DISTRICT 7330 ROTARY MISSION IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Rotary in Action
On February 5, fourteen of us traveled to Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic to join our Rotarian friends from Michigan on this most memorable humanitarian mission. Briefly, this is the Matching Grant project to which we have been contributing Bio Sand Filters for the last five years. Now that this Grant has been fulfilled, we have just joined into a new 3H $2,000,000 humanitarian grant that will continue to extend the previous grants purpose into more clean water and sanitation in this region of the world.
Our goal was to see, experience and learn from our Rotarian partners with the purpose of developing a plan that would encompass another area within the Dominican in need of a duplicate program as has been established by the Michigan Districts and Rotary Clubs. This phase of our mission was accomplished with the next step being the creation of a strategic plan that will include the input and efforts of the future leadership within our District and our Clubs.
My personal goals were to witness and observe the actual delivery of the projects service objectives. Who was involved on the ground floor and how did the work actually get done? The Michigan group had made arrangements for us and others to visit various project sites in conjunction with the local sponsoring Rotary Clubs and Rotarians who offered their homes and typical hospitality for the region we were visiting. All of us were divided into different groups according to the Rotary Clubs and the itinerary they had planned for us. This was all followed by a Rotary Club Project fair in a nearby city called Santiago. We'll explain more about this later, at District Conference.
What I discovered was that the scope of involvement required for the delivery and installation of bio sand filters, latrines for sanitation, building schools, medical facilities, and safe housing for the handicapped and elderly was too much for any group of Rotarians to accomplish alone. So how do they do it? Because it does get done!
The Rotary Community Service Corp is the answer to this question and I was so fortunate to see it in action. Fiore is a young school teacher whose school is a modest concrete square of a building in a neighborhood that does not have access to water other than rain barrels and a water truck that charges its customers $3 for a 5 gallon container fill up. This is also the neighborhood were Fiore lives along with her husband and child, mother and father, aunts and uncles and childhood friends. When I asked my Rotarian host Alfredo how did they know which house was in need of a bio sand filter or rain barrel, he said the Club was notified by Fiore and the members of the Rotary Community Core which is sponsored by their Club. He said there are so many people in need, off the main road we were on, and only Fiore and the members of her group knew who they were and how to get to them. Fiore was the leader of this particular Community Corp and they wanted to make sure we knew about her importance. Alfredo, other Rotarians from his Club along with Fiore and members of her group spent the whole day showing us project after project, bio sand filters, rain barrels and the importance for each who received the benefits of their service.
All throughout the day, I kept reflecting back to our District and the status of the Rotary Clubs. Large Clubs keep thriving as our smaller Clubs struggle to maintain the security of their future ability to remain viable in their respective communities. Several of our smaller Clubs have united in fundraising and with regional service projects along with joint meetings on a rotating basis. All for the same purpose... to be able to continue with the Mission of Rotary and their commitments to serve within their original home base and maintain the autonomy and pride that they have for their individual Club. But now, I want to share this thought of developing a Community Service Corp in your community for those who have the like interest to serve but who are not capable of becoming a member Rotarian, at least for now.
Just like our partnering Clubs in the Dominican Republic, and around the world, the idea of Rotary is better shared with those among us and who can help with worthwhile and relevant service projects planned for our communities. Before you consider this difficult or say that it can only be done with Rotary Clubs in another land, let me inform you that at least two Rotary Clubs in our District have organized the function of such a group and are operating right now with their community service projects. They are The Rotary Clubs of Murrysville-Export and Westmoreland.
There is so much more that I can tell you, but not now and in this message. Please register for District Conference where the proper format and time has been scheduled to continue with this discussion and explore our possibilities.
A full Conference schedule and registration have been made available by going on line to the District Web Site www.rotary7330.org. Hope to see there, where we can continue our discussion on the advancement of Rotary in your Club.
Yours in Rotary,
DG Frank