Why are we growing while other organizations are having a hard time just surviving? Dedication to our cause is the main reason. People see us as who we are, a nonprofit organization that gives ALL its monies to our many charitable causes. We are the sole supporters (Patronato), for the Rosarito Police Department D.A.R.E. program, (Say No to Drugs). When we first sponsored this group we had 750 students in it, today we have over 11,000 enrolled, so as you can see, this program alone costs thousands of dollars a year to keep funded. Over the years we have supplied the Police Department with thousands of dollars in new and used equipment for their department and officer’s use. We have supplied almost anything that the department deemed necessary from uniforms to vehicles to training, just to name a few.
We have also donated many needed items to the Fire Department. We have never idle; we work hard on our fundraisers and other events to be able to raise the monies to keep on supporting the things we are committed to fund. It isn’t easy work, but we all chip in and help this is what makes our organization succeed. Every member working together for a final cause.
We had goals in 2007 and we attained them all and with everyone’s help we will it our goals for the upcoming 2008. Our goals are:

1-To fund and erect the Police Memorial. This memorial is being built to honor all police officers that have given their lives in the line of duty.

2-We must supply the D.A.R.E. officers with books for the students, equipment and anything else they deem necessary to successfully run their program. We also need to install a high speed internet connection at the D.A.R.E.  office so we can hook up a complex of computers and equipment to allow the students to go online.

3-We want to start another language school at the Police Department as to let local police officers become bi-lingual. We will supply the teachers, books and anything else that is needed to accomplish this goal. We have run a school in the past with success.

4-We have erected a clubhouse, it is almost completed. It is our goal to have a place of our own to call home, to have meetings at and place that other Footprinters can come to, to interact with other members.

5-We want to supply the police department with a specialized vehicle for Grupo Especial, their version of SWAT team to be utilized on special assignments.

6-We want to bring back the Department of Justice training team to further assist the local officers in procedures utilized in the United States. We had them train Grupo Especial and other selected officers in the year 2005 and feel that training is the backbone to confidence, and that is what they are striving for. We will also run other training classes for the officers as trainers become available.

7-We need to organize at least four fundraisers in 2008 in order to meet our financial goals.

As you can now see, we have just began to scrape the surface, but we are competent that we will attain all of our goals as we have always done in the past.
Our group has monthly meetings which are always held on Saturday. We are now meeting at our new clubhouse. You can acces our website at www.independentfootprinters.org to get all our news and to check out when our next meeting is. Hopefully, now everyone who read this article will finally know, “who we are and what we do”.
Dr. Harry “O”, President I.F.A