Saturday Service - Changing for the Better

Renovations to Colegio Elizabeth in Veron

Today after our service project in Domingo Maiz we traveled to two schools to deliver school supplies like past years. The first school was in Veron, Colegio Elizabeth, a small school which supplies have been donated to every year. When we walked in there I noticed that where there used to be an opening to another classroom was shut off by a concrete wall. I thought maybe something had happened, like their school caved in or something terrible to that sort and they had to fix it. Actually what had really happened was the teacher gathered the funding to separate the two classrooms to stop distractions and interruptions. I really thought it was neat to see how much the school had changed in one year.

Desks we refurbished last year

Then after Veron we took a 45 minute ride to Macao to deliver school supplies a second year in a row. We found out last year that the Rotary Club was in the process of raising enough money to build a new school in Macao that would have a stable foundation. Also, our service project last year was to renovate old school desks for this school to use. So I was already anxious to see the school to see what changes they had made. When we pulled up to the school I was in COMPLETE SHOCK! I could not believe the new school, it was beautiful. It was painted bright green on the concrete walls with a sturdy roof, much better than the tin and wood walls and roof they had before.



El Cajuil school in Macao

When we walked in we saw all of the desks we had worked on a year ago, I have to admit, I was proud to know that we were the ones who made these desks usable again for these students. When I saw the teacher both of our eyes lit up, she immediately remembered me and we hugged and I told her that her new school was beautiful! I could really tell that she felt more confident in herself knowing that she had a durable school to teach in every day.  I have to be honest, it took every bit of me not to shed a tear seeing how awesome this new school was. This has been the best service day that I have participated in the past 5 years that I have been going. It really makes me think of how lucky of a person I really am and how fortunate I am to have all the things I do; it makes you take the small and simple things for granted.

Contributed by Chase Smith, Bath County