BY CHRIS COURTRIGHT
Good things happen when three outstanding area nonprofits, Asociación de Artes, East Cape Health Center, and Rotary International, work together to accomplish one big task!
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It all started when East Cape Health Center and the local East Cape Rotary International Club were conducting their annual health screenings with El Cardonal schools. While there, the group was taken on a tour of the newly constructed high school and was informed that there were no funds for furniture or AC units. As luck would have it, there were some visiting Rotarians from Northern California who happened to know of this great organization called ReUse Up Network, a non-profit linking surplus school furniture destined for International non-profit groups with those who needed it.
Char Wenger, founder of East Cape Health Center, took on the project and ran with it. Char worked with the leader of the ReUse Up Network based in southern California. She coordinated the enormous task of organizing the transportation and importation of furniture from a California school system. At first, it seemed like a slam-dunk process, but Char soon discovered that getting importation measures of “wood” from the U.S. to Mexico was a bigger deal. We were lucky Char took on the project as she knows a thing or two about getting donated equipment into Mexico as seen with her well-equipped East Cape Health Center. Between Char’s consistent contact with the donor group and organizing the timeline with the importation, this great project came together and we thank her for her dedication on that!
The big day came when the ACV 52′ extended semi-truck trailer arrived fully loaded with desks, chairs, and tables. Unloading was like taking apart a huge 52’ puzzle! We had to work with one of the Los Barriles Secondary school teachers, who was on summer break, to open the school gates because the truck was so tall it could not pass under all the electrical and telephone lines hanging down in Los Barriles to our original storage area. Once in, we had volunteers from Rotary, East Cape Fellowship Church, El Cardonal school teachers and workers at Cape Health Center. Even a Los Barriles police officer on duty loaded the back of his truck to help transfer furniture to El Cardonal. Ten trucks went off to El Cardonal, fully loaded for the schools. The trucks were loaded with school desks, chairs, and tables headed for the new high school, primary, secondary, and even kindergarten classrooms. It was a big task, but they handled everything in one long day.
After we found out we were getting furniture, Chris Courtright, President of the Asociación de Artes, the group that brings you Festival de Artes, Artist Studio Tour and the Holiday show, surveyed the Los Barriles, Buena Vista, Campamento, San Bartolo and La Ribera schools to see what furniture they could use. We were able to link up Los Barriles Secondary/High School with the tables and chairs to complete their new lunch area, and San Bartolo, Buena Vista and Campamento Primary schools along with La Ribera Primary, Secondary and High Schools all received tables, chairs and desks. The Association of Artes was lucky to have volunteers, Geovany and Alex, along with their helpers, taking command of getting the needed furniture to the schools. That included making sure that the right tables and chairs, in the right amount, went to the right school! It was a big task, took lots of counting and recounting and many truckloads. CanDoo Rentals even loaned their truck and trailer to make some of the trips easier.
Every piece of furniture was delivered and gratefully accepted. This was a big treat for the East Cape area schools and a great discovery for all of us to learn about the ReUse Up Network. New furniture (or gently used in this case) does not happen and it makes a huge difference to the schools to help properly educate the students. With the population explosion in the entire East Cape, schools are bursting at the seams with new students! Many schools must double up kids to desks, so the furniture was greatly appreciated!
Although the furniture is free, transportation, import taxes, and IVA on the value are costly. With donations from the Asociación de Artes and Rotary International along with the East Cape Health Center and their patrons, the fees of $16,000 were covered. This opportunity has been offered to us for the next year to receive more furniture so we will need donations from willing supporters and volunteers who want to make a difference.
The needs are great here and we all know the difference a quality education at a school with the proper supplies and materials can make in the lives of the youth and their families! It is a win-win for all of us residing in the Baja.
A famous phrase, “It takes a village to get things done,” really fits in this case! This village of nonprofit organizations all see the importance of educating the children of the East Cape. As we all work for the same goal of improving the lives of those in the Baja, we hope this excellent example of working together will inspire others to work together on considerable projects to lighten the load for all. Don’t we call that networking in the business world?
