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2007 The mission of the Rotary Foundation is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty. The Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation supported solely by voluntary contributions from Rotarians and friends who share its vision of a better world. This year our contribution is being made to a local chapter of the Rotary Foundation - the Jamestown Rotary in Jamestown, Rhode Island. They provide support to many people and projects in the community and this chapter of the Rotary Foundation holds a special place in my heart due to their support and kindness to my sister and her family over the years. When my brother-in-law passed away, they not only provided meals, yard work, and emotional support for my sister and her young son, but they even managed to find them a new refridgerator when their old one suddenly stopped working. I want to say THANKS to these fine folks at the Jamestown Rotary with our donation in 2007. And also a huges thank you to everyone who made a purchase this year from Diamond Girl Crafts, which makes the donation possible. 2006 Alcala, a remote village in the Andes Mountains in Bolivia, is home to about three hundred families. There is electricity (sometimes), no heat in the houses, and little refrigeration. Bathrooms are outside, and kitchens do not have stoves to cook on. There is one telephone shared by everyone who lives in the village. The closest city is a 5-hour bus ride away on a dirt road (chickens ride too). Yes, it is a poor, remote place and very different from anything we are familiar with. Yet, it is filled with culture, companionship, families, friends, local celebrations, children, laughter and love. The main source of income for people in this region of Bolivia is agriculture. They grow crops for their own use and to sell to neighboring communities to earn money. However, due to its isolated location, much of the harvest rots before any transportation can be arranged to other markets. In Matela, it is estimated that a minimum of 50% of the annual peach crop is lost to rotting every year. My nephew, David Reynolds, was a Peace Corp volunteer in 2006 and was stationed in Alcala. He spearheaded a project to help the Matela Women’s Organization bring their agricultural products such as canned peaches, marmalades and peanut butter, to city markets by building a community transformation center. This center allows the women to preserve their products in a clean and efficient manner. The center consists of two rooms, including an industrial kitchen for preparing and preserving the products, as well as ample storage space. The center now functions as a small business. It produces an alternative form of income for local families as well as extending economic power to the women. A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who made a purchase from Diamond Girl Crafts in 2006, which enabled us to contribute to this important project. Here are some pictures from David showing us the construction of the transformation center.
Hurricane Katrina not only devastated New Orleans, it devastated the nation. It's effects were felt far and wide, and our country will never be the same after this disaster. Diamond Girl Crafts is proud to have made a donation through Curves on Central, our local Curves workout center, which MATCHED our donation dollar for dollar. This resulted in the amount of the donation being doubled! Thanks to everyone who purchased jewelry in 2005, and thanks to Curves for matching our donation. | |
