Cedar City Rotary Club helps build homes in Mexico
By Sue Longson
Local members of the Cedar City Rotary Club recently returned from a humanitarian mission in Puerto Penasco, Mexico, where they helped construct homes for families in need. Utah Rotarian chapters have been partnering with the nonprofit Families Helping Families for 15 years.
More than 60 Utah residents went on the most recent mission to help, with two adults and five high school students from Cedar City among them. Cedar City Rotary member Robert Cox said local Rotarians have been going to Puerto Penasco for the last nine years to help build houses. They often take local high schoolers in the Interact Rotary clubs with them.
“These kids are great,” Cox said. “They raise their own money for food, transportation, and housing, and they help raise the money to build the actual houses for those in need. To immerse these kids in another culture, in a place where there are very few safety nets, it is life changing — it encourages them to come home and do more good in their own communities.”
Rotarian Brennan Wood said that for the families in Mexico to qualify for a home through Families Helping Families they must have employment and be willing to help with the construction of the home. Instead of a vacation to Mexico, the parents and their children get up at 6:30 a.m. and pour concrete, lift cinder blocks, cut and place rebar, and do many other activities in the summer Mexico weather.
“Service is just how we play our part in lifting up our community and others around us,” Wood said. “I think service connects you with the one you’re serving and with others that are serving alongside you. My daughter, Cambridge, has connected with other students from across the state and has already started planning for next year.”
According to the Families Helping Families website, the experience for those going to Mexico is as rewarding for the families helping to build the home as those receiving a new shelter of their own.
“Our efforts benefit not only those who receive the houses, but also changes the lives of many who volunteer and donate their precious resources of time and money to build the houses,” their website states.
For more information on becoming a member of the Cedar City Rotarians, email Sue Longson at cedarcityrotaryclub@gmail.com.
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