Rotary Club of San Marino Hands-On International Project

The Rotary Club Playas de Rosarito hosted five members of your local Rotary Club for an afternoon of soccer at their newly renovated soccer field and stadium funded largely by an international cooperative project with the Rotary Club of San Marino.

In its second year of existence, this highly successful educational program has had the effect of taking kids off the street and onto the soccer field while also instilling civic pride and cooperation.

In Rosarito Beach, Mexico, it is estimated that approximately 8000 children go into drugs or drug related activities every year. Javier Hernandez, past President of the Rotary Club Playas de Rosarito, mentioned that the Federal government spends large sums of money on new prisons and rehabiliation centers for drug addicts, but is lacking in its support of prevention methods. It is with these facts in mind that our two Rotary Clubs decided to do something to get kids onto the soccer field and their parents on the sidelines as coaches.

The two clubs raised enough money to fund the purchase of new uniforms for 35 teams, goal posts, the hiring of a trainer and psychologist and miscellaneous soccer equipment. What has transpired is a program that has become the envy of all of Mexico. The soccer program has been so popular that even the Federal, State and municipal governments of Mexico have started contributing to it. The Federal Government paid for new state-of-the-art turf to be laid on the dirt field and the Rotary Club of Tijuana has even reached out to its neighboring club to see if they can emulate Rosarito Beach's success.

Every member of Rotary International follows the motto "Service Above Self." It is with great pride that your local Rotary Club can continue to do so while spreading the goodwill of San Marino, CA around the world.