Our guest speaker this week was our very own Rob Latimer who recently vacationed with his family in the small village of Hopkins in Belize. Rob wanted to attend a local Rotary club meeting only to learn they take the Summer off. He did however make a connection with Wendy Miller a local resident & Real Estate broker who is looking to start a club in Hopkins. Wendy’s Father was a Rotarian and this is what inspired her to start a local club.
Rob spent a couple of hours sharing with her all the great work Rotary International does as well as the great work our own local rotary chapter performs here in Red Hook. He learned the village has no potable water, and the local park was a rotary sponsored project with a club from Canada. We are discussing ideas on how we might be able to act as a “mentoring” club with the Hopkins club and perhaps even with help with sponsoring an Aquabox (approx. $300.) to provide a water filtration system to the village. To learn more about Rotary International and how we’re an ambassador for Aquabox visit http://www.aquabox.org/As Rotary is dedicated to permanently ending polio, another unique Rotary connection was made when Rob visited a local market in San Ignacio where he fell in love with a painting. He learned the artist, Oscar Ulin, suffers with polio and can't use his hands so he paints with his mouth. See Oscar’s story at: https://www.facebook.com/LowerDover/videos/1416850208347352/
In photo: Rob Latimer and President Tim Lynch (photo by Rev. Fred Cartier)
Rob further reports: " The park built in Hopkins through a combined effort between the Rotary Club of Dangriga and a club from Canada has fallen into disrepair. Also, without any lighting, parents won't allow kids to play there after sunset.
The newly formed satellite club of Hopkins is going to raise the money needed to repair the park and add lighting, bringing the park up to safety standards and creating a village-center focal point for children to play and socialize.
Artist Oscar Ulin has limited use of his hands due to polio, and paints at the San Ignacio market using his mouth to hold the brush. I will have one of his works back from the framer shortly.
Four generations of Latimers (twelve of us from 71 down to 1 year old) made the trip to Hopkins. Meeting the founders of the newly-forming Hopkins Rotary Club was a highlight of the trip. I look forward to exploring the possibilities for partnering with this new satellite club, as soon as they have their approval from RI."
The newly formed satellite club of Hopkins is going to raise the money needed to repair the park and add lighting, bringing the park up to safety standards and creating a village-center focal point for children to play and socialize.Artist Oscar Ulin has limited use of his hands due to polio, and paints at the San Ignacio market using his mouth to hold the brush. I will have one of his works back from the framer shortly.Four generations of Latimers (twelve of us from 71 down to 1 year old) made the trip to Hopkins. Meeting the founders of the newly-forming Hopkins Rotary Club was a highlight of the trip. I look forward to exploring the possibilities for partnering with this new satellite club, as soon as they have their approval from RI."