Rotary Club of Marana Meeting; September 8, 2020
Guests: We welcomed two distinguished guests today. Rick Chimblo, a Rotarian for over 20 years, is currently a member of the Oro Valley Club. He is a Major Donor to The Rotary Foundation and an honorary member of the Rotary Club of Dima, Spain. Carol Buuck was Don’s guest. They met through Don’s wife who worked alongside Carol serving folks with visual and hearing impairment, Carol as a special education teacher. Currently, Carol is the Program Coordinator for the Marana Food Bank. We look forward to joining with her and her team in future service projects.
Announcements:
- A required periodic review of the club by-laws is completed. Thanks to Don and Harold for handling this task and proposing changes. Members have 2 weeks to comment on their suggestions after which the changes will be implemented.
- Tour de Cookie March 6; All Hands on Deck
- The Board approved full funding of the Peace Poles
- Interact Liaison – we will have a team of liaisons to the Tortalita Interact Club. John, Randy, and Don have volunteered. Many thanks to each of you
Happy Buck Highlights:
- Bob smiled ear to ear waxing romantic about the boat ride he and his wife took on their lake over the weekend.
- Don, not to be out done, spoke of his kayaking adventures on the Puget Sound.
- Peter is hard at work in Flagstaff playing with telescopes.
- Harold took on the task of updating his wife’s recipe collection, only to find that the word processing program in which it was originally written is no longer compatible with any of today’s programs. How old are you guys? ; )
- Carol has been grateful for the use of the Jorgensen’s swimming pool while they’re away kayaking on the Puget Sound.
- Becky surprised us with a first; she’s happy to be in the Tucson heat. She explained it is preferable to the wind and snow she is used to in Utah at this time. Becky was also happy that her daughter had errands that lasted long enough for her to be able to spend a whole day with her granddaughter.
- Richie was doing a happy dance for the cooking and cleaning he did over the 3-day weekend. ? Whatever gets you goin… actually, it was in preparation for a visit from the in-laws, which he’s looking forward to.
- John and Mary are both experiencing what it takes to help their children/grandchildren be successful with online learning. It requires technology, is mentally demanding, and time consuming. A great many families don’t have the resources needed nor the luxury of time or added support to help educate their children; employment and basic needs taking precedence. There will be ripples felt in education and economic equality for years to come, as the pandemic continues to rain havoc. Maybe we can put our heads together to figure out a way to help.
Program
In addition to his distinguished career as a Rotarian, Rick is a retired geophysicist and has been married for over 35 years to a woman who is his match in passion for adventure and service. They have 3 children together and 5 grandchildren. Rick was invited to talk with us about the El Jute service project he and his club are implementing with support from our club and many others
The Oro Valley Rotary Club and the Rotary Club of Gualan, Guatemala partnered together in a successful application for a Global Grant in Rotary’s International Avenues of Service. The grant is for a project focusing on RI's Hygiene and Sanitation Area of Focus in El Jute, Guatemala.
The seeds for this project were planted in April 2017 when Rick and his wife visited the town of El Jute, Guatemala where indigenous peoples live. The town consists of 1900 residents, approximately 325 families. 80% of indigenous populations in Guatemala live in poverty, 40% of those in extreme poverty. El Jute is correspondingly representative. Rick began talking with families and town leadership, getting a feel for their strengths and needs and wants. Evident in this community assessment were competing needs; malnutrition, illiteracy, sanitation, disease, poverty. A committee of townspeople and Rotarians was formed. With all factors considered, the committee prioritized sanitation and hygiene above the others. In El Jute water is harvested from mountain streams, but it is not filtered. There are a few toilets and septic tanks exist. However, in the existing toilets, flushing isn’t thorough because there isn’t adequate water pressure. There is high frequency of disease, such as viral meningitis and typhoid, in the community, as well as high rates of infant mortality. Poor water sanitation and hygiene also impact student retention. In the school, there are no wash basins and too few toilets. 100% attendance in kindergarten drops to 13% attendance by the 6th grade. The Water Sanitation and Hygiene Committee got to work and will continue to provide oversight throughout the project.
There are 3 parts to the El Jute Water Sanitation and Hygiene project:
- Separate male and female bathrooms will be built. Each will have multiple toilets and wash basins. Each are wheel-chair accessible. All will be capable of thorough flushing and hand washing with the installation of a water tank above the plumbing system.
- 520 portable filter systems, 500 of them purchased with grant monies, will be given to the community. The systems are made by a local company whose goal is for all Guatemalans to have water by end of 2020. Teachers and families with students will receive a filter first, after which they will be distributed to other community members.
- Teachers will receive training on a Hygiene Program for kids. The program will become part of their basic curricula.
Rick made El Jute, the people, and the project come alive for us, and we felt proud to have contributed to such a consequential endeavor. Congratulations to the Oro Valley Rotary Club!
Submitted by Mary Straus September 9, 2020