THE HISTORY OF THE CASTAWAY KIDS
By Mark Mulligan
Back in the mid-90’s, while working as a volunteer English teacher for the Casa Franciscana in
Guaymas, there was a knock on my door from a little boy named Juan, his sister Viridiana, and his
cousin Ana Lilia. They were kids I had seen playing outside a cardboard shack just down the street from
me in the old dump section of Fatima, one of Guaymas’ poorest neighborhoods. This was the first time,
however, they had ever asked me for money. When I asked them what it was for, they answered that it
was for food. They had not eaten that day. I opened up some cans of tuna and, as they wolfed it down, I
knew they weren’t just trying to get some extra cash to go play video games. They were desperately in
need of help. As I got to know the kids over the next few months, I also met their mothers, who were
quite simply uneducated women who had been abandoned by the fathers of these children.
I didn’t spend much time in San Carlos in those days, but sometime in 1995, I met a man named Jim
Hopkins at a home party there, hosted by my friends Jim and Joel Huff. Mr. Hopkins had heard about
the neighborhood I lived in and the kids I “worked” with. He pulled fifty bucks out and told me to give it to
the kids. I refused, but offered to drive him out to Guaymas to personally give the kids the money. When
he arrived at the filthy shacks these kids lived in, he was shocked at what he was seeing, and at that
moment he committed to sending me $100 per month. Although I’ve only seen him once since then (Jim
has since returned to Tucson), he’s never failed to remember the kids every month. That money, in
addition to small donations from other fellow gringos, has helped to take little Juan from his full time job
as a grocery bag boy (he supported his entire family with his tips) and put him into school where he
belonged. Juan is now 21 years old and a successful, hardworking college student who is scheduled to
graduate from the university in July 2008. His brothers, Ricardo and Oswaldo, are studying hard and
hope to attend college someday too, as well as his sister Miriam. We supported Juan through college,
giving him scholarship assistance ($80 a week). Juan now helps us with the maintenance of our latest
project, Parque de Adela. So that’s how things got started........
Since then other Americans have also gotten involved with the Castaway Kids. We’re not a huge
organization…just a group of hands-on folks who like to help out in this poverty stricken community
however they can, with financial donations or volunteering labor, etc. Nobody gets paid or even gets
personal name recognition. Whatever is done is simply done out of love and the desire to help someone
less fortunate. We have helped in many ways, including helping some of the neighborhood children visit
the dentist for the first time, providing donations of computers, printers, clothing, shoes, school uniforms,
school supplies and hygiene kits. We also host annual Christmas parties in which each child receives a
gift. Most of all, we want the kids to know that, even though they live in conditions hard to fathom,
someone out there cares about them. They will have an opportunity to better themselves and their
situation.
We have constructed three small adobe block homes with electricity and water which now provide a
safe, decent place to sleep. Two of these homes are located directly across the street from the old
shack where some of the kids used to live. Plus, we even had someone donate playground equipment
which will be a great addition to the neighborhood, where currently kids have not much to play with
except rocks and broken toys.
In the last two years, there have been major changes to the Castaway Kids. On October 3, 2006,
Castaway Kids, Inc., an Arizona non-profit corporation was formed. In 2007, the last of the three houses
for a fire victim and her children was completed. In December 2007, the Castaway Kids threw their
biggest Christmas party ever, entertaining 130 kids and their parents with food, pinatas, music and gifts
given out by Santa Claus. In 2008, a sister Mexican nonprofit corporation, Castaway Kids Mexico, A. C.,
was formed. One of the first acts of Castaway Kids Mexico, A.C. was to permit the San Carlos Art
League to operate under the umbrella of its non-profit corporation. This association has proven to be
valuable to both The Castaway Kids as well as La Liga de Arte de San Carlos. The Castaway Kids
constructed and dedicated their first park in Fatima on May 4, 2008. Parque de Adela commemorates
the life of Adela Ruiz de Mulligan, the former wife of Mark Mulligan, and a co-founder of the Castaway
Kids. On June 5, 2006, Castaway Kids, Inc. became a tax deductible corporation pursuant to Section
501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. All donations made since October 3, 2006, whether in cash or
in kind, are now tax deductible. Castaway Kids Mexico, A.C. is currently in the process of seeking tax
deductible status in Mexico with Hacienda, the Mexican taxing authority roughly equivalent to the I. R. S.
The Castaway Kids are currently in the process of negotiating with the City of Guaymas for 4.5 acres of
land in Fatima on which to build a second park. If the land donation materializes, the new park will have
a community center, caretaker's house, basketball court, volleyball court, barbeque area, state-of-the-art
playground equipment, a jogging track, a combination baseball-soccer field and a skate board park.
Looking for ways to be a part of the project? We need donations of cash as well as in-kind donations
and volunteer laborers. Check this website frequently for updates on Castaway Kids' activities. And if
you get to the San Carlos/Guaymas area, please check us out by contacting one or more of the
volunteers listed in this website. We would love to show you around and let you see for yourself how
these kids' lives have been changed by the Castaway Kids. Thank your for your interest, and we hope to
hear from you soon!
