(Editor’s note: This is a reprint of an article I wrote about the ambulance going to Guatemala, which was in the March 2 edition of The Observer. Since we are following this story, I thought for those of you who missed the information earlier this month, this would fill in the blanks).

In the spring of 2008, a nine person team representing Rotary and the non-profit United by Friendship will be going to Uspantan, located in the central highlands of Guatemala. The purpose of the trip is to provide humanitarian support to the communities. The volunteers are from Farmington, Carlsbad, Espanola, Albuquerque, Rio Rancho and Socorro.

Rotary volunteers have been working in the Uspantan district since 1992, where they have participated on medical teams, provided 6 communities with water distribution systems, provided text books to elementary schools, rewired the local hospital’s electrical system, purchased several pieces of new medical equipment for the hospital and equipped 10 schools. United by Friendship has dovetailed its efforts with the Rotary projects in the construction of a school house and a computer lab for a junior high school, procuring needed dental equipment and stimulating local economic development. The overall mission is to promote goodwill and better friendships and understanding by partnering with communities to achieve the community’s goals. The focus of the 2008 team will include:

1. Celebrating the completion of the $43,000 project to equip 10 schools with desks, chairs, blackboards, and other needed equipment.

The teachers and students want to personally thank the Rotary volunteers for their clubs’ efforts on their behalf.

2. Inaugurating a 2-room school house in a small village that was built primarily through the fundraising efforts of the 2007 volunteers.

3. Inaugurating a $75,000 project to equip two rural clinics with needed medical equipment and ambulances.

4. Reviewing proposals from several communities for potential new projects for 2009.

5. Learning more about the small Mayan group of Uspanteko speaking people of the region where they will be serving.

Two ambulances were donated toward the Rotary health related project, one by the Phelps Dodge Corporation of Silver City and the other by the City of Bernalillo. The ambulances were reconditioned and repainted through the generosity of Don Chalmers Ford of Rio Rancho. They will be driven from Albuquerque to Guatemala by two volunteers, Greg Chalmers and Robert Boverie of Albuquerque.

The ambulances will begin their long trip on March 22 and hope to cross into Guatemala by April 1. The rest of the team will join them in Guatemala on April 3. After 10 intense days the volunteers will return home together on April 13.

Note: The funding to equip the clinics was obtained by donations from 20 Rotary clubs from New Mexico, West Texas and Guatemala. The participating clubs are Albuquerque Del Norte, Carlsbad, Farmington San Juan, Rio Rancho, El Paso, Espanola, Silver City, Tucumcari, Santa Fe Downtown, Albuquerque Downtown, Socorro, Angel Fire, Lovington, Albuquerque Rio Grande, Albuquerque Del Sol, Los Alamos, Fort Stockton, Rio Rancho Sunrise and the Guatemalan clubs of La Ciudad and Nordeste. The Rotary District 5520 provided $10,000 and the Rotary Foundation matched with $24,750.

Volunteers:

Participating volunteers are team leader Deborah Simon of Española, Greg Chalmers of Rio Rancho, Robert Boverie of Albuquerque, Robbie Chacon of Carlsbad, Dr Eileen Comstock of Socorro, Dr and Mrs Bob Grossheim of Farmington, Jill McQueary of Farmington and Ron Salley of Albuquerque.