Shawnee residents last week proved a little bit of help can go a long way.
On Thursday, members of the Shawnee Rotary Club returned from the small village of Chacala, Mexico, where they helped build a health clinic. Though only seven people went on the weeklong trip, the small group was able to have a large impact.
Kevin Tubbesing, club member, said the clinic was needed because otherwise, Chacal residents had to walk or figure out a way to get to one of the larger towns, several miles away.
Shawnee Rotary Club members returned last week from a week-long trip to Chacala, Mexico, to build a medical clinic. Those on the trip were Dennis and Sherry Barry, Scott and Beverly Shane, Miranda Ritter, Kevin Tubbesing and Matt Young.
“The whole reason we do this is, the way things work in Mexico, once government is given a secure structure, then they will equip and staff it,” Tubbesing said. “The government won’t build structures, but if the community is able to develop the resources or bring outsiders like us to help build a structure, then they will give the funding to staff it.”
The club has sent a group to Chacala during the spring for three of the past four years to work on projects with clubs from Omaha, Neb., and North Carolina. In 2005, members helped build an early elementary school and in 2006, they helped build a kindergarten building.
Last year, projects hadn’t been organized well enough for a group to go down, but this year, they heard help was needed to complete a medical clinic.
Tubbesing said this year the club learned that Dale Reinhardt, a man who had instigated the efforts in Chacala with a community center and library, had died, and his son was taking over his plans to build a medical clinic.
“But then there were limited funds, and they weren’t able to finish,” Tubbesing said.
That’s where the Shawnee Rotary Club came in, sending a group of seven, four club members, two spouses of members and a friend, who left April 18. Once they arrived, they assessed the work that needed to be done, bought supplies and hired contractors for some work.
The Shawnee club’s budget for national charities funded the building costs for the clinic, but each of the members on the trip paid their own way and covered personal expenses like food and lodging.
When they left Chacala, the club members had completed everything except for the doors and windows, and they were in the process of coordinating with contractor for that work.
While the club has taken as many as 20 people to Chacala, Tubbesing said the larger the group, the more complicated the logistics, so it seems more can be done with a smaller group.
“We’ve found that fewer people can make a bigger impact,” Tubbesing said.
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