WATER IS LIFE ON THE NAVAJO NATION

The Sun Lakes Rotary Club is applying for a Rotary Foundation Global “Humanitarian” Water Grant to provide homes on the Navajo Nation with inside running tap water.  Many of these people, our neighbors, presently have their water delivered into 50 gallon holding barrels above ground in their yards via a water truck. Our goal is to install underground cisterns which pump running water into 25 selected homes at a cost of $4,500 per home.  The homes are located within a 70-mile radius of Thoreau, New Mexico and have been approved by the St Bonaventure Indian Mission and School located in Thoreau, New Mexico which is close to Gallup, New Mexico, USA.

 

Once the funding goal has been reached, the Sun Lakes Rotary Club will work with DigDeep, which supplies the total water system and on-site installation at each home. The water system consists of a 1,200 gallon in ground cistern, electric pump, sink, solar panel, battery, filter, heater and gray water leach field.  DigDeep can provide and install on average two (2) homes per week.

 

The Navajo Nation is in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. There are over 175,000 Native Americans living on this land with about 40 percent of them without inside tap water and/or a toilet.  It is estimated that the average American home consumes 100 gallons of water per day while the average Navajo consumes seven (7) gallons per day.  Or putting it another way, today’s toilet uses 3.5 to 5 gallons per flush. So, two (2) flushes per day can exceed a day use of water. And what about: Laundry? Bathing? Cooking? Having a glass of water?

 

 

The Sun Lakes Rotary Club is seeking Rotary Club partners in Arizona, USA and Internationally along with matching funds from respective Rotary Districts and The Rotary Foundation to raise funds to pay as much of this grant as possible.

 

For further video information on the Navajo Water Project:

Now it is December and boy did this project take off! Through the hard work of many Rotarians in District 5580 and around the world, here’s a snippet of what happened when we asked for partners:

 

Submitted by: Stan Kaufman

Sun Lakes Rotary Club

Ex- Fargo Noon Rotary Club

Ex-Walker, MN Rotary Club

Ex-Toronto-Eglinton Rotary Club    

 

I got involved in the project in a combination of influences.  First, as a very recently transferred Rotarian (to Sun Lakes Rotary) I was looking for a way to get immediately involved in my new Club plus my sister-in-law in northern Alberta, Canada is of Navajo descent and is very involved north of the border in aboriginal affairs. Second, I was a Rotarian in Canada years ago and since there is an international flavor to Global Grants I was recruited by project leader PDG Gary Whiting as soon as he found out I had some international contacts😊.

 

I reached out to a very close friend in Brantford, Ontario by the name of Reg Madison. Reg is a member of the Brantford Sunrise Club and is immediate PDG of District #7090 which boasts several dozen clubs in southern Ontario.  Reg and his Brantford Sunrise Club immediately agreed to be our International Partner in the Navajo Water Project. 

 

The second person I reached out to was Keith Brokke, an old friend from my Rotary days in Fargo recognizing that your District #5580 has a handful of Canadian clubs in northern Ontario.  We met at a Fargo Rotary Club meeting held at the Fargo Air Museum in June of 2018.  Keith’s response to my ‘ask’ for help was amazing! I had already made successful requests for support from the Fargo AM FM and Walker, MN clubs .   Keith took things to a whole new level spreading the word not only to your whole District but to friends in Guatemala and India all of whom became involved to some degree in the project😊

 

I am very pleased with the international support we have received and look forward to seeing the fruits of our efforts come to life on the reservation this coming winter. We have invited PDG Reg to Phoenix later this winter so that he can witness and/or participate in the installation of one or two water systems in northern Arizona.  I also look forward to future opportunities to reciprocate in Global Grants sponsored by those Clubs and Districts that responded so positively to the Navajo Water Project.

