Over the years, Zihuatanejo has seen its share of remarkable women from other countries who call Mexico home. Whether part-time or full-time, these women seem determined to make a lasting impression on their adopted community. One of these remarkable women is Gloria Bellack, who, in 1999, along with her husband Richard, founded one of the most successful nonprofit organizations this bustling and vibrant city has seen.
Originally named the Bellack Foundation, it is now known as Por Los Niños, an organization with a mission to help underprivileged children through assistance to local schools and scholarships for students. The organization distributes money raised from Sailfest, Zihuatanejo’s popular two-week regatta event and fundraiser, which attracts folks in the sailing community from far and wide each year.
From figure skater to Reno showgirl
Bellack started her life far from Zihuatanejo, from humble beginnings in Beaumont, England, where she began ice skating early. As she grew older, figure skating became her passion, and she eventually taught the sport around the country, including in Leeds, a coal mining town.
“The coal was so thick that after class, when we removed our clothes to shower, there was an outline of soot stenciled on our bodies. And sometimes the fog was so thick, it was hard to breathe, much less skate,”
Bellack married and had a son, but by the age of 45, she had married three more times. During this period, she mingled with the musical legends like Mick Jagger, Englebert Humperdinck and even Princess Margaret, whom she met at an awards ceremony.
She taught skating in Australia for three years before relocating to the United States in 1980. There, Bellack began a new career as a figure-skating showgirl in the Razzle Dazzle ice follies in Reno, Nevada, a large-scale, theatrical ice-skating revue that also featured celebrities.
Much like in England, the ever-popular Bellack met during this time with some of the most fascinating celebrities of the era, including singer Vicki Carr, Olympic skater Dorothy Hamill, entertainer Sammy Davis, Jr. and actor John Travolta. It was also where she met Richard Bellack, a handsome airline pilot with United Airlines, who eventually became husband number five.
Together, the Bellacks lived for eight years on a boat in San Diego, where Gloria — who had retired from skating — held several positions at the KKIC Yacht Club at Shelter Island, including that of rear commodore.
A pull toward Mexico and helping others
Throughout these years, the Bellacks felt drawn to Mexico and began to search for places to live during the winter months. Having visited in 1974, Richard felt that Zihuatanejo was high on the list of possibilities, as he preferred it over any other place they had experienced in the country. Together, they decided to explore it further.
While staying at a hotel in Zihuatanejo, they noticed a large group of children gathered on a basketball court. Curious, they investigated, thinking it a school event. However, it turned out to be a “clean the beach day” event. This encounter became a pivotal moment in their lives.
By chance, they met Lisa Martin, an American who had aligned herself with Marina Sánchez, a teacher and founder of a school dedicated to teaching the city’s poorest Indigenous children. These children’s education was sketchy at best, but Sánchez and Martin dreamed of a school with the same advantages as government-run institutions.
Since these children spoke Nahuatl, not Spanish — a requirement at that time — the government did not provide support for their education. The duo wanted to change all that.
The Netza School was little more than a rudimentary shack, dependent on donations from well-meaning locals and tourists. Gloria, who had suffered from dyslexia, only learning to read as an adult, identified with the challenges these children faced.
And so the Bellacks decided to get involved in the project.
The birth of Zihuatanejo’s Sailfest
Around the same time, the Bellacks began to make friends with the sailing community in Zihuatanejo, made up of people from Canada and the U.S. The couple noticed that each year, these folks brought school supplies for disadvantaged children as they sailed from port to port. A Zihuatanejo hangout, Rick’s Bar, started to accept the donations, and soon a loose association formed.
More formal fundraising efforts for the Netza school began when Latitude 38, a well-known international sailing magazine, teamed up with a catamaran and hosted the Sail Parade event to raise the much-needed funds. Boaters sold tickets to eager tourists on their boats.
The event was a success, raising over US $2,000 in its first year. From this, Zihuatanejo’s popular Sailfest fundraising event was born.
Each year thereafter, Sailfest expanded to include more events, including chilli contests, dances and cruises, and became a highly anticipated event.
“It was such a success that people began to plan their holidays around it,” Bellack said.
The formation of Por Los Niños
The Bellacks eventually formed a foundation, enlisting the help of another expat, Bill Underwood, who, like the Bellacks, committed to matching donations during the first eight to 10 years of fundraising. With these extra funds, they expanded their donations to include many other schools.
Despite the more recent yearly decline of participating boaters in Sailfest — from a peak of 100 boats to only 10–12 participants in 2025, there is no question that Sailfest is still a significant success.
“The decrease in boats is due in part to the creation of a Sailfest in Barrio Navidad a few years ago, which caused many boaters who would normally make the annual trek to Zihuatanejo to anchor there instead,” Bellack explains.
Some people also blame the economy, while others blame the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic for the boats’ dwindling numbers. However, the annual fundraiser is still a success: In 2024, it raised over 4.7 million pesos (US $205,000).
The organization keeps responding to the changing needs of underserved Zihuatanejo schoolchildren. This video tells the story of how Por Los Niños responded to the COVID-19 pandemic closing schools.
Over the years, this money has built countless classrooms, kitchens and bathrooms in Zihuatanejo and several surrounding communities. The organization has provided uniforms, lunch meals, books, school supplies and computers. It has also given out scholarships to hundreds of children.
Last year, their scholarship recipients had a 100% graduation rate. A large percentage of the organization’s scholarship students have also gone on to pursue higher education.
Today, although retired from the day-to-day management of events, Gloria, 81, and Richard, 86, remain actively involved in Por Los Niños. They attend all events, and annually, Gloria hosts a much-anticipated fundraiser, called High Tea with Gloria, in the couple’s home. In a nod to England, guests are encouraged to wear elaborate hats and fancy clothes while sipping tea (and other beverages of a stronger nature) and nibbling on cucumber sandwiches and pastries
When asked what her involvement in Sailfest has meant to her, Gloria said, “It’s given me a lot of faith, excitement and inspiration. And, it makes me happy. “
The writer divides her time between Canada and Zihuatanejo.
