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This exciting International Service project is the brainchild of Jake Scheideman of the Rotary Club of St. Helena, California. Jake is a local hero in Empalme de Boaco, Nicaragua for spearheading an effort to help the community’s residents work towards a better future through investments in community housing, educational scholarships, schools, recreational programs, and job building enterprises. The team’s efforts date back nearly 10 years, all accomplished with countless hours of volunteer labor and donated funds.
The story began in 1990 when Jake traveled to Nicaragua following his college graduation. Jake’s initial interest in Nicaragua stemmed from a passion he shared with the Nicaraguan people – baseball. This lead him to the small village of Empalme de Boaco, in Central Nicaragua, where a successful youth baseball program was thriving.
After Hurricane Mitch hit Nicaragua in 1998, Jake returned to the village of Empalme de Boaco to visit the people who had made a difference in his life. He found that the community had lost its baseball field, the fabric of their lives, and decided it was his turn to make a difference and committed to build Empalme a baseball field. Over the next 4 years, Jake raised funds and enlisted the help of friends who traveled with him to Nicaragua to build not only a field, but a stadium large enough to host teams from the region. The volunteer group worked side by side with the locals to construct the new stadium – built entirely by volunteer labor. As they spent more time in the village they saw the need for a children's playground. With the help of a Matching Grant from the Rotary Club, a playground was constructed next to the baseball field – once again with volunteer labor.
Jake was moved by the spirit of these villagers in spite of their poor living conditions and resolved he continue his work in Emplame following the completion of these recreation projects. As many families in the community live in substandard living conditions, it was a natural progression for Jake’s team to begin building sustainable housing for Empalme de Boaco’s most needy families. To date, the project has completed 40 homes in this small rural village, with the final phase of 20 homes scheduled to be completed in May, 2008. As one team member said: “To see the daily living conditions that face some of the families in this country will force you to re-examine your priorities and be thankful for your blessings.”
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