The Goldsen's Trip to El Salvador Through RI
Posted by Chuck Chase
on Apr 23, 2015
President Mary introduced today’s speakers, Past District Governor Bruce and District Governor Nominee (2016-17) Sue Goldsen who spoke about their trip to El Salvador through Rotary International. Sue took the podium first while Bruce advanced the slides on their PowerPoint presentation. Sue said that their inspiration to get involved in going on international trips through Rotary International was the result of the stories of Bill Chase’s trips to Brazil to meet the medical and dental needs in that area for so many years.
Sue said that their travels originally were focused on helping people in other countries in small ways with their “hearts and a little bit of elbow grease” meeting primarily with children. As District Governor in 2016-17, Sue said that international service would probably become a priority of hers as it was Bruce’s when he served in that same position. “It’s the only way I think this world can right itself is if everyone around the world has these basic things: water, food and shelter which are things we take for granted.” Rotary, she said, allows her to take her passion and do volunteer work to make the changes this world so desperately needs. Rotary is the vehicle, Sue said, were volunteers can hold babies, read to children and to teach them English. It allows her to use her basic skills and make children, who are suffering, smile. You don’t have to be a doctor or dentist to make a huge impact on people who have so little around the world, she said. You just have to have a heart, a goal and passion!
In District 6400 alone, she said, some 150 to 180 Rotary members every year travel abroad offering their services to those less fortunate. Sue said that she and Bruce have personally traveled to India, Ghana, Brazil, and most recently to El Salvador. It was actually District Governor Elect Wayne Titus who, through a church group even before he became a Rotarian, worked on water projects in El Salvador. Consequently, the Christian organizations that were assisting ended up joining forces with Rotary International. That’s when Wayne eventually became a Rotarian. He has subsequently worked on over 20 such projects abroad!
Sue and Bruce flew into El Salvador and drove about an hour and a half into Suchitoto where they spent most of their time, she said. The architecture and landscape was quite beautiful. The primary purpose of their trip, she said, was to ascertain the equipment and supply needs of the hospital, and to help the Centro Arte para la Paz (Art Center for Peace) update their video production equipment and computers with the two-fold purpose of training and employing local folks and archiving video histories of the survivors of the civil war atrocities so that the experience won't be repeated.
Sue credited Sister Peggy (an Irish woman from New Jersey who the Goldsen’s got to know and grew very close to while they were there) with knowing virtually everyone in that town and for being the life line in Suchitoto doing what she could to help the community and teach people about their heritage.Sue said that they went on a boat ride with a gentleman (now an adult) by the name of Rogilio who was seven years old when war in the country broke out who told a very moving story. He and others were put into a room and lined up in rows of 7-8 people. Rogilio happened to be in row four. Enemy soldiers soon entered and, with machine guns, started to kill people by rows. First row one. When they fell, row two was next and then row three. Rogilio who was in row four thought fast and simply fell down with those in the row ahead of him making the firing squad think he was in the third row. They continued to shoot the others in rows four, five and finally six. When the 
soldiers left, Rogilio got up and escaped from that room. He had survived an experience that is truly hard to think anyone that age would have to go through. However, he lived to tell his story – Rogilio was a true “survivalist” as Sue called him! Thanks to a Rotary Peace Scholar who was on the boat trip with them while Rogilio was telling his story, she was able to translate into English every detail of the entire story that lasted some 45 minutes!
soldiers left, Rogilio got up and escaped from that room. He had survived an experience that is truly hard to think anyone that age would have to go through. However, he lived to tell his story – Rogilio was a true “survivalist” as Sue called him! Thanks to a Rotary Peace Scholar who was on the boat trip with them while Rogilio was telling his story, she was able to translate into English every detail of the entire story that lasted some 45 minutes!Bruce showed footage of a mural he, Wane Titus and others painted while in Suchitoto.
Great to have our good friends back in the area! Thanks Bruce and Sue!