A bumpy, dusty rock-laden dirt road winds its way to a ranch-style building that is in a perpetual state of need. It serves as home to about 35 mostly senior men who are in desperate need of some attention themselves. Members of the Rotary Club of Chula Vista Eastlake (Ca.) arose early on Saturday morning last December. They donned their face coverings, and made the trek by car to Casa Para Pobres Desamparados. This ramshackle home for abandoned seniors in La Rumorosa, Mex., is located about 40 minutes east of Tecate, Mex.--about two hours from San Diego County. On this day, the Rotarians took donations of food, blankets, adult diapers and clothing to the center.
When the Chula Vista Eastlake Rotarians arrived, Hernandez was struck by the conditions. There were seniors who needed urgent medical care, attended to by an overwhelmed “staff” of four volunteers. The center had no hot water, and badly needed facility maintenance. Hernandez wasn’t sure where to start. He asked “Hermano Pablo,” the caring soul who runs the center with the help of his wife and some relatives, what they really needed. It was clear to Hernandez that the donated clothing and food were temporary fixes. The seniors home needed more than a figurative 'band-aid.'A bumpy, dusty rock-laden dirt road winds its way to a ranch-style building that is in a perpetual state of need. It serves as home to about 35 mostly senior men who are in desperate need of some attention themselves. Members of the Rotary Club of Chula Vista Eastlake (Ca.) arose early on Saturday morning last December. They donned their face coverings, and made the trek by car to Casa Para Pobres Desamparados. This ramshackle home for abandoned seniors in La Rumorosa, Mex., is located about 40 minutes east of Tecate, Mex.--about two hours from San Diego County. On this day, the Rotarians took donations of food, blankets, adult diapers and clothing to the center.
When the Chula Vista Eastlake Rotarians arrived, Hernandez was struck by the conditions. There were seniors who needed urgent medical care, attended to by an overwhelmed “staff” of four volunteers. The center had no hot water, and badly needed facility maintenance. Hernandez wasn’t sure where to start. He asked “Hermano Pablo,” the caring soul who runs the center with the help of his wife and some relatives, what they really needed. It was clear to Hernandez that the donated clothing and food were temporary fixes.
Club members have annually visited the senior center for the several years. However, this was the members’ first visit since the pandemic. COVID-19 fueled fears among Rotarians of crossing into Mexico, which was hard hit by the virus. And service missions in the border region were further complicated by travel restrictions and border closures. Greatly dependent on donations from the United States, particularly from service clubs and church organizations, the pandemic made a bad situation measurably worse for Casa Para Pobres Desamparados. After COVID-19, the visits to La Rumorosa slowed to a trickle.
Chula Vista Eastlake Rotarians debated among themselves whether to help La Rumorosa amid California’s second round of stay-at-home orders. For Mark Gillette, it was not a difficult choice. “They need our help. I’m going,” he said. Club members Julio Armenta, Tara Simpson, Mauricio Torres and Miguel Hernandez were of a similar mindset. The members agreed to go in separate vehicles, wear masks and shields, keep physically distant.
La Rumorosa is in a high desert region of northern Baja California. It is bitterly cold in the winter and brutally hot in the summer. In many ways, it seems the center could not have been located in a more desolate region. La Rumorosa has one main traffic artery. From there, a dusty, deeply rutted side road leads to the Casa Para Pobres Desamparados.
Hernandez recalls feeling overwhelmed by the need.
“There are hundreds of things to do. It is not just money, it is help and man hours (volunteer work),” Hernandez said. “Cleaning, dumping, digging, planting and demolishing as well as the need for construction improvements. Hermano Pablo is overwhelmed. He also needs assistance himself. He looked tired. His heart is so big he doesn’t give up. He needs a consultant to establish rules, tasks and how to run a senior care facility so he is not overwhelmed. He looked like he aged an additional 5-10 years this past year.”
The Rotary Club of Chula Vista Eastlake, with matching funds from Rotary District 5340, had allocated an $1,800 grant to assist the center. With input from Hermano Pablo, the December 5 service mission helped better determine the center's most pressing needs. Hernandez was made project leader. He and his fellow Rotarians decided to start by helping the facility with obtaining hot water. The club purchased an electric water heater for the center, and arranged two more visits.They tackled the most immediate needs. Although water is trucked into the center and stored in a large tank, the pipes from the tank to the home leaked in several areas. Club members repaired the leaks. They tackled a ramshackle fuse box. They didn’t stop there. "We can give them a more dignified last few months or years of their lives," said Gillette (in photo at left).
Simpson launched a GoFundMe page, raising funds for additional repairs and enhancements. Armenta organized cleanups of the area surrounding the home, putting the more able-bodied seniors to constructive work and activities. Club members rebuilt a laundry room and installed an industrial strength washer and dryer. It took a great amount of work and coordination, but gave the members a tremendous source of pride. The laundry room project alone reminded the Rotarians of how much we take for granted such as the availability of basic infrastructure and working utilities. For example, whenever the power goes out in the small municipality of La Rumorosa, which is not an unusual occurrence, the electric water heater must be reset.
More visits are planned. Relationships have deepened with Hermano Pablo, and among club members themselves. Hermano Pablo even joined the club via a Zoom link from his phone. Although reception was intermittent, he was able to thank the club for its work. Our members are now working on a sustainability plan for the senior home. We learned a lot about ourselves through this project--and about service to others.