A group of 29 Rotarians from District 5330 spent a weekend in Mexico in September, working with Corazón to build a house.
Among those Rotarians were AG Michelle French of the Mountain Sunrise Rotary Club and DGN Jeri Simpson, president of the Lake Arrowhead Rotary Club.
While this was French’s first international project, Simpson had participated in the build in Mexicali earlier in the year.
Through these home construction projects, Corazón ensures families have access to safe, secure and dignified housing. Teams of volunteers like the District 5330 Rotarians come together, led by skilled volunteer leaders, and build homes in just one day.
“We wondered how 29 people could build a house in one day,” French said. “When we got to the site in Tijuana, there were 30 volunteers from Corazón in blue and a group of community volunteers in yellow shirts.”
Most of the community volunteers spoke no English, she noted, “so we used charades.”
To qualify for a home, the recipients volunteer for community service, for which they earn points. When they have enough points, a house can be built for them.
At this site, French said, there were experts in painting, roofing and framing. “I figured the best thing I could do was paint. There was something for everyone to do. My job was to coordinate the team that painted the frames around the doors and windows. There were piles of lumber; we had to figure out where they went.”
Because it was so humid, she added, it took a long time for the paint to dry. “But we still made our deadlines,” French said.
Simpson was also painting. “We painted the walls before they were put up,” she said. One thing that surprised her was that the children who would be living in the house were there, helping with the painting. “They were very young – 8 or 10 years old,” she said. The house was painted blue on the outside and beige inside.
The Corazón people, Simpson said, “know what they’re doing. The people leading the project are Americans. Many of the workers are from Mexico.”
She singled out one woman who was up on the roof. “She knew exactly what she was doing,” Simpson said.
Rotarians Michelle French and Jeri Simpson were among the volunteers who built a house in one day in Mexico.
This house was 520 square feet. When the Rotarians left, no plumbing or electricity had been installed. “That comes later,” Simpson said, adding it’s something Corazón does. French noted they built a separate, connected bathroom. The house has a small kitchen, a little living room area and a bedroom downstairs. They also built a sleeping loft for the children.
“It’s not big,” French said, “but when you have nothing, it’s something.”
The property where this house was built was owned by the grandmother. She lived in the front – in a house built by Corazón six years ago – with this house built in the backyard. “She gave the property to her son and daughter-in-law,” Simpson said.
When the Rotarians arrived at the site, a concrete slab had already been poured. They started framing the house right away.
Working with French were two Rotary Youth Exchange students from Brazil and PDG Nyron McLean. “We got quite a bit of paint on us as well as on the wood,” she joked.
Unfortunately, the mother of the family who will live in the house was in the hospital. Past District Governor Dan Goodrich presented the keys to the grandmother. “There was not a dry eye on the property,” French said.
She and Simpson were grateful to the community members who provided them with a lunch of chicken taquitos, beans and rice. “It was so authentic and delicious,” French said.
“We turned a dream into a home,” she added. “This gives you a practical example of what being a Rotarian is about. We are so fortunate to be able to drive three to four hours and participate in an international project.”
And would they recommend participating in this project next year?
“I’ll be a big advocate for this next year,” French said. “I would like more of our club members to go.”
And Simpson said that of course she would recommend it to others. By participating in a project like this, she said, “you really start knowing Rotary – you learn the magic of Rotary.”
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