Benny Ibarra and children from Save the Children Quintana Roo unveil their sculpture made with recycled plastic.

Boys and girls from the Save the Children organization, headed by the Quintana Roo state director, Monica Serna, joined multi-talented musician Benny Ibarra, ecologist/artist Alan Vázquez, and Rodrigo Constandse Córdova, general director of Delphinus, the most renowned dolphin chain in the Mexican Caribbean, for the unveiling of the first sculpture of a female dolphin and her calf made entirely of discarded PET bottles. As part of the Eco-Alegr-arte initiative, this effort was carried out by the Save the Children organization and the Delphinus dolphin chain, which sponsored a series of ecological and artistic workshops for children attending the play centers operated by this non-profit children’s institution.

Singer-songwriter Benny Ibarra was amazed by the work done by the kids he affectionately calls “my children”, acknowledging that he has been working with Save the Children for 10 years. “It has been a learning experience for me,” he said. “It is very gratifying to see that my children are well cared for, it makes me feel very proud.” He went on to offer congratulations for what he described as the triangulation of three elements: water, dolphins--whom he depicted as “great teachers”--and art, “which is very important for our children, because we want them to become more sensitized as singers and educators who carry out their labors with artistic awareness.” Ibarra ended by saying, “Congratulations to all the Delphinus gang, we know you care about your community and that you have dedicated heart and soul to all of this. I am proud to be here today.”

Children from Save the Children Quintana Roo, accompanied by their official spokesperson, Benny Ibarra, applaud the great leaps made by the Delphinus Riviera Maya’s dolphins. The children were able to spend time with these cetaceans as a way of thanking them for their participation in the creation of a sculpture made with discarded plastics.
 

Alan Vazquez stated that the sculptures were made with plastic bottles that the children had collected from their homes, neighborhoods and schools. “They arrived at the workshops with great enthusiasm, carrying huge bags of discarded bottles. During these workshops we discovered children with incredible artistic talents. They soon discovered that the trash that litters our streets can be transformed into materials that express our art and encourage others not to litter. For me, it was an honor to have them as my teachers - they have taught me to open my heart.”

For his part, Delphinus General Director Rodrigo Constandse Cordova unreservedly stated that “people congratulate us for participating--but really, I don’t understand why people thank us for supporting these projects, since it is our obligation to do so. I would like to thank Benny for having come all this way to be with the children today, and for his ten years of working with the community. The ones to whom we owe a big applause is Save the Children for their work, also Alan for his generosity, and a big congratulations to the children for their work.”

The moment when the children from Save the Children Quintana Roo unveil their sculpture of a dolphin mother and her calf made entirely of discarded plastic bottles. Witnessing the event were the communications media and Monica Serna, director of the Save the Children institution, artist/ecologist Alan Vazquez, Benny Ibarra, and Rodrigo Constandse Cordova, Delphinus general director.
 

As promised, 16 children who participated in the creation of the sculpture, all of them excitedly awaiting their moment to be with the dolphins, were finally able to enjoy their swim with these enchanting marine mammals. Afterwards, the smiling children, their faces filled with admiration and joy, expressed their gratitude for one of the most beautiful experiences of their lives. They were the first of 300 boys and girls from Save the Children Quintana Roo who, from September through December 2011, will have the opportunity to experience a free swim with dolphins.

Boys and girls from Save the Children listen to a veterinarian’s explanation of the processes in which the Delphinus Research Institute has made dolphin fins transparent for further scientific study.