We Have Caribbean Souls We Can Barely Control and Some Texas Here In Our Hearts

Sally Spenny, President
San Antonio Parrot Head Club

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San Antonio , Texas , is well known for The Alamo and the famous River Walk, but in 1998 when Garrett Van Delden , and several of his family and friends returned from a Jimmy Buffett concert in Las Vegas , energized and looking for a local parrot head club – there was none in San Antonio .  They had been Jimmy Buffett fans for a long time and realized that they wanted to join the Parrot Heads in Paradise (PHIP) community and “Party with a Purpose”. He gathered a small group of dedicated people, his wife Pam Van Delden , brother Tim Van Delden, Mike and Holly King, and Judy Coteff to form the first Board of Directors for the San Antonio Parrot Head Club (SAPHC) in March 1999. 

It started with a small core group of people and with a lot of hard work and dedication; they grew the membership to over 40 by the end of 1999. Of that original 40, there are still several active members, with Garrett and Pam Van Delden still hosting the annual summer pool party at their house and our own SAPHC Ambassadors to the rest of the  Parrot Head Nation, Fred and Sara Guerrero. Their community spirit and energy has blossomed over the past nine years.  We look forward to celebrating our ten year anniversary very soon.

Today, the San Antonio Parrot Head Club has over 200 current members helping the community.  The club is a big supporter of Ronald McDonald House, donating supplies, tab tops, and baking cookies for the residents.  Another charity close to the members’ hearts is the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund, with over $16,000 donated over the years through auctions, raffles and participation in charity walks.  This year we added the Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk to our charitable efforts and contributed over $2200 to that cause.  Other local San Antonio charities include Elf Louise, an agency that provides Christmas presents, wrapped and delivered by “Santa” dressed volunteers to needy children; the San Antonio Food Bank where food (over 500 lbs collected this year) and monetary donations of $1800 were made.  This year, the club members added volunteering their time working at the Food Bank warehouse to box food for the needy. Our efforts boxed over 10,000 lbs of food for the community.  We also supported “Project Cool” where club members donated box fans to help the elderly keep cool in the hot south Texas summer heat. 

The Parrot Heads collect coats and warm clothing during the colder San Antonio months for children and adults, donating the clothing to Children’s Protective Service and the San Antonio Municipal Ministries (SAMM), which operates two homeless shelters in town. Earlier this year, we designated the $300 award from winning first place in the PHiP 2007 Annual Newsletter Contest and this year we’ll add $100 for winning third place for 2008 to the SAMM organization.  SAPHC supports another local agency, Cause for Paws, a dog rescue organization.  In the past year we’ve collected over $300 in dog food, supplies, and money to help care for the animals needing rescue. Quarterly, SAPHC participates in the Texas Department of Transportation “ Adopt A Highway ” program, cleaning up a two mile stretch of road outside Camp Bullis in North Central San Antonio.

The SAPHC also has an annual weekend at the beach “Survive” in Port Aransas, TX. The hotel manager, Linda Ayers, wrote:  “Well we sure had a great time with your fantastic group. I have never seen so many wonderful people in one place at a time… Personally, I feel truly blessed to meet such a wonderful group that enjoy each and every day.  The fact that you all "Party with a Purpose" is the icing on the cake. You and your group help so many people that will never know how wonderful you really are.”

The SAPHC meets monthly on the third Thursday of the month from 6 – 9 p.m. at Clear Springs Restaurant for good music, fun, and a purpose.  There are food and drink specials with raffles for door prizes.   This year we’ve added some more fun events to our calendar such as “Phins for Pins”, a night of bowling and a “Summer Splash”, picnic at the lake, to continue “Partying with a Purpose”.  Come join us and visit our website, http://www.saphc.com to see our award winning newsletter and calendar of events.