Club members visited the only school in Jalisco that provides therapies for autistic children age 2-17.  Psychology, language and communication therapy, sensory integration, and functional skills are taught.  The program is supported almost entirely by donations and currently has 120 students.  Each student has an individual plan and attends for one or two sessions per week.  It is very impressive!

Thirty Rotarians and guests caravaned the hour long journey from Chapala to Jocotepec - 1st stop Bio Tu. This is an ecological center that teaches sustainable practices such as composting, use of solar stoves, and using organic materials. They also have a butterfly reserve where they are "raising" several different species.  Club members went on to the Jocotepec Cultural Center where a local muralist, Chili, explained the elements of several murals in the town center.  From there the Group gathered for a delicious lunch at Restaurante Frida.

Nearly 100 generous and fun loving Lakesiders attended the sold out Chapala Sunrise Mardi Gras Party. Great Cajun food, hurricane drinks, fun games, a "Saints Go Marchin" In parade and a lucrative auction raised enough money for 25 student scholarships AND another 56, 000 pesos for other high priority projects and needs of the Club.  Nous laissons les bons temps rouler (  We Let the Good Times Roll!) .

Two members of the Chapala Sunrise Rotary Club have resumed the classes of health (physical and mental) information to community members joining our Diabetes Club.  Dr.  Oscar Ibarra Jr., M.D. and Erika Alamos ( nutritionist) are joined by another volunteer doctor, and psychologist to offer information about diabetes,  and strategies for managing the disease. Patients log their daily glucose levels and bring to the clinic for the analysis and support.  Tepehua Centro de Communitario has offered teaching space and most of the patients are from that needy neighborhood.  We plan to link our services with their Maternal and Child Health program.  Attendance at the monthly meetings has grown from November with 8 attendees to this weeks meeting of 29 villagers.  Attendees range in age form age 8-85!

We partnered with World Vision leadership and the Municipality of Chapala to transport 40 wheelchairs from Toluca, Mexico, house members of World Access and distribute to people with low resources in Chapala, San Juan Cosalá and Jocotepec.  Each wheelchair was fitted to the specific needs of individual recipients.

Our classes have begun at Ojo de Agua, teaching villagers about the water contamination and sanitation. This is preparing them for understanding the system and the long term maintenance needs. A visiting Rotarian from South San Francisco and another from Richmond Sunrise, B.C., joined us at the new site for our wetlands sanitation project and to see one of the classes.  The municipality of Poncitlán has laid about 200 feet of pipe to carry the flow of effluent to the new system.

Last week we assembled and distributed 20 heavy duty wheelchairs to deserving people at Lakeside.  The wheelchairs were funded by our club, Chair the Love, and Rotary District 4140.  This was our third distribution and we hope to do more in the future!

Chapala Sunrise hosted a Mexican party at Letra Ch restaurant for 80 people.  We played Mexican games ( Loteria, cubileto and balero), listened to Mariachis and watched folkloric dancer.  Entertainment and dinner were all incredible!

We are working on a design for construction of a wetlands waste treatment system for the village of Ojo de Agua.  They have donated the land and we are working with partners not only to engineer the solution but to educate community members  and address long term maintenance and sustainability of the system.

Our club has become much more involved in the pueblo of San Pedro Itzicán which has per capita, the highest rate of kidney disease in the Western Hemisphere.  We are beginning our work with getting to know the community and their desires, and working on nutrition, dental education and joining with others on early identification of kidney disease.  Hat's off to local leader, Anita Torres, who is championing the cause of this very needy and isolated community.  We distributed toothbrushes at the Kid's Kitchen feeding program, for 700 children that she oversees 5 days per week.

COVID as brought challenges to Rotary Clubs worldwide.  Last week, we swore in our 43rd member, Peter Harrell, by  Zoom!

The Chapala Sunrise Rotary Club has been working for three years to bring clean water, on a consistent basis, to the village of Ojo de Agua on Lake Chapala. This tiny village of 300 people has only had access to water during the rainy season, from streams off of the hillside.  Nevertheless, when we tested the stream water it was rated as one of the purest sources around the Lakeside.  Working in partnership with the local municipal government of Poncitlán, drilling began early this month and a clean, water was found at 200 feet.  The source appears to be sufficient to supply the village.  Further testing of the water must be done by the State Water authorities.  

Our Club has applied for a Global Grant, with international partner clubs of South San Francisco, Lincoln, CA, Fountain Hills, AZ and Winnipeg West, Manitoba to fund the holding tank, and distribution system and home water filters, throughout the village. In the meantime, club members are teaching water and sanitation classes in the village, using United Nations approved Project Wet materials.