Twenty-five years ago three Roswell Rotarians went on a mission trip to the small
town of Puerto Carrillo situated on the Pacific Coast of Guanacaste over 3 hours
from the Liberia, Costa Rica airport. Elwyn Gaissert, Bob Hagan and Ron Redner
were tasked with helping the town and provide eyeglasses to those with impaired
vision. The town had just been created the previous year on July 23, 1999.
Roswell Rotary returned on many occasions during the next 25 years. On one
occasion they built a basketball court in the park and a beautiful playground
jungle gym. Today Puerto Carrillo population is mainly local residents and
maintains an authentically Costa Rican atmosphere with about 500 full-time
residents while the district has a population of around 1,800 people.
The local government had asked Roswell Rotary to replace the basketball backboards that had deteriorated over the years. Nine Roswell Rotarians went on this mission trip
with 3 goals. The first goal was to provide free eyeglasses. We tested almost 120
people over 2 days and they were thrilled to see better. The second goal was the
installation of two new basketball goals purchased with a Rotary grant. On the
basketball court we were greeted by Hojancha Mayor Veronica Campos, Second
Mayor Adalberto Rodriquez and Engineer David Cabezas who expressed their
gratitude for our donation. The basketball court has been constantly in use since
the installation of the new basketball goals! The third goal of the mission was to
visit the Puerto Carrillo Elementary School and provide school supplies. Each child
received a sturdy and well-designed backpack and a Spanish to English Dictionary.
The school was also given pencils, animal shaped erasers and soccer balls that
were immediately put to good use! The children were exceptionally healthy and
attractive in their uniforms and made us feel welcome.
We cannot talk about this trip without mentioning Jackie Mora who has been the
primary contact for 25 years. She arranged accommodations, transportation,
meals, and contact with the local residents some of whom who were her
relatives. She also had the bad fortune of being the one to get the school supplies
released from Customs. Not easy! Fate McKinney was the Roswell Rotary Trip
Leader and has been on many mission trips to Puerto Carrillo since 2001. The
eyeglass check-in team consisted of Bob Hagan & Karen Schwank, Ron Redner did the eye exams, Betty Price, MD, provided a wellness check during the vision tests.
The team of Nancy Alterman (Roswell Rotary President), Sandy Buhler, Mickey Deaton, and Elwyn Gassiert provided the eyeglasses based on the prescription.
Jackie Mora, Nataly Mora, and Jill Hicks were our translators. Costa Rica was an
amazing experience and everyone we met welcomed us warmly and we returned
home changed by the joy of making a difference!