Nevada City Rotary has been partnering with the Rotary Club of Los Barriles Cabo Este on special projects communities around Los Barriles since April 2015, with the exception of 2021-2022 because of COVID. Fond memories run deep. This story shares reflections from several members of the 2023 team.
Cathy Wilcox-Barnes
I always look forward to seeing everyone in Los Barriles again and catching up on how they are and what they’ve been doing, but this year it was even better since we missed a couple of years because of Covid. It was touching and enlightening to hear how it affected people in different ways. The Rotary Club in Los Barriles is comprised of Americans, Canadians, and local Mexicans, and each was impacted differently. The camaraderie as Rotarians that we have developed over the years is something we will always treasure.
Continue to Read More from Cathy, Co-President Carolyn and others who shared the journey.
We got to meet Priscilla, the Los Barriles Club’s President this year. She has a three-year-old daughter born just as Covid started. She told us about the social developmental delays the girl is dealing with from not having social interaction or seeing facial expressions. It made me realize that not only were our school children affected by missing school during Covid, but babies missed social contacts to help with their development.
To next year!
What really made this trip special was interacting with the school kids - as Cathy said, they were “an absolute delight”.
Carolyn Feuille
We loved learning new things about fellow Rotarians from Nevada City. By staying at the Los Barriles Hotel right “downtown” meant we could walk to a few restaurant meals and shop together. Having lunch at the two schools was also a time to get to know each other.
Los Barriles has quite a bit of construction going on. The traffic is noisier and heavier. The changes are disturbing to some residents, such as the cost of food and real estate going up at rates many can’t afford. This applies to the young doctors and nurses at the Centro de Salud who can’t afford the rents in town. Luckily, the clinic built a dormitory to house them.
Hope Bostic, 49er Breakfast Rotary
The school kids and their teachers were very appreciative. I feel fortunate to have helped; it was a very fulfilling experience. I recommend this project to everyone.
To next year!
If you haven’t yet participated in this wonderful project and want to see how you can make a real difference as a Rotarian, go the next time!
Both Cathy and Carolyn are so grateful to John Hensley and Chris Geyer for coming up with this idea for International Service, bringing it to fruition, and to Paul Boch for stepping up to plan it this year. Three awesome Amigos!
For more about the project work in Los Barriles visit Return to Los Barriles for Health Screening.