For the children

This year Clinton resident Jim Bruckner will hop on a plane to visit loved ones. And when he arrives at his destination, he too will have some last-minute shopping to do.

Bruckner has a big extended family, and that means a pretty long shopping list. What’s on it? Oh, 100 or so books for more than 100 orphans at Casa de Cuna orphanage in Uruapan, Mexico.

“I inscribe each book, so each child can have something they can call their own,” Bruckner said. “I did this last year and it was a huge success.”

His holiday trips are just one of the many Bruckner takes each year to visit the children, along with Madre Rosita and the other nuns who take care of the orphans. The children range in age from birth to teens.

Bruckner was a trial lawyer in Nebraska for almost 47 years before retiring and moving to Whidbey in January 2002.

After retirement he wasn’t sure how his days would be spent. But he suspected many of them would be out on the golf course, or enjoying his hobbies of painting and studying jazz piano.

When he retired, though, one of Bruckner’s friends told him, “There’s no way. You won’t be able to quit. You’ve been helping people your whole life, how are you supposed to start not helping them now?”

The orphans of Casa de Cuna orphanage have become his way to fulfill that call to duty.

Finding an extended family in Mexico

Bruckner first came to know about the orphans from an Oct. 19, 2002, article in The South Whidbey Record that wrote about South Whidbey residents Francisco G. and Deanna Hinojos’ efforts to help an orphanage in Central Mexico.

The article described Francisco Hinojos’ frequent trips, when he often packed extra suitcases full of towels, sheets, pens, pencils and toothbrushes. It also outlined how the Hinojos were recently able to make an extra special delivery of more than 600 blankets, 500-plus toothbrushes, and loads of donated towels, kitchen utensils, pens and pencils, sheets, bed spreads, pillowcases, clothing, stuffed animals, watercolor sets and other luxuries the orphanage couldn’t possibly afford.

All of the items were donated by South Whidbey residents who came to the children’s aid after Hinojos put out a call to local churches and community groups.

Bruckner read the story and examined the photo of the orphans with much interest.

“I saw how so many people from South Whidbey had come together to help this orphanage,” he said.

“I knew I loved these people, the people of Mexico, so I thought, ‘Why couldn’t I help?’”

He called Hinojos to ask if the orphans had further needs.

There were many, but what they needed most were mattresses. Hinojos also shared his difficulties with customs agents when bringing the donated items down to the kids.

Bruckner knew they needed to find someone in Mexico who could buy the mattresses, and a charity that would be willing to bank money short term so it could then be used for the orphanage.

By luck, Seattle resident Betty Tisdale called Bruckner that same week.

Tisdale has received national coverage for her work with orphans and for the fact that during the 1970s she helped 219 orphans escape Vietnam before the fall of Saigon. She now operates the charity HALO, Helping And Loving Orphans.

Bruckner asked if he could use the umbrella of her charity to help the Mexican orphans. She said yes, if her accountant agreed. He did.

Bruckner then called a friend in Uruapan who located mattresses that were made in the city for 400 Pesos each, or approximately $38 each.

Bruckner donated $5,000 to HALO to cover the cost of making almost 100 mattresses and to buy additional fix-up items for the orphanage, such as handrails for stairways.

The ball got rolling in October and the kids were sleeping on the beds just in time for Easter.

When Bruckner arrived with the mattresses he was also told of the orphanage’s need for pillowcases.

He serendipitously found a person who could help supply the pillowcases while he was arranging for a return car ride from the hundreds of miles to the orphanage.

“When I was a young kid attending Catholic school back in Nebraska, the nuns used to talk about divine providence,” Bruckner said. “But it was truly amazing how everything came together and to continues to be.”

A love for the people

Bruckner first traveled to Mexico in 1996 during Mexico’s Holy Week in April. It’s a time when the Easter holiday is surrounded with festivities.

He visited San Migel de Allende, a colonial city located three and a half hours north of Mexico City, in the mountains of the state of Guanajuato.

The city, which claims thousands of Americans among its population, became a special place for Bruckner.

