Benefit Lives Locally and Internationally
Each Rotary club has a unique culture. Our club of nearly 50 members meets at 7am, so as you might imagine we are a highly motivated group and get started early in the morning.
Every year our members research and commit Time, Treasure, and Talent to a variety of humanitarian projects. The projects often change each year as needs of the local and international communities change.
Several members of our club have participated in the innoculation of children in India and Nigeria in the ongoing effort to eradicte polio.
With the support of our club, the Santa Barbara Neighborood Clinic provides free dental services to over 120 indigent patients annually.
The International Service Committee has worked with SEE International to sponsor several missions to Mexico to support cataract surgeries for hundreds of needy patients.
Our club has recently adopted La Cuesta Alternative High School and Casa de la Raza. Both of these organizations informed us of their need for technology to facilitate their work for underserved members of our community. We have now provided 24 computers for their students and staff, and will continue to assist in the future.
The residents of two villages in Nicaragua had to travel miles each day when wanted water for their families. Our club recently completed a project which resulted in water plumbed from hilltop tanks to 600 households. The system will be maintained by a water committee with fees from water meters.
For over ten years, the third graders of Santa Barbara elementary schools have received over 10,000 dictionaries/gazetteers to help with literacy, the skill of research, and the joy of discovery.
Nicaraguans struggle annually with poor soil and unpredictable rainfall. Our club is introducing aquaponics to these folks which reduces reliance on local conditions. It also provides a supply of fish for consumption and sale.
Club members regularly roll up their sleves and get down and dirty. We recently renovated a westside park and annually provide construction and maintenance activities to the SB County Boys and Girls Club Camp Whittier near Cachuma Lake.
The pandemic has recently limited our projects considerably but we were not to be deterred. Early in the crisis we had sewn face masks and freely distributed them to local organizations that could not obtain them due to shortages. We have posted Thank You signs throughout Santa Barbara recognizing the efforts of First Responders and Essenial Workers. We delivered thousands of biodegradable wipes to Showers of Blessing for our homeless population that could not access a shower. Most recently we've provided hundreds of bottles of hand sanitizer to community service organizations for distribution. We hope this short list of our club's activities motivates you to join us in our mission by joining our club and/or making a donation.