Peru Team Addresses Charlotte Rotary
By Matt Joyner
   
"You don't really get it unless you go yourself," said Luther Moore introducing a program of Charlotte Rotarians who traveled to Alto Cayma, Peru in February, 2008 to see firsthand the humanitarian work of Father Alex Busuttil in that impoverished place and to celebrate Charlotte Rotary's involvement in improving the lives of the people there. Alto Cayma is an area approximately 9,000 feet above sea level with a population of 32,000 people whose economic conditions range according to Moore "from poor to very poor." With little education and day labor jobs that pay two to five dollars a day, the malnourished local population subsists in primitive conditions.
 
Charlotte Rotary has joined with several other Rotary clubs to improve conditions in Alto Cayma, including support of a project to double the local potable water service from three hours a day to six hours a day. Currently the people have no running water in their cement block huts and share neighborhood outdoor faucets as their source of water. Also the Charlotte Rotary team was on hand to witness the unloading of the container of equipment and supplies sent to Alto Cayma through the support of Charlotte Rotary and leadership of Rotarian Ed Wadsworth.
 
Will Barnhardt and his wife Elsie were on the trip and Will said that words couldn't do justice to what Fr. Alex and Jim and Gloria Hintz were doing in Alto Cayma. Jim and Gloria were present at the meeting and were recognized and presented Charlotte Rotary flags for presentation at the local Rotary clubs in Peru. Barnhardt called the Alto Cayma region a "land of amazing contrasts" with "spectacular scenery and absolute need." He showed slides of the community programs the group visited to see the work of Rotary, including the greeting card workshop, the knitting and weaving shop, the soup kitchen, the daycare, the orphanage and "Acercandonos," an outreach program for youth and seniors.
 
Pender McElroy said the highlight of his trip with the group and his wife Kathryn was a visit to the orphanage, which serves 43 children from broken homes ranging from toddlers to mid-teens. The McElroy's were so moved by their experience they have undertaken sponsorship of a young boy in the community, Luis. McElroy also cited the group's Sunday worship at Fr. Alex's church with approximately 400 parishioners. While the service was in Spanish, the spirit was universal.
 
Erskine Harkey narrated a presentation of the group's further travels in Peru, from Alto Cayma to Charlotte's sister city of Arequipa and then to Cusco, home of the famous Inca ruins of Machu Picchu. After a tour of the spectacular Incan city and its Temple of the Sun at 10,000 feet above sea level, the group returned to the capital city of Lima and back home to Charlotte.
 
Time ran a bit short and Ed Kizer did not get a chance to address the group. However, his notes on sponsorship opportunities and his experience in Peru were forwarded to the Rotary office. Ed particularly wanted to thank Jim and Gloria Hintz, who are the epitome of Service Above Self. A major priority for Gloria and Jim is to increase the number of sponsors. In this interest, the group has scheduled a brief meeting at 1:30 to follow the April 22nd Rotary meeting. At that time, Warren Kean, Lamar Thomas, and Ed Wadsworth will relate why they are sponsors and what their experience has been. Detailed information of ways to participate in Alto Cayma sponsorships will be posted on the club's website. Opportunities include buying cards from Creaciones Angels, sponsor a child or an elderly person in the Acercandonos program, sponsor a child's education, contribute to the dental care fund, contribute to the eye care fund, sponsor a birthday party in the children's home, sponsor a person in the food program, contribute to the medical care fund, or make a general donation to Father Alex' Mission. Funding for all of the above programs except one are administered through Advent Lutheran Church in Charlotte, NC, which clearly establishes them as charitable contributions which are tax deductible. The one exception is the cardmaking program, where the purchaser is receiving intrinsic value worth at least 100% of the purchase price.
 
Thank you Charlotte Rotarians for representing our club in Peru and for bringing word back to us about all the good things Rotary is supporting in that corner of the world.
 
   
Head Table: Will Barnhardt, Erskine Harkey, David Zimmerman, Luther Moore, Ed Kizer, Pender McElroy, David Anderson;
Invocation: Brenda Lea;
Visitors & Guests: Bill Meanor, Health & Happiness: Bryan Adams, Song: Biff Virkler; Photos: Bert Voswinkel

• Sympathy is extended to Henry Snead in the death of his wife, Shirley, who passed away on March 31st. Funeral services for Shirley will be held at 11:00 on April 4 at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Visitation is 6 until 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 3, at the Snead residence. Prayers are also extended to Tod Thorne and family over the loss of Patty's mother over the weekend.
   
• Mac McCarley introduced Collin Brown. Collin is an attorney with Horack Talley and will carry a classification of Law, Real Estate. Contact Collin at cbrown@horacktalley.com.
  
• Gary Scott speaks for Allen Tate Co. in a televised spot that will be shown during the UNC-Washington State game; Kemp Dunaway discusses the real estate market in this week's Business Journal; Fred Lowrance, Warren Kean, and Tony Lathrop were included in Law and Politics magazine's 2008 N.C. Super Lawyers directory; Tony Zeiss and Ronnie Bryant discuss "Charlotte Growth Pushes Limits" in the April Business North Carolina magazine; Luther Moore has been re-elected to serve a four-year term on Wingate University's Board of Trustees; Martin Grable was photographed while presenting the Vision Award to 21 top supporters of the Community Blood Center of the Carolinas.
   
• Follow the Taiwan GSE team as they make their way through the District: www.wretch.cc/album/gse08d3520nc.
 
• WINE TASTING TOUR is planned for April 26th. Travel to Childress Vineyard for a private tour, wine tasting, and lunch. The cost is $20 per person (lunch not included in the cost). From there the group will go to RayLen Vineyards for a tour and tasting. Cost at RayLen is $8 per person. Contact Dave Adams for additional info: 704-400-7302 or dave@absolutedirectmailservices.com.
      
• DG Graham Wilson will have the opportunity to talk about Rotary's involvement with Habitat for Humanity on Fox News Rising. Those wishing to volunteer for the Habitat project can sign up here.
    
• Upcoming Host Dinners: April 12 (Meg McElwain), April 26 (David Zimmerman), May 3 (John and Lee Tabor), May 17 (Ken Poe).

Should you question the eligibility of any nominee, contact the Rotary office by 4/7/2008.