By Mark Mulligan
Back in the mid-90’s, while working as a volunteer English teacher for the Casa Franciscana in
Guaymas, there was a knock on my door from a little boy named Juan, his sister Viridiana, and his
cousin Ana Lilia. They were kids I had seen playing outside a cardboard shack just down the street from
me in the old dump section of Fatima, one of Guaymas’ poorest neighborhoods. This was the first time,
however, they had ever asked me for money. When I asked them what it was for, they answered that it
was for food. They had not eaten that day. I opened up some cans of tuna and, as they wolfed it down, I
knew they weren’t just trying to get some extra cash to go play video games. They were desperately in
need of help. As I got to know the kids over the next few months, I also met their mothers, who were
quite simply uneducated women who had been abandoned by the fathers of these children.
I didn’t spend much time in San Carlos in those days, but sometime in 1995, I met a man named Jim
Hopkins at a home party there, hosted by my friends Jim and Joel Huff. Mr. Hopkins had heard about
the neighborhood I lived in and the kids I “worked” with. He pulled fifty bucks out and told me to give it to
the kids. I refused, but offered to drive him out to Guaymas to personally give the kids the money. When
he arrived at the filthy shacks these kids lived in, he was shocked at what he was seeing, and at that
moment he committed to sending me $100 per month. Although I’ve only seen him once since then (Jim
has since returned to Tucson), he’s never failed to remember the kids every month. That money, in
addition to small donations from other fellow gringos, has helped to take little Juan from his full time job
as a grocery bag boy (he supported his entire family with his tips) and put him into school where he
belonged. Juan is now 21 years old and a successful, hardworking college student who is scheduled to
graduate from the university in July 2008. His brothers, Ricardo and Oswaldo, are studying hard and
hope to attend college someday too, as well as his sister Miriam. We supported Juan through college,
giving him scholarship assistance ($80 a week). Juan now helps us with the maintenance of our latest
project, Parque de Adela. So that’s how things got started........
Since then other Americans have also gotten involved with the Castaway Kids. We’re not a huge
organization…just a group of hands-on folks who like to help out in this poverty stricken community
however they can, with financial donations or volunteering labor, etc. Nobody gets paid or even gets
personal name recognition. Whatever is done is simply done out of love and the desire to help someone
less fortunate. We have helped in many ways, including helping some of the neighborhood children visit
the dentist for the first time, providing donations of computers, printers, clothing, shoes, school uniforms,
school supplies and hygiene kits. We also host annual Christmas parties in which each child receives a
gift. Most of all, we want the kids to know that, even though they live in conditions hard to fathom,
someone out there cares about them. They will have an opportunity to better themselves and their
situation.
We have constructed three small adobe block homes with electricity and water which now provide a
safe, decent place to sleep. Two of these homes are located directly across the street from the old
shack where some of the kids used to live. Plus, we even had someone donate playground equipment
which will be a great addition to the neighborhood, where currently kids have not much to play with
except rocks and broken toys.
In the last two years, there have been major changes to the Castaway Kids. On October 3, 2006,
Castaway Kids, Inc., an Arizona non-profit corporation was formed. In 2007, the last of the three houses
for a fire victim and her children was completed. In December 2007, the Castaway Kids threw their
biggest Christmas party ever, entertaining 130 kids and their parents with food, pinatas, music and gifts
given out by Santa Claus. In 2008, a sister Mexican nonprofit corporation, Castaway Kids Mexico, A. C.,
was formed. One of the first acts of Castaway Kids Mexico, A.C. was to permit the San Carlos Art
League to operate under the umbrella of its non-profit corporation. This association has proven to be
valuable to both The Castaway Kids as well as La Liga de Arte de San Carlos. The Castaway Kids
constructed and dedicated their first park in Fatima on May 4, 2008. Parque de Adela commemorates
the life of Adela Ruiz de Mulligan, the former wife of Mark Mulligan, and a co-founder of the Castaway
Kids. On June 5, 2006, Castaway Kids, Inc. became a tax deductible corporation pursuant to Section
501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. All donations made since October 3, 2006, whether in cash or
in kind, are now tax deductible. Castaway Kids Mexico, A.C. is currently in the process of seeking tax
deductible status in Mexico with Hacienda, the Mexican taxing authority roughly equivalent to the I. R. S.
The Castaway Kids are currently in the process of negotiating with the City of Guaymas for 4.5 acres of
land in Fatima on which to build a second park. If the land donation materializes, the new park will have
a community center, caretaker's house, basketball court, volleyball court, barbeque area, state-of-the-art
playground equipment, a jogging track, a combination baseball-soccer field and a skate board park.
Looking for ways to be a part of the project? We need donations of cash as well as in-kind donations
and volunteer laborers. Check this website frequently for updates on Castaway Kids' activities. And if
you get to the San Carlos/Guaymas area, please check us out by contacting one or more of the
volunteers listed in this website. We would love to show you around and let you see for yourself how
these kids' lives have been changed by the Castaway Kids. Thank your for your interest, and we hope to
hear from you soon!
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Website designed and donated by: Pam Brame @ Long Realty Seaside