IN THIS ISSUE:

THIS REVEILLE HOME PAGE

WINNERS DON'T QUIT!

A LITTLE BREAKFAST MUSIC

Salvatori Fireside

VALENTINE DINE-AROUND

Foundation Report

FRIDAY POTPOURRI

Reveille Reaches 15!

Agros Gets Check

Centennial Project

SAA Martinka Returns

WEB FUN

Agros Gets Check

February is World Understanding Month in Rotary. President-Elect Nominee Steve Lingenbrink handled a portion of Friday’s meeting dealing with the Club’s World Community Service activities. Steve said that recent statistics indicated there are 1.2 billion people on this planet who live in “extreme poverty. They earn less than $1.00 per dayn and 75% of them live in rural areas.”

Steve introduced Agros Director of Community Relations Kim Kreiling, who accepted a check for $5,000 from the BBRC International Service Committee for continued support of projects in Guatemala.

Lingenbrink went to the village of Trapichitos a year ago with an Agros work group. While there, they climbed the steep mountains to another village called Xeucalvitz (pronounced “shu-cal-VEETZ”) — meaning “Halfway up the Mountain” — embracing a village of 348 acres, housing 60 families.

Kim and Steve described how they approached the village in a swirl of clouds, meeting a ferocious-looking man armed with a machete. They engaged him in conversation, learning that he was trying to find a way to get more land for his village so they could have a better life. Kim told him that what Agros was all about and that they were there to see about purchasing some new land for the community. “He broke into the biggest smile you ever saw!”

Agros is an organization that helps rural families purchase land, cultivate a livelihood and earn title to their own farm. Thus, the cycle of poverty can be broken. This is a self-help program that has had amazing success in the mountains of Guatemala. This project is a joint effort by the Rotary Club of Guatemala City and the BBRC. Another trip is planned this year to Xeucalvitz and Steve is gathering a group of willing people who can work a project in the village.

In conjunction with the Agros project, a special showing of art, champagne, chocolate and coffee will be held at the Gunnar Nordstrom Gallery, 127 Lake Street South, in Kirkland, this Wednesday, February 11th, at 6:00 p.m. Mr. Lingenbrink and crew will be there to explain why the support for Agros is so important. At the Kirkland function, you’ll be able to agree to sponsor families, help buy land for the village or even go on the next Vision trip to the village.

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