Californian Rotary Club Arrives with Donations

by Maureen Dietrich

19 Nov 14  

mazmessenger.com

 

On this their 14^th visit to Mazatlán, 42 members of the Rotarian Club from San Francisco, California arrived with charitable donations to benefit communities in south Sinaloa.

This year the group will donate (among other things) 1,400 wheelchairs for those in need, and 25 water purifiers, air conditioners, computers, audiovisual equipment, projection and photocopy machines for primary and secondary schools in Mazatlán, Culiacán, El Rosario and Escuinapa.

Pre-schools will also benefit from the Rotarians visit, including the civil association Una Luz Hacia el Mundo school for the blind. Rotarians plan to construct a shed for their premises.

(from Noroeste)

Ambulance delivery fills a need

fairfewpost.com

By Chris Eakin, Fairview Post

Tuesday, April 1, 2014 

Fairview residents Perry and Shilo Wild and Pauline Broddle and Keith Lyons are now back in Fairview having delivered the Rotary ambulance to Mexico.

Broddle says, “The need is so great for this project. Over 13 years 66 vehicles (firetrucks, ambulances, schoolbuses) have been delivered to Mazatlan and area, most are used daily and are maintained with pride in top condition.

Request for 40 school buses - working with Mexican government to amend the specs on buses to be delivered (max. age of bus and gas vs diesel). These buses are not only used by the schools, but for handicapped programs/community groups etc.

Firefighters (bomberos) and ambulance operatives are all volunteers and have to raise their own funds for fuel expenses. One group (Cobras) operates six small ambulances, their base is out of an administrator’s home and he is an air traffic controller in his day job. Others are students or have regular jobs. Dispatch is out of Mexico City – a long way away!

Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) – we met five exchange students and saw the way their year as RYE has changed their lives. Pauline spent a year in Edson – she was translator for our Rotary breakfast with Mazatlan clubs.

A girl from Mazatlan had spent a year in New Zealand, is now 20 years old and attending college – we had long talks with her about the program and the impact it has had on her life and outlook, especially how now as a young adult she sees her country and its needs.

A boy from Mazatlan who spent a year in Australia and speaks English with an Aussie accent, reminding us of Travis. Two girls presently in Mazatlan on exchange from Ontario and Brazil.”

Their trip started out the first day with 801 Km on the road, arriving in Lethbridge at 7 p.m. The next day they travelled 643 km from Lethbridge to Dillon, Montana, the day after that 886 km to Beaver, Utah via Salt Lake City.

Another day saw them arrive in Lake Havasu after 606 km. on the road, the next day only 346 km because they had to have the vehicles inspected in Phoenix before taking them across the border. Day six they travelled from Phoenix to Nogales AZ (295 km) with a stop at the hospital after one member of the party fell ill and another fell when he missed a step on the fire truck, breaking his wrist.

Day seven was 272 km from Nogales to Hermosillo, Mexico – spending five hours at the Mexican border, then day eight they travelled from Hermosillo to Mazatlan (888 km).

After eight days on the road they took one day for a bit of rest – catching up on sleep and doing a little swimming and sunbathing.

The next day they re-arranged and distributed the fire gear, attending a Rotary breakfast the following day. Day 12 they were in a parade of vehicles in Mazatlan with sirens blaring, lights flashing and flags waving to city hall for ceremonial presentation of keys and speeches.

The following three days they actually delivered fire trucks and ambulances to the communities that will be using them Fire trucks to Rosario, Escuimapa, Cuiliacan, two ambulances and a fire truck to Mazatlan. Day sixteen it was time to turn around and head home.

Rotary/Interact service projects reach worldwide

davisclipper.com

by JENNIFFER WARDELL The Davis Clipper

Mar 21, 2014

BOUNTIFUL – A group of Bountiful teens are reaching out to help people all across the world.
Bountiful High School’s Interact Club is partnering with the Bountiful Rotary to donate $400 worth of Spanish-language books for kids and teens in Mazatlan, Mexico. Rotary members will bring the books down later this month for an unrelated project.

“We chose books that students here thought were interesting and ones that can help children improve their reading skills,” said the Interact Club’s Komal Kaur, citing the Harry Potter series among the books selected.

The group donated $200 of their yearly budget to the project, an amount then matched by Bountiful High Library Media Teacher Trudena Fager. She then ordered the books, which are meant for a wide range of ages and skill levels.

Bountiful Rotary Club member Anne Wiese will bring the books to Mexico March 29, when she leaves with a group from the Murray Rotary Club to work on a senior citizen center in Mazatlan for homeless people. The Bountiful Rotary has been donating to the center for the last few years, and the volunteers are making the trip to help set up the new kitchen in the men’s wing.

