Recently, we changed the lives of people in Costa Rica and also changed the lives of our own local USF Rotaract Club members!

The Rotary Club of New Tampa sponsored a May 7-12, 2013 International Project in Costa Rica. We traveled with 8 USF Rotaract Students, along with project supervisors Gary & Joyce Gunter and Dr. Mac Anderson. Rotarian spouse Kathleen Novak assisted as well, along with Rotarian Gary Cavasos and his wife Ramona.

Rotary clubs in our District have been helping people in Costa Rica since 2008 in numerous projects that have successfully transformed a local elementary school in the province of Alajuela. This has been done with the coordination of Lake Placid Noon Rotarian Gary Cavasos. The Lakeland Rotary Club has also been instrumental in these projects.

In one week, we completed two projects:

1) We painted the courtyard of the Special Needs School for Severely Disabled Children - Escuela De Ensenanza Especial – This is the only Special Needs School in the Alajuela area, and it takes care of approximately 300 children that are severely disabled. The local Rotary Club of Alajuela has been helping them by improving the kitchen and buying new furniture. The Rotary Club of Lake Placid Noon has obtained a Matching Grant for $26,000 to purchase wheelchairs for the school.

2) We planted shrubs to complete the Butterfly Tranquility Garden at Alajuela Public Hospital – This is a very busy local public hospital in the Alajuela area. A structure was built between two buildings (akin to a home pool cage). Landscaping and trails, along with fountains and benches, were then placed inside the structure to allow people to walk and enjoy the natural beauty. It is also wheelchair friendly. The Rotary Club of Alajuela built the structure and split the cost with us. Trees and flowers were donated. A popular local attraction donated the butterflies and ensures there is a maintenance and propagation system in place to take care of the existing and emerging butterflies.

We also had FUN! We enjoyed: Ziplining, a volcano visit, the La Paz Waterfall Park (with birds/animals/butterfly aviary - toucans and hummingbirds galore!), and a working coffee plantation tour.

Every night we sat around a fire with the students reflecting on our experiences in Costa Rica and the joy of helping such fine people. The USF Rotaract Club members were an amazing group of highly intelligent, hard-working women who give us great hope for the future. We thought this trip would change their lives, but in the end, it changed ours as well. We are all energized to do this again next year! Please join us!