Local Rotarians work to help Chilean earthquake victims

From Lee Craig
Shoreline Rotary

Since February 27, we've seen and heard heartbreaking stories of the earthquake in Chile. But there are people in our community who are making a difference. Two Rotary Clubs in the Shoreline area are co-sponsors of a Youth Exchange Student, Francisca Perez, from Talca, Chile. Francisca is spending the school year as a Rotary exchange student studying at Shorewood Highschool and you can imagine how the news of this earthquake hit her. It was three agonizing days before she even got to talk to her family (who are safe but shaken). Francisca is from a city about 150 miles north of Concepcion, the city closest to the quake's epicenter. It is about halfway between Concepcion, to her south, and Santiago, to her north.

Francisca's father, Luis, is a member of a Rotary Club in Chile. The two Shoreline clubs have a direct link with the Talca, Chile, club through the Youth Exchange Program and through our love of Francisca, so we asked them how we could help. You will see the response and pictures in the email (below). The two Shoreline Rotary clubs are currently in the middle of raising funds to answer their needs.

When we heard the best thing we could do is build a house, it seemed like a huge request! But when we learned that we could do it with only US $850, it doesn't seem so daunting. We're aiming at raising enough money to build at least one house, maybe more.

The Rotary slogan for next year is "Building Communities, Bridging Continents" and we think the Shoreline Rotary clubs are doing just that.

Here's the email from Chile:

Thank you and all Rotarians for your concern and the support spirit to face the disastrous earthquake and tsunami that hit our country with particular focus on our area of Talca
In practical terms, many institutions need much help. Hospice of our city, Talca, is disabled, as well as the Regional Hospital and many schools.


To be honest it has been difficult to determine which is the most urgent. Most of these institutions need new buildings, and then equipment. We are evaluating to try to focus the help we can get.
The essential aid consisting of food is partially met. However, there are a lot of poor people who lost their homes and are living in tents or are temporarily housed in schools that did not fall down. Since rains are coming soon, a concrete way to help is to have money to build emergency homes.
The cost of a basic emergency home in Talca is about US$ 850 each, they consist of panels for autoconstruction and many university students help to build them up, particulary here in our Rotary Club we incentivize our incoming exchange students to collaborate in the construction of theese emergency houses.
                                                              Eduardo Felis V, Rotary Club Talca