The Strathcona Sunrise Rotary Club in Courtenay, BC took on a major clean-up project in Jalesco. They wanted to help save Baderas Bay and its marine environment, where the beaches would be fouled and impact in the area. The river also runs thru the town of Jalesco where many local low income people are impacted by trash and debris along the river’s edge. The Rotary Club of El Tuito Amanacer in Jalisco wanted to help make their area a cleaner environment and helped organized the effort picking up the trash before the rainy season came.
To complete the project 24 local people were hired to clean up the river for 2 weeks. The Rotary Club of El Tuito Amanacer in Jalesco looked after the details of the project. Local Rotarians engaged the workers, supervised them, and donated the use of their jeeps to move the trash and transport workers to the worksites. 3800 people live and work in the area and benefited from the project.
The District Community Grant helped support a total project cost of $7,000. $3,500 came from the District. The Mid Island Group (Rotarian clubs working together to support local club projects) donated $800 towards the project. Chip Ross of the Strathcona Sunrise Club was the grant writer.
Elements in the Memorandum of Understanding between the Strathcona Sunrise and the El Tuito Amanacer club are worth noting. These are the main elements that needed to be in place before the grant can be approved. Strathcona Sunrise Club writer, Chip Ross, can tell you more about this grant management. Often relationships have been in place between clubs from doing previous area grants. Trust is essential for a successful District Community grant done in another country.
Responsibilities:
- The Strathcona Sunrise Rotary Club will take the lead role in initiating the project and assisting all Parties with the completion of their roles, will apply for grants to cover the costs of the project and will be responsible for budgeting and disbursing funds.
- The Rotary Club of El Tuito Amanacer will select the workers required to carry out the project and will supervise the work. Further, they will distribute food vouchers to the workers as required and account for all expenditures.
Project Oversight:
The Strathcona Sunrise Rotary Club, International Committee, will oversee the project, liaising regularly with El Tuito Amanacer to ensure that the project needs are being met.
Funds management:
Monies for the project, to a maximum of $7,000 US, will be held by Strathcona Sunrise as a special allocation dedicated for this project with two signatures required for withdrawals. Funds will be sent to El Tuito Amanacer in two installments of $3,500 US$ each, the first when the project is initiated and the second when the project is 50% complete. Withdrawals will be documented by invoice or memorandum that clearly states the end use of the funds.
