It was a chilly January morning when a group of Champaign West Rotarians, and fellow volunteers, loaded into a van in Champaign and made the trek to Chicago O'Hare. The trip was the culmination of two years of fundraising and work that would result in a brand new cottage on the grounds of a children's home near Azacualpa, Honduras. The group of traveling Rotarians was following the course taken by another group of Champaign West Rotarians who had earlier visited the site to pour the cottage's concrete foundations. The current group was there to paint, finish some carpentry items and furnish the cottage. The trip would conclude with the cottage's dedication and welcoming eight Honduran children and their two house parents into their new home.
The Champaign West Rotary club was first introduced to the children's home, Ministerios de Fe Vida Nueva, by Debbie Hirschi. The Club was seeking an international project and was having difficulty locating one. Debbie Hirschi, who was the Champaign West Rotary President at the time, had already taken trips to the children's home in Honduras as part of mission trips conducted by her church, the First Baptist Church of Champaign in Savoy. She had seen first-hand that there was a need. The children's home provides housing and meals for 23 children who were homeless, could not be cared for by their families, or had to be removed from their homes due to abuse. She had also been impressed by the organization provided by the home's Founder, Pastor Dagoberto Zelaya, and had the confidence that donated funds would be used responsibly and in the best interest of the children.
"I was in a Rotary District seminar about international projects and the presenter was asked how Rotary clubs find out about potential projects. The presenter mentioned a lot of ideas and then paused and said that churches are another source of ideas and connections. That's when the light bulb went on in my head," said Hirschi, who also made the trip in January.
With the site of the club's international project identified, the need for additional housing on the children's home grounds became the primary focus. The Champaign West Rotary club launched a holiday poinsettia sale with proceeds going toward the project. Donations were also made by club members and the Club's Foundation. Within two years, the club surpassed its goal of $20,000 and was able to provide a fully-furnished cottage to the Home. In addition, after learning that the cost to sponsor child for one year was $1,500, the group decided to use surplus funds for a child's sponsorship. This donation was later matched by donations from a group of Club members who sponsored yet another child.
With construction of the cottage near completion, the group of Champaign West Rotarians visited the Rotary Club of San Pedro Sula, Honduras. After the devastation of Hurricane Mitch in 1998, the Rotary Club of San Pedro Sula purchased land in Azacualpa and constructed 15 homes for victims of the storm. On a previous trip to Azacualpa, Champaign West Rotarians visited the site and identified the need for a new septic system. Measurements were taken and rough schematics drawn upon return to Champaign. The drawings were then brought back to Honduras on the Club's current visit and presented to the Rotary Club of San Pedro Sula. The Clubs agreed to partner on the project which is tentatively scheduled to begin in 2008.
With the first project completed and the next project in the planning stages, the Champaign West Rotary Club is determined to maintain a high level of International service. Future service trips may include members of the St. ThomasMoreHigh School's Interact Club. The Interact Club, who is sponsored by Champaign West Rotary, has already raised funds and purchased a kitchen mixer for the Home. Future plans include the launch of a scholarship program for the Home's children to be used for college tuition and room and board when they move from the Home.
"Champaign West Rotary has focused many of its community projects around children", said Eileen Prillaman, Champaign West Rotary President. "Therefore, working on the Children's Home in Honduras allowed the continuation of that focus on our first international project."
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Champaign West Rotary Club
