Bill and Diane Demeroutis
Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke Raises Funds to Eliminate Polio
Barbara Barr Bengen
Bill and Diane Demeroutis opened their home to host more than 30 Rotarians and guests for Paella for Polio. This is the second year the Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke has raised funds to end polio with a Paella Party. Bill and Melinda Gates match all funds raised by Rotarians around the world with a 2-for-1 match. Money is still coming in, but thus far, over $3,000 has been raised. With the Gates Foundation match, that’s over $9,000 thus far. Currently, polio only exists in four locations in the world: New York City, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the Gaza Strip.
Members of the Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke, the Rotary Club of Dove Mountain, the Rotary Club of Marana, and the Tucson Rotary Club ventured to rural Mexico to work along with our Mexican neighbors to build a house in a day. (Photo by Dan Watson)
Rotarians Build a House in One Day for Mexican Family
Dan Watson
On Oct. 26, 25 Rotarians from District 5500, along with spouses and friends, gathered in a parking lot in Chula Vista, Calif., at 6 a.m. They boarded a bus and headed to Cerro Azul, a small community south of Tecate, Mexico. They arrived in the remote village at 8:30 a.m. and met more volunteers from Corazon, Inc., a Southern California nonprofit that coordinates the construction of houses in one day. They were also greeted by the recipients of the home, Bianca Gonzalez-Rosales and two of her children. Bianca volunteered in her community for five years and hundreds of hours to earn the right to get on a list to receive a home.
Upon arrival, the Rotarians found a concrete slab, piles of lumber, windows, doors, roofing materials, and five-gallon cans of paint. Following a safety briefing by Corazon lead builder John Meagher, the volunteers started to work. The skill level of the volunteers ranged from experienced to no construction skills, but everyone committed to the goal of finishing the home by the end of the day. Some framed, many painted—everything. The motto was, “If it doesn’t move, paint it.”
The recipient of this home provided lunch, followed by a presentation by John Meagher about all the services provided by Corazon. In Spanish, Corazon means “heart.” In 40 years, they have constructed hundreds of homes with the help of volunteers. They also provide child care, domestic violence prevention training, soccer clinics, and many more services. Their goals include building a community amongst the residents.
Work continued after lunch. Doors, windows, and a kitchen counter were installed. The roof was shingled. The home was finished at 4:30 p.m., eight hours after it was started. A brief ceremony was held where housewarming gifts were presented to Bianca. The keys to her new home were presented to her. Bianca shared her deep appreciation and commented that this was the first time in her life that she had a set of keys.
The Rotarians then boarded the bus and headed back to Chula Vista, tired, sore, and sunburned, but with a sense of accomplishment and gratitude for changing the lives of a family they will never see again. In some cases, this changed their own lives.
Project coordinator Dan Watson from the SaddleBrooke Rotary Club, which took the lead in coordinating with the other clubs that participated, was the only Rotarian who had been on a previous Corazon project. No doubt many of the volunteers were skeptical of being able to build a house in one day. They became believers with a tremendous sense of accomplishment and satisfaction on the bus ride back to Chula Vista. The motto of Rotary is “Service Above Self.” This was never more evident than in the small village of Cerro Azul on Oct. 26.
The Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke meets each Thursday at SaddleBrooke Ranch. Following lunch at the Ranch House, we meet in the ballroom. For more information, contact Diane Demeroutis at [email protected].