BUENA PARK : Drive Leads to Rides for 12 Children

Guadalupe Canela proudly carried her 5-year-old son, Daniel, through the gates of Knott’s Berry Farm on Thursday.

Too poor to afford a wheelchair for Daniel, who has cerebral palsy, she never dreamed they would ever be enjoying a vacation 2,000 miles away from their hometown in Mexico.

But with the help of several volunteers, including donations from local businesses, he and a group of 11 children and their mothers will be spending the next week touring Southern California.

“I can’t believe how nice we have been treated,” said Canela, a mother of four. “It is wonderful.”

The children, ranging in age from 5 to 13, attend a private rehabilitation center for the poor in Guadalajara. All have cerebral palsy, a condition that affects muscle coordination and speech.

The center often has trouble making ends meet and relies heavily on private donations and the work of volunteers.

After hearing about the children, Patricia Padilla, the manager of a local travel agency in Mexico, decided she wanted to do something for them. “All of them don’t have enough money,” Padilla said.

So during the past 10 months, she and other volunteers helped persuade everyone from Delta Airlines to the Buena Park Hotel and Convention Center to donate something for the trip. They also held fund-raising drives until $1,500 per child was collected.

The vacation is the first trip to the United States for all the mothers and children.

“The mothers cried when they got on the plane because they have never been able to take their children anywhere,” Padilla said.

After breakfast, the youngsters eagerly made their way to the park. The mothers trailed behind, carrying cameras and knapsacks.

After being greeted by Snoopy, the children raced for Camp Snoopy, stopping to inspect each ride.

“I didn’t want to get off,” protested Lucero Gonzales after a turn on the Red Baron airplane.

“There is more,” her mother promised.