Letter:

Lety was one of the original leaders in the Plastic Recycling Project that we started in Chacala.

Our little Primary School entered the statewide contest to see who could collect the most plastic & Chacala Primary School has won 2 yrs running & Lety was a big part of that effort. The prize was $10,000 pesos & a pick up truck the first year which was used to start Chacala's own garbage pick up & removal. It has been very successful & town in looking cleaner.

A group of folks from LaPenita have heard about our success & will be coming to talk to us on 12/10 about how to start this project in their community. So you can see from a little acorn a mighty oak may be growing in Nayarit.

I think in addition to access to regular education that the Scholarship Program provides the social service requirement has done more to bring the kids together & to raise awareness in the community about issues that Mexico in general is ignoring.

Lety & the Scholarship kids are the leaders in this effort & are teaching their parents about the contamination of so much plastic in their environment & what can be done about it. This is a very new concept here in Mexico. For so many yrs the people have been apathetic about so many of the every day problems they encounter but thru the work of Cambiando Vidas Scholarship Kids, they are seeing that by working together for a common goal, they can change their lives, their pueblo & by example lead other pueblos to try to do the same. We are very proud of this accomplishment.

This work is only possible thru the generous donations of folks like you & your Rotary - if we didn't have the scholarship program and the Learning Center, it would be very difficult to get the kids interested in combing the streets & going door to door to collect plastic for recycling. It's such a valuable lesson that they are learning & my hope is that they carry it on into their adult lives & pass it along to their children.

End Letter

******

Though this is just one of many projects Camas Washougal Rotary sponsors, and it is beginning to take root in the whole community.... A small acorn turning into a might Oak. Chacala is always looking for more sponsors, not only for the kids, but for projects too. There is always room for Rotary to help.

If you would like to join us in bringing about change is a small community in Mexico, send me an e-mail. lindsey@windermere.com.