Rotary Club volunteers participated in Project Mercy, building homes for those in need.
The Rotary Club of Fallbrook was one of six organizations that sent volunteers to a Project Mercy home building event in October. The club’s President Elect, Allison Barclay, 
brought a group of young women to the event site in Chula Vista, where they spent their Saturday framing interior and exterior walls, building roof segments and joists, and painting plywood walls.
brought a group of young women to the event site in Chula Vista, where they spent their Saturday framing interior and exterior walls, building roof segments and joists, and painting plywood walls.COVID-19 safety protocols were in place as volunteers hammered, sawed, and painted throughout the day. Once completed, house components built by the volunteers were loaded onto trucks for transport to Mexico. In Mexico, residents use the components to construct their own homes.
Project Mercy is a San Diego based non-profit agency dedicated to improving the lives of impoverished families living in the colonias east of Tijuana. The group builds basic houses for the poorest families. Recipients are chosen based on need, length of time in the program, and amount of “sweat equity” assistance given. They are asked to work on at least four houses for their neighbors prior to receiving their own house.
“Project Mercy provided an amazing opportunity for us to work together to create a new start for a deserving family,” Barclay said. “It was a great experience to be able to
gather together with so many hard-working people to truly make a lasting difference for a family in need.”
gather together with so many hard-working people to truly make a lasting difference for a family in need.”The Rotary Club of Fallbrook supports a variety of projects in the local community. Its 2020 spring fundraiser netted over $13,000 for Fallbrook non-profit organizations. The club also supports Rotary International’s goal of providing humanitarian service to advance goodwill and peace around the world. Tina Langham-Smith, chair of the club’s International Service Committee, said, “Not only do the families benefit from Project Mercy, but the community is improved and the future of the children is forever touched. Giving this hope is such a heartfelt, rewarding experience that it inspires us to want to help again and again.”
Information about Project Mercy is available at: www.projectmercybaja.org