– Press release
On Saturday, May 18, approximately 45 Rotarians and their friends and family traveled to Tecate, Mexico to build a house in a day for a deserving Mexican family of three.
For the second year in a row the Mammoth Lakes Noon Rotary Club organized an international service project through Corazon, Inc, a Southern California non-profit organization that works with volunteers in Tijuana and Tecate.
The recipients of the houses donate hundreds of hours of community service to get on a list for a donated home. Corazon works with service clubs like Rotary, churches, and schools who provide the $7,800 for the building materials and 30-50 volunteers.
The volunteers traveled from the Eastern Sierra on Friday and spent the night in El Cajon. After meeting at 6 am, they caravanned across the border and through Tecate to Sierra Azul, a small village 12 kilometers from the border.
They were met by the Andrade family, a mother and her two young daughters, and a 16X20 concrete slab and lots of building materials. After a safety briefing by Corazon lead builders (also volunteers), everyone found a job. Some cut lumber. Some framed the walls and roof. Others painted. By lunchtime the walls and roof were up.
Lunch was provided by the Andrade family and afterwards the roof was shingled, windows installed, a kitchen counter tiled, and final painting completed. The house, which includes a sleeping loft and interior room, but no water or electricity, was finished by 2:30.
In a brief but moving ceremony, the keys to the new house were turned over to the Andrades. After many thank yous and hugs, the tired volunteers returned to El Cajon for a well deserved rest and then back home on Sunday.
There were approximately 10 high school students from Mammoth and Bishop High Schools. Most of them were members of Rotary sponsored Interact Clubs. The students pitched in and and learned new skills. They also learned the value of community service and they all seemed to have a real enjoyable time.
More information on Corazon can be found at their website, Corazon.org.
Wow, I have a teenager that went on this trip….I thought it was a great place for her to learn how to help others, be compassionate, and to see that “things” aren’t as important as helping out another human being. In my life, that is what it is about. I… Read more »
It’s so easy for some to ridicule anything good now days, the misery that drives it is growing all the time .. of course, who can blame some people I guess .. with all that we are bombarded with every day. Misery loves company and I guess some are just… Read more »
Of course Rotary knows that people in our backyard need assistance. Local Rotary clubs, like the ones in Mammoth, do service projects both locally and internationally. In Mammoth, they provide scholarships for college bound students. They sponsor four students to a leadership camp. They built the shade shelter at Shady… Read more »
another bleeding heart,if you dont think people in your own backyard need assistance,you are sadly mistaken
But the thing is Ferdinand … people do see the need, here as well as other places, it doesn’t mean that we should just be so narrow minded to say take care of our own and screw the others. Rotary and like minded groups do make a difference here as… Read more »
Hey Ferdinand, I have a suggestion for you. Why don’t you get a group of people together, raise a bunch of money, find a resident or two of the ghetto whose homes need work, and organize a work project to improve their homes. You may find it as rewarding and… Read more »
Amen!
“45 Rotarians and their friends and family traveled to Tecate”
You should all stay in Mexico, if you couldn’t find anyone to help locally.
And why do they need to all stay in Mexico Mark, because they helped some families there? That’s some pretty narrow minded thoughts. Yes I agree that there are those who need help here locally (In the US, in the state, in the local area we live in.) And these… Read more »
i know of at least 10 dwellings in the ghetto that could have used that $$$ for repairs