Four Alexandria Rotarians, Rick Paulsen, Larry Zilliox, Tim Moe, and Connie Mondry along with three spouses were in Honduras from March 18 to March 25 on a Rotary Service Mission. One goal of this trip was to supply the Rayita de Sol Kindergarten in Olanchito, Honduras with appropriate sized classroom furniture (desks and chairs). This goal was accomplished! Team members of the Alexandria Rotary Club and Olanchito Club Rotario (Honduras) constructed six desks and thirty-six chairs on March 20-22.
In addition, the Alexandria Club along with Eden Prairie AM, Buffalo, Monticello, and St. Michel-Albertville Rotary Clubs received a Rotary Global Grant #GC1523633 for a Humanitarian project in the Olanchito Honduras area. The Grant was to provide adequate bathroom facilities for three elementary schools, repair a leaky roof, and improve a workable water system for El Chaparral Village. During the trip, they observed progress on the Grant by visiting El Chaparral Village and two of the three schools. The team was able to observe bathroom construction in progress, the completed roof replacement, and materials delivered to water system improvement.
The building of the desks/chairs in Honduras was an intense “hands on” project demanding a coordinated effort between the Alexandria and Olanchito Rotary Clubs to find an acceptable furniture design, agree on type of materials and appropriate finish. Obstacles were many…. including language differences, finding a suitable location to construct furniture, the need for quality woodworking tools (saws, routers, sanders, etc.), inexperienced woodworking team members, and a limited amount of time while in Honduras to complete the project.
To overcome many of these obstacles the Olanchito Club identified a local carpenter who was willing to “rent” his shop and equipment and supply assistance. This creative and innovative measure was HUGE in the success of this project. Antonio and his shop assistant Meamee assisted in furniture design, pre-cut materials, instructed Rotarians on the proper use of woodworking equipment, and completed the finishing (sealing and varnish).
