Tags
AG Shel Douglas, Books in English, Brandermill Rotary, Colleen Bonadonna, Costa Rica, Dianna M. Waters, E.M. Miller, End Polio Now, Ghana, Huguenot Trails Rotary, Innsbrook Rotary, James River Rotary, Jeanne Walls, John Delandro, Karin Jimenez, Mike Little, Muriel Hawkins, New Kent Rotary, PDG Stephen Beer, Petersburg Lunch Rotary, Polio Plus, Prince George Rotary, Rotary Club of Richmond, Spirit of 7600
Where will you find D7600 Rotarians?
Last week as we ushered in Peace and Conflict Resolution Month we highlighted work in progress on Water and Sanitation global grant projects in Ghana. District Rotarians Shel Douglas (Prince George) and Past District Governor Stephen Beer (Innsbrook) are on the ground on that series of grants. Yes, you will get a little update.
India:
We also have had a team in India working on preventing polio and vaccinating children. The 7600 Rotarians on that trip are Colleen Bonadonna (New Kent) our district’s Polio Plus Chair, Dianna M. Waters (Brandermill), and Muriel Hawkins (Petersburg Lunch). After two weeks of work, they are getting a little R & R.
Costa Rica:
We have also learned of a global grant project in Costa Rica spearheaded by the Rotary Club of Richmond, with the Rotary Clubs of James River and Huguenot Trail joining in. This project has been to provide English language books to elementary schools in Costa Rica. Members from the Richmond Club have already been on one or more trips to Costa Rica including, Michael Little, Jeanne Walls, E.M. Miller, and John Delandro. Around the end of March, there will be another trip of local Rotarians to Costa Rica to bring additional books to assist elementary school children in learning and improving their English language skills. Mike Little, Jeanne Walls, Kelly Keene, and Karin Jimenez (James River Club) are scheduled to go on that trip along with Mike’s and Jeanne’s spouses.
Ghana:
The district Rotarians have actually just landed in Accra (about 1 pm our time Thursday) where they will meet with the District Governor on Friday morning. Then the team will have a few hours to shop, rest, read, whatever before they catch their flight back to Virginia. Two pictures sent by Shel captured this writer and are shared here. This is also an homage to our Rotarians in India just about to finish their work there.
Part of the grant project in the Andasi village in Ghana was to install a block of micro-flush toilets. This project builder is a young man trained last year by the grant’s master trainer. Everyone had said that this polio survivor would never be successful. He has proved them wrong!
Builder 
Block of micro-flush toilets being built
This blog is just a teaser … More in the March Spirit of 7600
All three project trips will be featured in more detail in the March Spirit of 7600. It is an abundance of riches to have many of our District 7600 Rotarians engaged in three different international endeavors, Polio Plus, and two global grants, but how interconnected they are! Doing good in the world.
breakout at the District Conference in September. We can still remember the saris and the smells of the incense, sandalwood, and tea. Colleen is on the right in the blue sari. No one walked out of the breakout without a visceral sense of the challenges faced and the work accomplished by those with the commitment to actually take such a journey.
D7600 Rotary Foundation News 