He remembers how every night the Mexican families would leave their small houses and go to the city’s central garden which was surrounded by open air restaurants and food vendors. Mariachi bands and street performers provided entertainment for the nightly festive environment.

“They are such sweet people who are very devoted to family and they are almost always together,” Bruckner said.

On Holy Thursday he witnessed a sober mood take over the city for the Holy Week. The nightly music took a reprieve to crowds moving through the streets visiting each of the city’s seven churches. On Good Friday, there were two religious processions: one of the crucification at noon and one of the funeral in the evening.

“It was a remarkable display of devotion as the women in black dresses and high heels and the men in black suits marched slowly through the cobble stone streets while carrying large statues of saints and angels on their soldiers,” Bruckner said.

The procession that included children’s’ choirs, priests, blessed sacrament and a symphony orchestra lasted over three hours.

It was after seeing this cultural event that a love for the Mexican people became embedded in Bruckner’s heart. He decided that he would make a tradition of taking each of his 16 grandchildren to San Miguel for Holy Week when they reached their middle teens.

“I wanted them to see how the Mexican people lived and experience their love and devotion,” he said.

Each time he and his grandchildren would visit the neighboring cities of Guanajuanto and Dolores Hildago, the birthplace of the Mexican revolution against Spain.

“Each trip only confirmed more my love affair with the Mexican people,” Bruckner said.

With additional needs still existing at the orphanage, and three grandchildren yet to visit the country, it appears that Bruckner will continue to rack up the frequent flyer miles.

His legacy continues

Bruckner is currently in Mexico. It is his third trip to visit the orphanage this year.

“I like to be there so I can help jump start and oversee projects,” he said. “The biggest problem is keeping the momentum going when everyone involved down there has their own concerns.”

When he’s not able to be there, he has friends in the country who check on the orphanage for him.

“You really get an opportunity to know the people of the area because when you’re in Central Mexican cities such as theirs, you’re so far out of the tourist traffic,” Bruckner said.

Michoacan is an agricultural state known as the avocado capital of the world, Bruckner said. Uruapan is the second largest city in the state that is heavy with mountains and lakes.

Bruckner said the children of the orphanage have a wonderful spirit about them.

“They are so loving and grateful for anything given to them,” he said.

Since answering that initial call for mattresses, Bruckner has continued to help support the orphanage and often recruits friends, family and colleagues in the legal profession to do the same.

Continuing to funnel the donations through HALO, he’s helped pay medical bills, create a ventilation system for stuffy dormitories, and build a new sewing room.

Bruckner said he felt it was important to focus on helping one orphanage to give it the best infrastructure possible.

“Madre Rosita has enough concerns worrying about the everyday task of making sure all the children get fed,” Bruckner said. “She has been working so hard for so long and is completely devoted to these kids. She shouldn’t have to worry about all the maintenance that needs to be done.”

Still in the works is updating the kitchen and adding proper cold storage. An architect has already sketched out a design. This update was going to be the main priority this summer, but when Bruckner talked with Madre Rosita in April, she urged him to provide the children with new playground equipment instead.

“She’s so content on making sure they are happy,” he said.

Bruckner was able to contact executives of Costco in Mexico. The company donated a large wooden play set, an ongoing supply of eyeglasses for the nuns and the children, and school supplies, too. A second play set was purchased by a colleague in the International Society of Barristers.

“They were very generous and we are very grateful,” Bruckner said.

During July, Bruckner’s wife Darcy Monagas Bruckner, her son Guillermo, Bruckner’s son Steve and 17-year-old grandson John returned with him to help paint dormitories at the orphanage.

One day he was back in a dark corner of one of the dormitories when he heard a small voice say, “Looking good.”

He looked to see where it was coming from and saw nothing.

Again, another voice said “Looking good,” and then, another “Looking good.”

“I finally was able to see that it was three little girls standing there smiling and repeating the phrase,” he said.

Even though progress has been accomplished this year — including the playground and repairs in the orphanage’s much neglected bathrooms — Bruckner said there remains much work to be done. Don’t expect this grandfather of 16 and adopted grandfather of hundreds to stop.

“I plan on being there for them for quite a while,” he said.

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