Tuesday February 7, 2006

Calendar of Events

Last Week, 1/31: Mary Anderson – Nicaragua Trip

This Week, 2/7: James Jamison – Restoration of the State Capital

Next Week, 2/14: Annual Dinner at SCCC

Coming Up:

2/14 SCCC Dinner – cost $15 - $17; bring your own wine if desired, anticipated arrival at 6:15 with start of dinner service at 6:25.

2/21: New Member Talks

2/28: BOD Meeting at 5:00

Invocation: Garry Morrow, Dan Stec or Bob Youmans

Suggestions for future programs may be given to Linda LeTendre

Announcements

Ron Serapilio and President Rey provided a fire side chat to four perspective new members. They will be inducted at the SCCC dinner. All were glad to see George Baily. Glenville’s Feb 3 Ziti Dinner was announced and some bought tickets. Gini drew everyone’s attention to the work Jake has been doing setting up, serving, and cleaning up our dinners at the Old Homestead. He was given a very justified round of applause. During Happy Dollars, Paul informed the rest of us that our very own Alex Davis was off to Italy on 2/1 to participate in the Masters Cross County Skiing World Championships. We wish him good luck and are very proud to see Alex participate at such a high level. Dan Stec provided details on what sounds like another great SCCC dinner. The students are going to provide us another gourmet chicken dinner with all the trimmings and sauces you could imagine, and some kind of chocolate desert that is forecast to drop us to our knees. Better be securely seated.

Our Nicaragua Journey

This interesting, striking and heartfelt presentation was introduced and often narrated by our own Mary Anderson. Mary along with 12 other members of her church spent two weeks in Nicaragua living and working with Nicaraguans on a mission of mercy and service. The group was made up of among others of educators, nurses and EMTs. Co-presenters with Mary were Jan and Pete Huston who have been on similar trips to Nicaragua 11 previous times, and Lynn Pollack a nurse who produced a wonderful Power Point presentation with pictures, audio and printed narrative, which often portrayed the stark realities of the living conditions, and when it was appropriate, did so in a light and humorous fashion. The photo of the “Sun Setting Over the Latrine” which 30 of them shared or “The Spa” which was their bathtub made from a gasoline tank were examples. Most often, the pictures portrayed living conditions we find hard to believe. Another of Mary’s quests, Dave Van Schaick, did not make this particular trip but has been to the region and accomplished some very meaningful work.

Nicaragua lies just south of Honduras and north of Costa Rica. The ethnic make up on the east coast is mainly decedents from English Pirates, Mosquito Indians and Slaves. On the west coast the population is made up of Spanish and Indian decedents. One half of its 5.4 million people are under the age of 15. The group said you rarely see senior citizens because most die at an early age. Seventy four percent live below the poverty line and 82% make a dollar a day or less.

What comes across very clearly is the abject poverty of the Nicaraguan people and at the same time how beautiful a people they are. As one member of the group said, “their health conditions are beyond understanding.” It appeared they did not have an institutionalized health system, but one based on occasional clinics where a volunteer doctor or team would come into the area and people that were aware of it would come in. Housing was very crude and Dave told of many families living in dumps. Sanitation was primitive and most subsisted on little garden patches. Coffee is a productive industry but world wide coffee prices are falling because of competition.

Mary and the team lived as the local natives do, and got a real taste (including a lot of beans and rice) of how they live. Along side Nicaraguan volunteers, the team’s work focused on constructing a building, health clinical work and health education. All had to be done at a very basic level. How to brush your teeth was the topic of health education. The team seemed very encouraged by a Land Bank Project in one town where a parcel of land was divided into seventeen 3 acre lots for individual families to farm. If after three years a family used the land productively, they could continue to do so.

The session ended with Qs and As that ranged from more detailed questions about what was presented to political and historic issues. Everyone was struck with the outstanding contributions the team made. Their work is a perfect example of how good people can reach out and tackle immense problems in the best way possible -- one small step at a time, alone with the people you are helping. Certainly their efforts have helped the Nicaraguans and also allowed them better understand spirit and goodness of Americans. This was a perfect, meaningful presentation for Rotarians to see. Thanks.

As reported by Steve Caine