by Leslie Eggerling
Anyone who has ever tried to build a charitable organization will find that the path to success comes with unlimited roadblocks. Unless you have personal wealth, the biggest roadblock is typically fundraising. Regardless of your best intentions, money is a big hurdle. But having volunteers who can raise money for you runs into miracle territory.
Casa Esperanza Women’s Shelter, which translates to House of Hope, is a wonderful organization that provides shelter for battered women and children in Puerto Vallarta.
This organization offers shelter for women and their children and provide education, skills training, health care, and psychiatric counseling. Given the depth of their support, their financial needs are significant. They rely on a government grant and annual fundraising. A key fundraising event was started by the hero of this story – a Southern Belle named Freda Thompson.
In late November of 2023, my husband received a message from a woman named Freda asking him to participate in a benefit for Casa Esperanza. Mike’s friend Charlie Hernandez was a contestant in that benefit in 2016. He mentioned Mike’s name to Tammy Carruthers from Nacho Daddy, who then passed it on to Freda. Feeling charitable but not having a clue what he was agreeing to, hubby said yes.
That began a cavalcade of costumes, including finding high heels for a man with size 14 feet, hiring dancers, building background sets, and dance and music rehearsals.
Although this seemed like a lot to do for us – it was a fraction of this vast production that takes six months of dedicated work and many volunteers every year. So, how did this all start?
Enter stage right the founder, Freda Thompson, who moved to Puerto Vallarta from Texas in 2008 after a long and successful career in teaching and 30 years in real estate sales. She was used to being busy!
Freda started attending Paradise Church locally and was quickly recruited to help with various activities and events that supported the Familias de la Esperanza – families of the dump.
She was part of a group of four women who became known as the Estrogen Cartel (the EC), who were described as do-gooders by day and partiers by night.
In 2010, Freda met David Zoud and his wife, who had purchased land in Vallarta to start a battered women’s shelter. Freda loved the idea and wanted to help.
She and her gal pals started raising money because the organization had land but still had to build a building. The women organized fashion shows, casino nights, golf tournaments, and auctions. And though it helped, none raised the enormous amount of money the shelter needed and would continue to need.
One day at the beach with the EC, Freda came up with the idea of a show featuring straight men dressing and performing in drag. What a Drag was born. The first show was held at the Act2 Theater in 2015 and included 10 husbands of her girlfriends. To their delight, the first show sold out.
They realized they had hit on something big and would have to find a larger space. With the help of the mayor of Vallarta, they were able to book Teatro Vallarta for year three and beyond. What A Drag began to attract sponsors as well as sold tickets to an average audience of 650 people. The event has continued to grow through the years and has expanded beyond the original 10 husbands of Freda’s girlfriends to a more diverse group of seven men, including Mexicans.
The audience is also diverse and reflects the population of Vallarta, with gays and straights, Mexicans, Americans, and Canadians. What started out small 11 years ago is now a full-blown espactaculo, which has raised more than 10 million pesos in the past 4 years.
The event would not have had its success without Freda at the helm. She works tirelessly for 6 months each year, along with volunteers, to make it all come together.
When I interviewed Freda, she was quick to give credit to the many incredible people who helped WAD become such a success. Some of these volunteers will likely end up in future Puerto Vallarta Heroes stories.
Until then, the dynamo with a soft Texas twang deserves bravas and standing ovations for her efforts and huge heart for the local community. If you want to help continue Freda’s work, you can be a sponsor of or buy tickets to, the Annual What a Drag show held each year on the second Sunday in March.
You can also visit the Casa Esperanza webpage and volunteer or donate. www.compassionforthefamily.com
www.whatadragpv.com
