mexico and began to hunt for places to unrecorded during the wintertime months. Having visited successful 1974, Richard felt that Zihuatanejo was precocious connected the database of possibilities, arsenic helium preferred it implicit immoderate different spot they had experienced successful the country. Together, they decided to research it further.  

While staying astatine a edifice successful Zihuatanejo, they noticed a ample radical of children gathered connected a hoops court. Curious, they investigated, reasoning it a schoolhouse event. However, it turned retired to beryllium a “clean the formation day” event. This brushwood became a pivotal infinitesimal successful their lives.

By chance, they met Lisa Martin, an American who had aligned herself with Marina Sánchez, a teacher and laminitis of a schoolhouse dedicated to teaching the city’s poorest Indigenous children. These children’s acquisition was sketchy astatine best, but Sánchez and Martin dreamed of a schoolhouse with the aforesaid advantages arsenic government-run institutions. 

Since these children spoke Nahuatl, not Spanish — a request astatine that clip — the authorities did not supply enactment for their education. The duo wanted to alteration each that. 

The Netza School was small much than a rudimentary shack, babelike connected donations from well-meaning locals and tourists. Gloria, who had suffered from dyslexia, lone learning to work arsenic an adult, identified with the challenges these children faced.

And truthful the Bellacks decided to get progressive successful the project.  

The commencement of Zihuatanejo’s Sailfest

Around the aforesaid time, the Bellacks began to marque friends with the sailing assemblage successful Zihuatanejo, made up of radical from Canada and the U.S. The mates noticed that each year, these folks brought schoolhouse supplies for disadvantaged children arsenic they sailed from larboard to port. A Zihuatanejo hangout, Rick’s Bar, started to judge the donations, and soon a escaped relation formed. 

Sailfest began successful 2001 with implicit 100 boats that arrived successful Zihuatanejo with sailing enthusiasts wanting to assistance section schoolchildren. (Por Los Niños)

More ceremonial fundraising efforts for the Netza schoolhouse began erstwhile Latitude 38, a well-known planetary sailing magazine, teamed up with a catamaran and hosted the Sail Parade lawsuit to rise the much-needed funds. Boaters sold tickets to anxious tourists connected their boats.

The lawsuit was a success, raising implicit US $2,000 successful its archetypal year. From this, Zihuatanejo’s fashionable Sailfest fundraising lawsuit was born.

Each twelvemonth thereafter, Sailfest expanded to see more events, including chilli contests, dances and cruises, and became a highly anticipated event. 

“It was specified a occurrence that radical began to program their holidays astir it,” Bellack said.  

The enactment of Por Los Niños

The Bellacks yet formed a foundation, enlisting the assistance of different expat, Bill Underwood, who, similar the Bellacks, committed to matching donations during the archetypal 8 to 10 years of fundraising. With these other funds, they expanded their donations to see galore different schools.

Despite the much caller yearly diminution of participating boaters successful Sailfest — from a highest of 100 boats to lone 10–12 participants successful 2025, determination is nary question that Sailfest is inactive a important success. 

“The alteration successful boats is owed successful portion to the instauration of a Sailfest successful Barrio Navidad a fewer years ago, which caused galore boaters who would usually marque the yearly trek to Zihuatanejo to anchor determination instead,” Bellack explains. 

Some radical besides blasted the economy, portion others blasted the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic for the boats’ dwindling numbers. However, the yearly fundraiser is inactive a success: In 2024, it raised implicit 4.7 cardinal pesos (US $205,000). 

The enactment keeps responding to the changing needs of underserved Zihuatanejo schoolchildren. This video tells the communicative of however Por Los Niños responded to the COVID-19 pandemic closing schools.

Over the years, this wealth has built countless classrooms, kitchens and bathrooms successful Zihuatanejo and respective surrounding communities. The enactment has provided uniforms, luncheon meals, books, schoolhouse supplies and computers. It has besides fixed retired scholarships to hundreds of children.

Last year, their assistance recipients had a 100% graduation rate. A ample percent of the organization’s assistance students person besides gone connected to prosecute higher education. 

Today, though retired from the day-to-day absorption of events, Gloria, 81, and Richard, 86, stay actively progressive successful Por Los Niños. They be each events, and annually, Gloria hosts a much-anticipated fundraiser, called High Tea with Gloria, successful the couple’s home. In a motion to England, guests are encouraged to deterioration elaborate hats and fancy apparel portion sipping beverage (and different beverages of a stronger nature) and nibbling connected cucumber sandwiches and pastries 

When asked what her engagement successful Sailfest has meant to her, Gloria said,  “It’s fixed maine a batch of faith, excitement and inspiration. And, it makes maine happy. “