Seaside Rotary’s International Projects

2014:

Project #1 - In 2014, with the support of several Rotary clubs in the United States and in coordination with Project C.U.R.E., the Rotary Club of Playa del Carmen Seaside delivered over $500,000 US dollars’ worth of essential medical equipment and supplies for the newly built Red Cross Hospital.

Project C.U.R.E. is a Colorado-based non-profit whose mission is to receive life-saving equipment from hospitals in the United States and make it available in “like new” condition to international hospitals with needs. 

2015:

Project #2 - Cristo Rey Primaria Escuela:  We were part of an International Project where we partnered with some Toronto area Rotary Clubs and Roger Mann to do an International Project for clean water and solar power at a new jungle school. Seaside helped furnish the new school with their Adopt a Classroom Project for 7 classrooms.  It was Seaside’s job to keep the solar system and the water system running. This is a photo of the group of Rotarians that visited the school that day. 

Photo of Friends of Seaside Rotary in Playa del Carmen in 2015 to celebrate the new project:

• Jennifer Jones, Rotary International President 2023-24 (Rotary Club Windsor - Roseland)
• Dr. Nick Krayacich, Jennifer’s husband
• Roger Mann, LaSalle Centernnial Rotary Club and known as the ‘water guy,’ (Gold collared shirt)
• Kashmir Mann, Roger’s Wife
• Doug Morgan, Seaside Rotary past President (Yellow t-shirt)
• Scott Lyall, Seaside Rotary President (Red shirt)
• Adam Padilla, first Director of the school (White shirt)

2017-2019:

Project #3 - The success of the Red Cross Hospital project encouraged club members, along with our Rotary District 4195, to start Project #3 “Dream Big.” In late 2017, Seaside Rotary embarked on “The Big 6," our most ambitious project to date. 

Once again partnering with Project C.U.R.E., our international Rotary partners, and with a Global Grant from the Rotary Foundation, “The Big 6” was approved to bring over $3 MILLION US dollars worth of medical equipment to six hospitals in southern Mexico. 

Each of the selected communities will receive approximately $500,000 USD worth of supplies and equipment donated by Project C.U.R.E. These distributions will positively impact the medical care available to hundreds of thousands of people by improving the capacity of local healthcare professionals and enhancing the health infrastructure of each community.

In May 2018, the Rotary Club of Playa del Carmen Seaside was awarded a Global Grant by the Rotary Foundation in the amount of $150,000 USD to cover the transport costs for the Project C.U.R.E. supplies.   With these funds, the first half of the shipment was completed to: 

• General Hospital in Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche
• General Hospital of Minatitlan in Veracruz
• General Hospital of Cancun

2020 – 2023

The remaining deliveries were put on hold due to the COVID pandemic in 2020. 

2023 – 2025

When the pandemic subsided, Seaside Rotary asked the Mexico government for permission to deliver the remaining supplies.  The request was denied as the government was restructuring all of its public hospitals. 

Through the tenacity of Angel Carrera, a founding member of Seaside Rotary, and the Project C.U.R.E. office in Mexico City, the remaining deliveries were approved for the General Hospitals in Chiapas and Playa del Carmen. 

2026

The next delivery is General Hospital 1 and General Hospital 2 in Chiapas in 2026.

2027

The General Hospital of Playa del Carmen is scheduled for delivery in 2027.

Conclusion:

When the General Hospital of Playa del Carmen receives its shipment, the Big 6 International Project will be complete! 

It will then be time to Dream Big and find our next International Project!

Special Thanks

The Big 6 was supported by contributions from Rotary Districts 4195 and 4240 and the Rotary Clubs of Denver, Brantford, Houston, Valle Verde-Green Valley, Phoenix Camelback, Tempe South, University Hills (Denver) and E-Club of Arizona. 

The Rotary Club of Playa del Carmen Seaside would also like to thank John Klug (Rotary Club of Denver), Xochitl Arbesu (District Governor D4195 2016-2017) and Angel Carrera (Seaside Rotary President 2017-2018) for their past and ongoing support of this project. 

Finally, this ambitious project would never have been possible without the efforts of Doug Morgan (Seaside Rotary President 2013-2014). Special thanks to Doug for inspiring this project, believing we could get it done and for always encouraging us to “Dream Big”.