A recording of Today’s Meeting can be found here

President Adrian welcomed all to this the 20th meeting of our 101st year of Service Above Self.

Frank Oudesluys, Rotary Club of Guelph South
Dr. Ruben Castro, President-Elect Rotary Club of Caborca

Happy Jar

Louise Gardiner is happy that her daughter and husband were able to drive to Montreal in their Tesla without incident and that she and Graham got to dog sit for the weekend even if it meant several walks in the rain. She is also delighted to have a new grandchild – Arlo, born on April 21 and is looking forward to seeing him on their next trip to Calgary.

Lew Ford not really trying to get one up on Louise, was happy to report that he has recently become a great grandfather.

Erin Way is happy to have had a great three-week trip to Taiwan, seeing no political unrest and being able to visit with her husbands, Sean’s family.

Lumi Mironescu was happy to report that co-worker and co-Rotarian Mike Ellis is having a good time in Portugal, despite having his luggage go missing. Lumi is also happy that they recently celebrated her daughter’s 16th birthday, and, as is their custom asked for donations to charity in lieu of gifts.

Boyd Pendleton was happy that his son’s hockey time made it to the Ontario OHS finals but unfortunately lost in their final game.

• The Canadian government has a travel advisory to this area stating AVOID NON-ESSENTIAL TRAVEL TO MEXICO’S NORTHERN STATES DUE TO HIGH LEVELS OF VIOLENCE.
• Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango, Nuevo Leon, Sinaloa.
• Sonora (except cities: Hermosillo & Guaymas/San Carlos).
• Travel to Mexico by air, avoid land border crossings.
• Avoid inter-city road travel in northern states.
• However, Hubert indicated that when in the area they are always in the company of local Rotarians and do feel safe.
• There is no flight into Caborca so they usually fly into either Phoenix or Tucson and drive to Caborca, meeting the local Rotarians at the border
• There is no Passport control going into Mexico so all travellers are encouraged to register with the Canadian Consulate when they arrive.
• Caborca is in the Sonora Dessert which can be extremely hot in the summer but also quite cold in the winter, it is not uncommon for there to be snow.
• The area was inhabited by the ancient Mogollon (from approximately 600 B.C. to 1400 A.D., the Azasazi (100 B.C. to 1450 A.D.) and the Hohokam (300 B.C. to 1400 A.D.).  All of whom have left numerus petroglyphs.
• In the 50-plus years since that astounding feat, few people know that Neil Armstrong and other future Apollo Moon teams prepared for their grueling missions with the help of Mexican scientists in the Mexican Sonoran Desert.
• The economy includes Agriculture, Mining (Gold), Livestock (cattle), and Manufacturing but Agricultural is the largest segment and very reliant on piece job workers.
• The area is known for growing asparagus and table grapes.
• The Rotary Club of Caborca was Chartered 1984 and has 23 active members.

• For several years we have assisted with their annual Polio inoculation program to ensure the area and all of Mexico stays Polio free.
• The volunteer Rotarians receive training from the local nurses and are accompanied by theme when visiting the villages.
• The Rotary Hospital Project.
• There is a hospital in the area but there were no facilities for locals coming to the area, visiting parents or care givers in the area , a building with a cafeteria was built but with no equipment.
• District 7080 Clubs Funded $10K USD purchase for cafeteria equipment.
• 7 clubs were involved, coordinated by Kitchener Rotary
• Cafeteria provides subsidized or free food for impoverished villagers attending hospital.
• Caborca Rotary Club funds staff and arranges for donations of supplies.
• Panting of Crosswalks
• There were no crosswalks on any of the streets until the Rotarians started painting them. 

• There has been a change in the way health services are organized and offered in the area – from state run to federally run, and the future of the Polio inoculation program is in question but Ruben is hopeful it will continue
• Ongoing health testing of youth is still in need of additonal equipment
• A major new initiative is proving support for children in need of heart surgery
• There is a local association working to provide support in this area.
• The club is developing a Global Grant proposal to assist the group and make the much needed surgeries more accessible

Closing Remarks & Reminders