International Service Committee
Co-Chairs - Beth Becka & Brigitte B. Saidi
Group Study Exchange - Beth Becka & Brigitte B. Saidi: We recruit viable candidates for outgoing team & help house/entertain incoming GSE team members.
Twin Club - Beth Becka & Angelika Jansen-Brown: Partnership with Piedras Negras Mision, District 4110, Mexico; one of the few clubs in Mexico with women members. During twice yearly visits we share community service projects, including:
Country School 25 km outside Piedras Negras: In a 2-year RI project we extended running water into school grounds, installed a septic tank, and built a 2-stall, 2-sink toilet building. Children can now learn proper hygenie; incidence of seasonal infectiious diseases has decreased significantly. During each visit we donate school suppplies and food for school meals.
Orphanage for Handicapped Children (Orfanateria de Paulino): This is the only orphanage for handicapped, mostly abandoned children in Northern Mexico. We collect and transport donations of food, personal hygiene items, clothing, and toys ca. 5 times a year and are working on a hands-on service project with the children.
Library at the P. N. Centro Cultural Multimedia: We purchase & donate bi-lingual reading materials to this unique public learning resource for all ages. Last year we gave them a complete shelf of English-Spanish dictionaries
Casa de Peregrino: We collect and transport blankets, clothing, and personal hygiene items to this shelter for homeless bordercrossers, most of them desparate and honest migrants from Central America and the rural South of Mexico.
Amigos of the Defense Language Institute - John Thurman: We host international students and participate in community activities of the DLI at Lackland base; one of our former guests, an Afghani military officer, is now starting a Rotary Club in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Wheelchair Program - Jim & Linda Montgomery: Over the last 3 years we have funded several containers of wheelchairs for the RI Wheelchair Foundation.
Hunger Plus - Sam Gott: Each year we participate in the District’s Hunger Plus Fundraiser by buying restaurant coupons and distributing them to families at the SAM Shelter.
Youth Echange - Long Term / Short Term - Carole Minton: Each year we recruit candidates for the ourbound exchange and help locate homes for incoming exchange students.