Lake in the Hills, McHenry Area Rotary Clubs build dorm for Guatemalan students

Members of Lake in the Hills and McHenry Area Rotary clubs recently traveled to Peten, Guatemala to build a dorm for a school of indigenous children.

The INDRI School was started four years ago with 85 students who have overcome tremendous odds to continue studies in order to graduate with a vocational high school degree. Most of these students are the first in their family history to study beyond the sixth-grade elementary level. The students graduate as young professionals with good jobs, and as a result, they are able to lift themselves and their families out of poverty. This year there are 285 students attending the school.

The members of the service team spent four days at the school building the dormitory that will house an additional 100 students. Also, the group built 40 bunk beds and taught some of the willing students how to sew.

“It was a daunting task with hours of hard work by everyone involved,” said Wade Merritt, co-president of Lake in the Hills Rotary. “We taught the students how to use power tools and assemble the walls and erect the roof of the dorm. They picked up very quickly and were eager to help.”

The students also helped with the making of all the bunk beds, which made it possible to complete the project. Several other students learned how to sew. They made aprons and shower caddies. The students were so excited to learn this new skill they wanted to sell the aprons so they could purchase another sewing machine. All the power tools and sewing machines were left at the school so they can continue to work on other projects.

All the funds were generated from the proceeds of last year’s Rockin’ Rotary Ribfest. You can help with these projects by attending this year’s festival that runs July 10-13 at Sunset Park in Lake in the Hills.