CURTIS BOVEE
STAFF WRITER

On April 3 from 6 – 9 p.m. in Clarke 113, the Office of Arts & Lectures will be screening the documentary “Somewhere Near Tapachula” followed by a Q&A in hopes of raising awareness and money for Misión México Children’s Refuge, located in Tapachula, Mexico.

Misión México is a refuge for kids who have been abandoned, abused, involved in gangs, addicted to drugs and lived in poverty. Currently, Misión México takes care of over 50 children and has helped more than 200 from different conditions of need. All of the children at Misión México are enrolled in good schools which certainly wasn’t the case prior to their arrival at Misión México. Excitingly, Misión México provides weekend trips to isolated beach breaks in Mexico, providing surfing opportunities for the children. Over the years, surfing has proven to be an excellent outlet for kids. Surfing provides a means to get away for the children, enabling them to forget about things that have happened in their pasts.

“’Somewhere Near Tapachula’ is a truly inspiring story of love, life and hope. Set in Tapachula, Mexico, this documentary looks at the horrific childhoods of [more than] 50 children,” Laura de Ghetaldi, professor of Kinesiology at CSUSM, said.

De Ghetaldi will be the main presenter throughout the evening, along with Moacir Zeledon.

Zeledon ended up at Misión México seven years ago, quickly becoming a core member of the family. As a new member of the family, Zeledon grew very attracted to surfing, and it quickly became one of his greatest loves. Zeledon eventually won a scholarship to study Sports Management in Surf-ing Studies on the Gold Coast of Australia at Southern Cross University. He has been featured in surf magazines, and “Surfing World Magazine” included Zeledon as one of the world’s 20 most interesting surfers.

Copies of the documentary will be sold for $15 and donations will be accepted. One-hundred percent of proceeds will go to the nonprofit for Misión México Children’s Refuge.