Posted by Sue Jones
L-R Marissa and David Troxell, Joelle Washer & Katie Geise
 
Becky Robbins introduced today’s speakers, David and Marissa Troxell. David has been a member of Rotary since 2011 and is a past Rotarian of the Year. They have a summer home in Jamestown and participate in Chautauqua Institution activities, are huge Jammers Fans and join with our Club in various reading enrichment programs here in Jamestown. During the winter months, they make their home in a small beach town, Cha Am in Thailand. There they attend functions of the Royal Hua Hin Rotary Club as well as pursuing long time interests in yoga, meditation and cycling.

During their time in Southeast Asia, they take advantage of opportunities to interact with Rotary Clubs of various countries. They help to identify additional opportunities for our Club to be of direct service to developing countries. Today they shared with us the progress of Rotary projects which our club funds abroad, and gave us insight into how projects are developed with other Rotary Clubs.
 
The club had the distinct pleasure of seeing and hearing an update in its investment into projects in the Far East…bringing them right into our “living room”. The projects are the results of the Club’s fundraisers – An Evening in Italy, Fire & Ice and the Annual Golf Tournament.
 
In their travels all over the world, the Troxells reported on the results of their trip to Cuba, where they were hoping to begin some shared club activities, however, despite much local interest, Rotary International is not quite ready to establish itself in Cuba. 
 
They also spent a day in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to see if there is the possibility of a joint project developing there.
 
We then had an in-depth report on the improvements at Cambodia Academy in Myanmar where our most recent projects to build a new three stall latrine and a fresh water collection system to replace aging structures in addition to a new classroom have been completed.
 
The Academy has 22 teachers and 325 students in grades 1 through 9 who are too poor to go to the public schools. The Troxells presented all of this information and more by using photos and videos to the students at Bush School. The students were so interested that they collected $57.00 to purchase basketballs and hoops, jump ropes and sidewalk chalk for the Cambodian children to play with, AND a large collection of reading books.
 
In the past, our Rotary Club has paid for eye exams, white boards, water filtration, office equipment and tables, and planting grass in the main front area of the school for the children to play on.
 
The Cambodian children sat for photos and interviews to be sent to the Bush students.
 
Marissa and David also reported that the women’s weaver’s coop in Nepal is up and running again after a big delay due to the horrendous earthquake there. They will have another update for us in the near future.

We are so lucky to have Marissa and David who are willing to seek out, augment and continue to monitor these wonderful projects for our club on the other side of the world!