Marana Rotary Club Minutes for July 14, 2015

Our Club met on Tues, July 14 at Nana’s Kitchen, with President Alice Rigney presiding. In addition to Bastille Day and the release of detailed pictures of Pluto, it was also a notable day for Song Leader Dan Contorno, who was wearing his Rotary pin for the second week in a row. Keep up the good work, Dan!

 

Three of our Rotarians and their spouses recently represented us in Zimbabwe, Africa:  Randy Brooks & Deb Hume, Don & Kathy Jorgensen, and Mary Straus & Michael Goldsmith. Deb is also an Honorary Member of the Club, and was in attendance today. Randy presented highlights from the first part of their trip, which began in Harare and followed a loop to Victoria Falls. They were guests of Bryson & Grace Tivatyi, who visited Marana just last year. Randy showed several slides from a famous outdoor market called Kwa Mereki which was highlighted by barbequed pig testicles. Randy described visiting the homes of families during this week-long trip and the amazing work ethic of the Zimbabwe people. It is unfortunate that it costs $40-$80 per year to attend school, since many families cannot afford it. Many houses are built bit-by-bit whenever the owners have money to buy bricks. It is very common to have no water or electricity running to the homes. Randy & Deb found this to be a very moving trip as it was their first time to visit rural areas in the country.

 

Mary Straus gave us an overview of education in Zimbabwe, which is highly desired by people throughout the country, but made very difficult to attain due to poverty and political corruption. Children from middle and upper-income brackets attend boarding schools. Mary highlighted three schools:  Makundi Pry for poor families, Lesedi Pry for poorer families, and Mario’s school (in the middle of hayfields) for the poorest. Makundi school had requested books, which our Rotarians purchased on site.

 

Don Jorgensen reported that we were also able to donate $700 to Mario’s school. Although it doesn’t seem like much, it will go a long way to providing some of the essentials that are needed. Don showed slides of the one-day project undertaken to build a playground at Lesedi Pry school complete with two old Volkswagens decorated with vivid colors! Of the funds raised by our Club for a new school in Ntabayengwe Village, $8000 has been transferred and construction has begun. When the first half of the construction is completed, the second half of the funds (another $8000) will be sent. Don emphasized two important aspects of this trip: (1) The Zimbabwe people were deeply moved by the fact that well-to-do Americans wanted to visit them in their homes. Don feels that this personal attention from the Rotary Clubs of Marana and Yuma relates directly to the objectives of Rotary International. In particular, “the advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.”  (2) Don noted that, although the playground construction was started by visiting Rotarians, by the end of the day many locals had joined in the work. The importance of what our Club did extended well beyond the actual playground itself.

 

Randy, Mary, and Don promised to keep the Club updated on the progress of the school construction. And Alice spoke for all of us when she thanked them for this great illustration of “Service Above Self.” That’s what Rotary is all about.