Joined us at our meeting last week. These Rotarians worked with our Club and P.E.C.E.S. to do a Rotary International Global Grant in Punta Santiago, a project that helped 10 small businesses re-open by buying the equipment they needed and training them in budgeting and planning.  The Grant also trained 50 underserved kids to be carpenters. These 25 Rotarians from District 5170 and 5220, who funded this project, came to Puerto Rico to visit the project. 

 Pictured are the 25 Rotarians together with our District Governor, Juanita Valentin Morris, our President Jose "Pepito" Rivero Olmedo   and San Juan Rotary Club's Director of Community Service, Georganna Hildebrand.

Were Rotarians from the Rotary Clubs of San Jose, Santa Cruz & Modesto, California.  San Juan Rotarians were honored to welcome these representatives and their fellow Rotarians to our Tuesday luncheon.  

Guest speaker, Kaleb Rodriguez, President of KERC's International Experiences, a company that provides business and social etiquette experiences, gave a lively and spirited talk on the topic, "Who is a Boriqua".  Kaleb has a long association with promoting Puerto Rico tourism at the international and local levels.  At times, bordering on the humorous, our speaker recounted the history of the island dating back to its discovery.  He noted that while we are surrounded by saints (St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. Kitts, etc., our island is no saint.)  Aside from his dedication to promoting tourism for Puerto Rico, Kaleb is the chairman of the Board of Academia Bautista de Puerto Nuevo, a non-profit, private school, offering high quality education to 1,000 students of middle- and lower-income families.