 

Submitted by: Keith Brokke, DRFCC 2016-19

Fargo-Moorhead Rotary Club

 

It was shortly after our District 5580 Conference in late April this year that Kevin Harmon and I received emails from past D5580 Rotarians now serving in the Sun Lakes Rotary.  They described a much needed project they had identified as their next Global Grant and were asking for financial assistance.  The Sun Lakes Rotary felt that D5580 would be great to partner with because D5580 is an International District and since Global Grants require that 30% of the funding must come from International partners, D5580 fit the mold.  We published an article in the D5580 newsletter Cross Currents in June asking our D5580 clubs to consider giving financial support to the Navajo Water Project and clubs responded generously. 

 

At the Rotary International Convention in Toronto, I was meeting with John McKoy and others from Sun Lakes Rotary at a table near their booth in the House of Friendship when District Governor Julio Grazioso of D4250 (Honduras, Guatemala and Belize) walked by and asked what we were discussing . . . when we described the project, Julio responded that his D4250 would give $500 toward the project.

 

In July, my wife and I were entertaining fellow Rotarian friends from Duluth and Thunder Bay and in discussion of the Navajo Water Project, Mike Cochran suggested contacting Dr. Natarajan Gopalakrishnan (District Grants Subcommittee Chair of D3212) to ask for their financial support.  Dr. G (as I refer to the good Dr.) asked 20-D3212 Rotary Clubs and received $100 from each.  I also asked Senthil Kumar of the Nagercoil Town Rotary Club in India for a contribution and he responded with $1,000 . . . the power of Rotary is very evident.  We are introduced to Rotary as a member by being asked and the asking continues as Rotarians learn, grow and develop as leaders.

 

Submitted by: Reg Madison

District Governor 2017-2018

Proud Member Brantford Rotary Sunrise

District 7090 Strategic Planning Chair

District Membership Growth Chair

Assistant Governor Area 2 2010-2013

Co-chair Assistant Governor Training 2013-2015

District Conference Chair 2013

Co-chair Club Leadership Training 2015-2016

 

I'm Immediate Past District Governor of District 7090, an International District with 68 clubs in Southern Ontario, Canada and Northwestern New York State.  During the 1980s Stan Kaufman and I became best of friends working for the same organization in Canada.  After Stan moved to the U.S. we maintained our friendship and have spent many a moment discussing Rotary.

 

On one of our visits to each other with our spouses, Stan told me of the Sun Lakes Navajo water project and I immediately became excited because one of my goals as District Governor in 2017-18 was to get involved in a Global Grant with a club in the United States to assist Indigenous People.  After receiving the detailed information, I approached the board of my Rotary Club of Brantford Sunrise to commit dollars to the project and become the international partner.  At the next board meeting the request was approved and my dream became reality.

 

At the Rotary International Convention in Toronto in June, my wife Loretta and I had the pleasure of meeting John McKoy at the Dig Deep booth in the House of Friendship.  We spent time becoming knowledgeable about Dig Deep, joined 3 others for lunch and had stimulating discussions about the project.  To say I was pumped was an understatement.

 

We are so looking forward to visiting the site in March and participating in installations and meeting the Navajo People who will benefit from this program.  I'm also looking forward to attending a club meeting in Chandler before or after the visit to New Mexico.  The marriage between our two clubs has been ideal and the news that we have exceeded our financial goal and can assist even more families with water is a bonus.  So many of us don't realize what hardships others endure because we take water so for granted.

 

I thank the Rotary Club of Sun Lakes, particularly my friend Stan, PDG Gary Whiting and John McKoy for their kindness, assistance and understanding as we accomplished this challenge.  It truly is "Service above Self!  Brantford Sunrise also looks forward to our Indigenous People project in Canada and continuing our partnership with Sun Lakes!

 

 

In summation, what a wonderful project with Rotarians from multiple states and countries uniting together to help others. I’m happy to report that together, we accomplished the mission and the Sun Lakes project has been fully realized! And in the words of Stan Kaufman, “Thank you fellow Rotarians! It is so wonderful when we work together for the common good of our respective country’s needs! After 37 years in Rotary I remain surprised every year at what strength and resolve we millions of ROTARIANS CONTINUE TO BRING HUMANKIND.”