(http://www.rotarysma.org/)
San Miguel de Allende (SMA) is an hour and a half bus ride from Guanajuato and has a similar, but yet different level of intrigue. The streets are wider with slight inclines to them and the houses radiate various shades of fall colors (think orange and red leaves in September). The growing population of this city over the past twenty to thirty years has created a diverse population and foreigners account for half of the populace. As a result, English is commonly spoken and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to give one of my first Rotary presentations.
SMA Midday Rotary Club (District #4160 ~ Club #70057) is the only English speaking Rotary Club in México. At Present, they are busy working on last minute details for their diabetes awareness weekend conference this month and a potable water program in one of the rural schools in SMA. Since the neighboring Rotary club is an English speaking club in a Spanish speaking city, they are in constant need of translation services (i.e., various Rotary documents between the two clubs in SMA and the district). Last month I helped them with a grant translation and I know future opportunities will be presented to increase my translation skills this year (I am very excited for this practical experience).
To amplify my knowledge of successful non-profit organizations in México, Duane Eriksmoen (SMA Rotarian) invited me to participate in Feed the Hungry (a program associated with the Midday Rotary Club). Feed the Hungry builds kitchens at elementary schools in impoverished areas outside of San Miguel de Allende; it is common that students in the surrou
nding areas walk one to two hours to reach the closest school and most do so with little or no food. As a result, Feed the Hungry distributes food weekly to their school kitchens to feed 4,000 kids a day. During my stay in San Miguel de Allende I helped pack and distribute food to the 31 kitchens in their program. I also received the privilege of visiting a school (La Campana) during their morning snack time to visit with the students and meet the cooks.For more information on Feed the Hungry and/or volunteer opportunities please check out their web site: http://www.feedthehungrysma.org/ or contact Rotarian, Duane Eriksmoen, at deriksmoen@aol.com. Additionally, I can be reached by email to better direct any specific questions: samantha.radovich@miis.edu.
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