Puerto Peñasco Rotary Club Will Rise Again

On Tuesday June 26^th seven local residents met at the Hacienda Restaurant in the Plaza Inn to discuss the re-formation of a Rotary Club in Puerto Peñasco.

Three officers from the San Luis Rotary Club of District 4100 drove in especially for the meeting also: current President, Ricardo Diaz; Special Envoy for New Clubs, Miguel Lardin; and Incumbent President, Francisco Osorio who will take the reins on July 7^th. It was the San Luis Club that sponsored the original Rocky Point Rotary Club back in 1978. It was disbanded about five years ago, but the three tenured San Luis Rotarians with obvious experience is such matters were visibly enthusiastic about assisting the resurrection of a new club.

The renewed interest in forming (or re-forming) a Rotary Club was sparked by action taken when the Utah Rotarians brought a group of 240 people down the week of June 11-15 of this year, including 180 teenagers who raised enough money to pay their way down and build three 1,000 square foot homes in four days, contributing to the cost of the homes as well.  This worthy effort was the result of a partnership between the non-profit “Families Helping Families” who have built a home in Rocky Point each year for the last several years, and the Rotary’s Youth Service programs, “Interact” and “Rotaract”.  For the story on the miraculous feats of these two organizations you can visit https://www.sonoranresorts.mx/?p=5132 .

During that week a committee of present and former officers from the Utah Rotary District 5420 met with Esthela Hernandez, a local realtor who agreed to contact many of the members of the old Rotary club and attempt to rekindle interest in forming a new one.

The seven local residents in attendance were Esthela Hernandez, the organizer; her daughter and interim secretary, Paloma Almada, a Physical Therapist; José Ramón Bustamante, Managing Partner in the Plaza Inn; Mark Olszewski, founder of the Adopt-A-Classroom charity that has helped the Rotary Club School among several others for the last nine years; Enrique Otañez, General Manager of FM radio station RADIORAMA; Richard Sanger, long time resident of Puerto Peñasco and former member of the original Rotary Club who was appointed by the San Luis Envoy as the interim President until the club can be officially formed; and this writer made up the seventh.

It will take 25 members for the club to be officially sanctioned by Rotary International. If you are interested learning more about the new Rotary Club, your best bet might be to attend their next meeting this Wednesday night the 4^th of July at 7:00 PM in the Hacienda Restaurant of the Plaza Inn.  Please contact Paloma Almada by email at paloma_almada_hdez@hotmail.com and let her know you are coming.

This blog is brought to you by the Sonoran Resorts Sales Group, Jim Ringquist, Director of Sales and Marketing.