For more than a decade I've wanted to visit our Mayan communities project and luckily the 2026 trip coincided with my own travels through Central America. I pointed my truck camper toward Lake Atitlan and when the RCSB team arrived we spent the first day acting like tourists (to be fair, I was the tourist, these guys already knew the place), hailing a boat taxi and motoring around the lake.
During the week we volunteered with Natün Guatemala. In the mornings we cleared brush from a terraced plot that would become a community garden and after lunch we rode in truck beds high into the mountains to visit artisans, entrepreneurs, and women's savings groups who are all benefiting from the economic and community development projects that Natün offers and our Club's grants support.
I was impressed by the work that Natün is doing, not only giving to the local communities in need, but helping them take power into their own hands and build a better, more sustainable future. It was a fantastic experience watching the Natün staff members work with Mayan artisans teaching their crafts, young people learning entrepreneurship, elders of the villages, and women taking control of their community's future through savings and microloan groups.
Our trip wrapped up in Antigua where we had dinner with members of the Rotary Club of Caprinteria and their local satellite Club. As I travel around the world I see Rotary Wheels everywhere but it was nice to spend time with Rotarians rather than just pass our logos while driving by.
A huge thank you to Don, Bill, and Dan. Our Club has been committed to Mayan communities through Natün Guatemala for many years and these guys are a huge part of that. All week they joked about how much more physical labor that could do a decade ago when we started these projects, but I'll vouch that 10+ years later they are not slowing down. Every day we were hiking up mountains, slinging garden tools, and riding in the back of pickup trucks to see the benefits that our financial support is making. I was truly honored, humbled, and thankful for the time with Don, Bill, and Dan. I loved hearing about their experiences in Guatemala, years in Santa Barbara, and inspiring travel stories from around the world. My week with Natün and these fellow Rotarians was a good reminder of why Rotary is still such a big part of my life, even while I nomadically travel the world.
