Minnetonka Rotary Supports the Dominican Republic

Press Release: January 5, 2016 ….. Minnetonka Rotary / Stacey Quinn reaches out to support orphanage in the Dominican Republic.

Stacey Quinn, a member of the Minnetonka Rotary, spent time with her family over the Christmas break in the Dominican Republic. Being involved in the Minnetonka Rotary since 2011, Stacey told us about why she decided to help. “In 2012 and 2013 our Rotary Club went to the Dominican Republic, and installed BioSand Water Filters to provide clean, safe drinking water. I couldn’t go on those trips, but I did understand that there were needs not being met and a little support could go a long way. We raised almost a thousand dollars locally and gathered school supplies to help these young people.”

Stacey, her husband David and their two children, Dominic, 15 and Anna, 16 left Minnesota on December 20th and returned December 27th. Most of their time was spent on the ocean near Punta Cana. On December 24th they rented a car and drove to Higuey to find the orphanage with the intent of making their Christmas a happy one. “Driving on the road off the main highway was more than an adventure. Lack of signs and traffic controls, with cars, trucks, motor bikes and foot traffic intermixed on an unimproved narrow roadway was somewhere between a free for all and chaos.”

The guide who was to lead them to the orphanage was unable to provide that support. There were other challenges, like lack of maps and the language barrier made the trip into more of a journey. On the trip they saw poverty, and conditions that made them glad they lived in the United States. When they got to Higuey, the lack of street signs and well defined roadways had them telephone the orphanage to ask for help.

They got to the orphanage and they were greeted by a wary group of people, including the 25 boys between the ages of 4 to 16. Bringing out the Minnetonka Rotary Banner they became more comfortable upon recognizing the rotary gear wheel. Stacey went on to explain, “We couldn’t just give them the money. That was a lot of money for them and someone might hurt them in taking it away. So we went to a local store, a pretty rough place, and bought them some supplies.”

That December 24th we gave them the following items and supplies:

School Supplies of paper, pencils, and pens, toothbrushes, a soccer ball, solar flashlights, t shirts, a 50 lb bag of rice, powdered milk, powdered chocolate, oatmeal, noodles, beans, oil, grapes, apples, and some candy for Christmas. On the trip back from the store we stopped at a street vendor and bought enough pork for a Christmas meal.

“Although we only spent one day during our trip to the Dominican Republic, it felt like we were a century away from our reality and that it is a very good thing to live in the USA.”

For more information go to http://www.minnetonkarotary.org/content/dominican-republic-story-dec-24-2015