We are so excited to be donating this month to ProSayulita and the SUP open. We spoke with one of the board members Janice Parker about her role with Pro Sayulita and all the good they do for this wonderful community.

First off, can you introduce yourself and tell us what first brought you to Sayulita and what made you stay?
We arrived in Sayulita in December 2010, just after the bridge was washed out by the storm. We were told by a friend to stop in and check it out. Our final destination was Los Ayala, looking for a place to hunker down for the winter. We had breakfast at El Break and instantly fell in love. Reluctantly, we left for the drive north, turned right at the beach in Los Ayala and quickly made a u-turn back to the vibe in Sayulita! We have never regretted that decision!

How did you get involved with ProSayulita?
I went to my first meeting with Pro Sayulita in April of 2011, just two weeks before we left for the summer. At that meeting, it was announced that we would finally be getting Lifeguards in town. When I returned the following season, the only Lifeguards to be found were at Los Muertos that had recently become a certified beach. According to Certification guidelines, a certified beach must always have lifeguards. Los Muertos is the safest spot for family swimming. I live in front of the riptide on the Northside Beach in Sayulita. This is arguably the most dangerous section of beach on the entire Nayarit coast.

Previously, a number of residents in the trailer park had set up a makeshift rescue team. None of those folks returned that season and had left us with an 8x10 laminated sheet showing what a riptide is and how to get out of it. I took this to another Pro Sayulita meeting and asked what the situation was regarding Lifeguards. I was told point blank "figure it out!" So, with the much appreciated help of two of the members, I eventually did figure it out. I partnered with a fellow Vancouverite and formed a team with Proteccion Civil and other volunteers, on how to safely and successfully rescue people in danger without endangering themselves.

Over the years we estimate we have trained close to 300 volunteers who have in turn saved hundreds of lives. In 2018, we embarked on the building of 4 Lifegaurd towers. The only one that is actually mannned daily is the Northside tower. The main beach is well covered by all of the Surf Schools' instructors, most of who have taken our courses. Eventually, I became a Board member and have been Secretary now for the last five seasons

Can you tell us about Pro Sayulita and what you do for the community? 
In addition to supporting the Beach Safety program, Pro Sayulita supports and raises funds for many important infrastructure projects, the first being the building of the original sewage treatment plant and then later on, working with strategic partners to upgrade the plant and extend the emissor pipe out into the sea. Again, working with strategic partners, environmental lawyers and lobbyists, Pro Sayulita successfully overturned the proposed IMPLAN which would have increased building density in Sayulita by over 60%. 

We also support local education, the turtle camp, town activities, street cleaning, the Jaguares Youth Bike Team and various other programs that pop-up from time to time. We support SayulitAnimals by paying the rent for their clinic. We work with Transito and keep the large busses from coming into town. During busier times, we also work with them on traffic flow.

We are currently working with Girssa and Azul Sayulita addressing the trash problems our Pueblo is experiencing. Any and all proceeds from the Pro Sayulita SUP Open will go towards supporting this program
All in all, Pro Sayulita works to help make Sayulita a better place to live and play for all our residents and visitors alike.

Below is a link that will take you to our ProSayulita SUP Open page. Here you can sign up as a sponsor or register as an athlete (Pro or Amateur) to race in one for many of our offered categories.
https://www.prosayulita.com/supopen

Anything else you would like to add?
We are very grateful for the support from our community and particularly SayulitaLife for their support of this upcoming, exciting community event. 

Any links to donate or support?
https://www.prosayulita.com/donate