Coos Bay - North Bend Rotary Club through its World Community Service Committee, and also through individual member involvement, promotes the charitable works of Rotary Project Amigo. This service project sponsors and funds post-primary education for about 400 orphaned and very poor children in Colima, Mexico. Also in conjunction with Rotary International, the Project participates in a low-cost basic shelter program for the families of these children.

This project, which was started 17 years ago by a Eureka, Calif. couple, has provided and promoted education for several thousand children. It has many heart-warming success stories and has received an open-ended commitment of higher education funding for the best and brightest of the children from a San Francisco benefactor.

Construction began two years ago, and continues on 323 small, two-room homes for which funding is already in place. These basic homes in most cases replace tar paper-and-stick shanties which did not provide adequate protection from the elements.

Additionally, RPA has provided opportunities for local Rotarians, like Dr. Bob Macy, to provide dental service to these children and for Len and Joyce Farr to donate many hours to home building and other humanitarian efforts.

Other Rotarians provide the monetary support by sponsoring individual children or by purchasing products produced for fundraising or by direct donations.

Opportunities continue to exist for Rotarians and non-Rotarians alike to travel to Colima for a week or more to help with building projects. Special long-term opportunities exist for retired bilingual educators to tutor and mentor our students. More information about RPA can be obtained from Rick Morrow at 1-541-683-1929.