Fire trucks,
ambulances and a school bus, driven by local Rotarians, left Grande
Prairie early Friday, as part of the Highway to Mexico project.
Rotarians departing on the trip were: Greg Podmore, from left, Drew
Lamont, Felix Seiler, Brent Bibby, Kelly Montgomery, Rick Conrad, Lola
Wright, Percy Britton, Shirly Norton, Sandra Impey and Frank Wright.
Missing was Karen Scribner. Jocelyn Turner/Daily Herald-Tribune
The 14th annual delivery of vehicles to communities in need left the Swan City before sunrise on Friday.
A group of Rotarians started 5,000-kilometer trip to Mazatlan, Mexico on Friday.
Rotarians from the Grande Prairie, Swan City, Rotary after Five and Edson clubs packed up three fire trucks, two ambulances, a school bus and a handi-bus and various equipment early Friday morning and started the long drive.
“They drove one school bus down to Mazatlan (14 years ago) and it sort of took off from there,” said Swan City Rotary Club’s Felix Seiler, one of the co-ordinators of the project.
“As of last year, we have more than 60 vehicles that we’ve driven down there and this year, we’re taking seven.”
Valleyview donated one of the fire trucks and the tanker truck came from the M.D. of Opportunity, in central northern Alberta. Seiler said the Rotary Club of Edson provided one of the ambulances and the other vehicles were purchased at auctions.
The local clubs collaborate with Rotary clubs in Mazatlan to determine which communities will receive what vehicles.
“There’s a lot of need so there’s sort of a waiting list as well and then they decide on where everything is going to go,” he said.
This year’s trip will be Seiler’s fifth. He said seeing the reaction of the local people when they arrive is one of the best moments.
“They make a big deal out of this, right,” he said. “There’s tones of people watching and there’s a ceremony… I mean the biggest thing is going back and understanding that you’ve made a lot of friends down there and… everywhere you go, you see vehicles that have Grande Prairie logos on it and it’s just very rewarding… you see first-hand where your donations or where your charity is going.”
After the early Friday morning departure, Seiler said he expects the convoy to arrive in Mazatlan late the following Friday. Once in Mexico, the plan is to stay a week, delivering vehicles to designated communities before making the trip back north.
One of the trucks is destined for Acatic to help start up a volunteer fire brigade and the remaining vehicles will go to Culiacan, Concordia, El Rosario and Mazatlan.
The Rotary club would like to thank the municipalities, businesses and individuals who contributed vehicles, equipment and donations to the project.
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