“We tried collecting Spanish books to take down with us, but we couldn’t find any,” said Wiese. Those who wish to donate either books or to the senior citizens center should e-mail her at "mailto:anne_lee73@hotmail.com" anne_lee73@hotmail.com.

The Interact Club is also currently raising funds for Maitri, a San Francisco-based group that helps women in South Asia dealing with problems such as domestic violence, human trafficking and more. Specifically, the club is focusing on helping widows in Vrindavan, India with essentials like food and shelter.

“The Woods Cross Interact Club suggested it, and we decided it was a very interesting project,” said Kaur.
The students have already held a bake sale in relation to the project, and are currently working on other fundraising possibilities. Anyone who would like to donate money to the project should contact Interact Club advisor Jan Wray at 801-628-7102.

“There’s a lot of need,” said Wray. “We could use all the help we could get.” 

Canadian Rotarians Donate Lifesaving Equipment

by Maureen Dietrich

19 Mar 14 

mazmessenger.com

 

Members of Rotarian Clubs in the towns of Grande Prairie, Edson and Fairway, in the province of Alberta, Canada, yesterday officially donated lifesaving equipment to the Municipality of Mazatlán when they handed over keys to Mayor Carlos Felton.

The group of 101 members lead by Alan Kuechle and Grande Prairie City Manager, Greg Scerbak, told media they had brought down seven vehicles, two jaws of life, 100 fire protection units, three floating pumps, electric plants and 100 pairs of boots and shoes for men and women.

The equipment will be donated to the Mazatlán municipal hospital, Mazatlán Veteran Firefighters, El Rosario and Escuinapa fire departments, the Culiacán Veteran Firefighters and La Barca in Jalisco.

This year’s donation of six fire trucks and an ambulance brings the total to 66 vehicle donations by the Alberta Rotarians since 2002. 

 (from Noroeste)

Rotary Club Heading to Mazatlan

edsonleader.com

Ed Moore

Thursday, March 13, 2014 

Edson Rotary Club member Shari McDowell didn’t know much Spanish before she headed out on the annual Highway to Mexico trip but what she learned will assist her in times of need.

“I can ask where the bathroom is – which is pretty important.”

McDowell, along with Rotary colleague Murray Heinrich left Edson on March 7. McDowell drove the truck on the first leg to Acheson, near Edmonton, where the Edson Rotarians met up with their Grande Prairie club counterparts. The group overnighted in Lethbridge, before crossing the US border the next day. McDowell and Heinrich were expected to share the driving to Mexico. The Rotarians are expected to arrive in Mazatlan on March 21.

The gift from the Edson Rotary Club was a fire truck donated by the County of Grande Prairie.

Following their arrival, Heinrich, a veteran firefighter, will train Mexican firefighters on vehicle extrication techniques.

One of the gifts taken down by the Edson Rotary Club members was Jaws of Life equipment. Other equipment includes two-way radios from Morad Communications.

Contributing to the effort was Diesel Shop personnel, which prepared the fire truck and 3Penguin Signs, which donated decals.

McDowell said she was very impressed by the generosity of Edson and area residents who raised $2,300 for the Mazatlan Shelter for Girls.

Heinrich has made the Highway to Mexico trip a total of eight times. For McDowell it’s her first time. The two Rotary clubs have taken vehicle convoys to Mexico a total of 12 times and have contributed 61 vehicles to their Mexican counterparts over the years. This year the haul is five fire trucks and two ambulances.

He said memorable moments in past trips include the interaction between Americans and the Edson and Grande Prairie residents when the group makes gas stops.

“When we stop for fuel people always stop and talk to us.”

The group will spend up to a week in Mexico before flying back.

Follow the Highway to Mexico trip on Facebook. Many local residents have already done that.

“We had 700 hits on the first night,” said Heinrich.

  

American Rotarians Donate Water Purifiers for Schools

 

by Maureen Dietrich on 6 Nov 13

mazmessenger.com 

 

Local and rural communities, schools and institutions will benefit from the 13^th visit this year to Mazatlán of 70 Rotarians from California.

At a press conference, José de Jesús Sánchez Reynoso, coordinator of the project, said the charity organization will donated prosthesis, water purification systems, air conditioners, computer and audiovisual equipment, photocopiers, paint, games and student supplies to 43 basic level rural and city schools.

Twenty-three schools will receive water purification systems, each costing $7,000 dollars. The systems will be administered by members of a Rotary committee and will require a minimum cost for maintenance, he pointed out.

The coordinator and President of Mazatlán DIF (family services) also announced a collaboration to donate 1,400 wheel chairs for those in need.

 (from Noroeste)