The Highlands Bolivian Mission is holding its semi-annual fundraiser, the All Male Beauty Pageant at the Highlands Playhouse on October 7. The show starts at 8 pm, but there is a free wine bar sponsored by Bryson’s Food Store beginning at 7 pm. The cost of admission is a $100 donation to the mission. Tickets can be purchased at Wilson Gas, The Highlands Playhouse and the Highlands United Methodist Church. All donations are tax deductible.
Below are some of the gem’s you may see at the All Male Beauty Pageant
The proceeds will sustain the mission’s projects in Montero, Bolivia. The foster home has been operational since 2003 and presently houses 23 boys. The home stresses education and all the boys have chores, even the smallest ones have their duties. These chores develop a sense of pride and ownership in addition to instilling good work habits and responsibility.
Dr. John Baumrucker administering medical care to an infant in Bolivia when he’s not wearing a dress and high heels for a good cause. Dr. Baumrucker is also pictured at the top of the article at a past pageant.
Though the mission began as a medical mission, it quickly branched into other areas. The mission has built 16 basic homes, a church and developed a jail ministry where all the medicines are provided by the mission. Also, over the 22 years of the mission, over one million dollars-worth of medical equipment has been donated. Presently it costs approximately $60,000 yearly to run the foster home.
Dr. John Baumrucker said the pageant is a small way to thank the donors who have allowed this mission to help so many people.
“If eight to ten prominent men from the community can entertain the crowd for a while and make them laugh, it is worth making fools of us all to bring in close to $20,000. Money goes a long way in Bolivia,” said Baumrucker.
There is a Rotary wheelchair giveaway scheduled in January that the mission has planned, and three area Rotary Clubs helped to fund. 250 chairs will be distributed in the District of Santa Cruz that includes Montero, the site of the mission. In April, the Baptist Church will join the mission and stay at the new and beautiful Mama Joanna Guest House that was just finished in April, 2019. The foster home boys run the facility gaining real world business experience doing all the marketing, accounting and cleaning the house. He income from the Guest House will eventually help fund the foster home for many years to come.
For more ticket information call or text Dr. Baumrucker at 828.200.0902.