Elmbrook Rotary Club Members Making Second Trip To
Guatemala This Month 

(Brookfield, WI...February 2, 2012)The Elmbrook Rotary Club International Committee will soon be moving into the second phase of a major "boots on the ground" effort in Guatemala. After an exploratory trip by members Tom Pyne, Jan Constable, Fred Gettelman, and Erik Moeser in February of last year, considerable work has been accomplished in developing a strong relationship with Common Hope (www.commonhope.org), a non-governmental organization which has operated in Guatemala for over 25 years, and provides housing, medical, and social assistance to mostly rural families who are willing to commit to keeping their children in school.

Common Hope embodies the principals found in Rotary's "Future Vision" concept, now being tested in select Districts around the world. Appropriately, one of the programs Common Hope offers is the chance to form a "Vision Team," to travel to Guatemala and spend a week working in various volunteer capacities alongside their staff and client families.

The Elmbrook Rotary team consists of 12 members. Rotarians Tom Pyne, John and Jeanne Allen, Doug Jacobson, Ted Gurzynski, and Erik Moeser along with family members Janie Jacobson, Jennifer Allen and husband Ben Crouse, and Jackie Allen will be under the ERC "banner." Joining the group from the Port Washington/Saukville Rotary Club are President Elect Ruth Lansing and her boyfriend from the Baraboo area Tim Bischof. The team includes an expert carpenter and several Spanish speaking members, among other skills which will be utilized in the effort.

They will be traveling from February 18 to 25, and will spend much of their time working in addition to having time for sightseeing and enjoying the tourism rich Antigua area.

In preparing for the trip, Common Hope has held several training sessions with the group and a few members are learning Spanish. The Rotary Vision Team handbook also provides detailed information about the goals and methodology for these trips and Common Hope is working to prepare for the visit and will assess skills sets of the members to best utilize their talents during the week while they're there.

In addition, several team members have "adopted" children and families through monthly contributions to Common Hope and the plan is to visit these children in their homes which will add to the overall experience. Others team members will be working on administering the several thousand dollars that consisted of funds received from an approved Rotary District Simplified Grant, the Elmbrook Rotary International Committee budget, and other donations made to the Elmbrook Guatemala Literacy Fund. The donations will help purchase  textbooks to an elementary school in the rural village of San Rafael, about 3 km outside Antigua, GT which currently has very little and relies on rudimentary blackboards and rote learning.

If you are interested in participating in this effort there are two way to help.

1. Make a donation in the form of money or school supplies to the Elmbrook Guatemala Literacy Fund.

2. Adopt a child through Common Hope. For details and information on specific children and families in the program, please contact Elmbrook Rotarian, Erik Moeser at: emmcsm77@yahoo.com.

As the club looks beyond the upcoming trip, the plan is to sustain this effort with the next trip being planned for February 2013. After the team returns from their upcoming trip, they will provide a report on their activities in Guatemala and goals for the coming year.

To make a donation or learn more about The Elmbrook Rotary Club and their efforts in Guatemala, please contact Erik Moeser at: emmcsm77@yahoo.com.

University of Belize  Elevator/Wheelchair Lift Project Completed

(Brookfield, WI...February 2, 2012) Elmbrook Rotarian Mark Bruce and his wife Moira recently received photos of Rodney Borlund, a paraplegic student at the University of Belize using the completed elevator/wheelchair lift installed in the Jaguar Building. Through the combined efforts of the Elmbrook Rotary International Committee, the Wagner Foundation, and individual donors, the lift will help disabled students get access to the computer labs and other classrooms that IT students need to utilize for their degree work.

Mark and Moira Bruce have traveled to Belize over the past year to help oversee the installation of the lift and have worked with Rodney throughout the process and are pleased to report that after some delays in the construction, the lift is completed and working perfectly . It will provide a significant benefit in helping disabled students like Rodney get the higher education they seek in order to improve the quality of life for those at the University as well as in the community.