Rotary in Action Around Our World

USA

Run-down and plagued by gang violence, Closter Park in Salinas, Calif., will soon get a makeover with the help of local Rotary clubs, as well as clubs in India and Mexico. The Rotary Club of Salinas is leading the project, which aims to make the park a safe haven for families. Rotarians installed benches, picnic areas, and a gazebo and are organizing youth activities and cultural events. The clubs have raised about $450,000 in cash and in-kind donations.

Mexico

In Mexico City, home to more than 8.5 million people, municipal water resources are often strained. Heart 2 Heart, a project of District 4170 (Mexico) and seven districts in Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, and Tennessee, USA, has installed clean water systems in over 50 schools there. Steel tanks holding 2,640 gallons of water are connected to a school’s internal plumbing system to provide clean water for drinking and hand washing. Local Rotarians organize the construction and delivery of the water tanks, which cost $3,500 each and should last up to 40 years. Area club members also assist with installation and plumbing, and train school officials in maintenance. The government fills the tanks weekly, at no cost to the schools or Rotarians. Heart 2 Heart plans to install tanks at an additional 50 to 60 schools.

England

In the depths of last winter, Terry Williams, of the Rotary Club of Swindon North, decided to pitch a ShelterBox tent in the town square and live in it for a week. Williams endured seven nights of below-freezing temperatures to raise funds for and publicize ShelterBox, a nonprofit started by British Rotarian Tom Henderson. Williams received visitors from local schools and his Rotary club, and nearby businesses provided warm meals. By the end of the week, Williams, who had aimed to raise £3,000 for ShelterBox, had brought in over £8,000. He donated a portion of that amount to the End Polio Now campaign.