In February of 2020, Parksville AM Rotarians were busily planning their 7^th annual house-building mission to Mexico.  With the help of a District 5020 Community Grant (DCG), to be matched by the Club, Rotary Team Mexico was set to build two houses in the struggling community of Padre Keno in the northern Baja. 

Suddenly the pandemic hit, and all thoughts of leaving Canada came to an abrupt halt.

But International Chair, Jo Dunn was undaunted, recognizing the opportunity to turn Club attention to the local community.  He quickly pivoted and, with procedural advice from DCG Coordinator, Bob Zawilski, the Mexico District Grant was cancelled, a new DCG application submitted for a local Covid-19 related project, and a matching grant in the amount of $3000 US obtained.

The initiative gained even more traction when the Rotary Mid Island Group (MIG), a consortium of 23 Rotary clubs and one Rotaract Club on Vancouver Island, advised that applications were being taken for COVID project funding provided by Coastal Community Credit Union.  Parksville AM Rotary applied and was successful in obtaining a matching grant of $1000 CDN.

 

With funding in place, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with Oceanside Building Learning Together.

 

Since 1999, Oceanside Building Learning Together (OBLT) has strived to build a strong community by offering free literacy programs that engage and meet the needs of community members, from pre-natal to elder.
 

In 2003, the first Words on Wheels (WOW) bus hit the road, traveling to underserved communities in the Oceanside area bringing Early Learning and literacy programs to families. 

The WOW bus is driven by a team of enthusiastic volunteer bus drivers who share in the passion of accessible free learning.

But when the pandemic struck, the wheels of the bus came to an abrupt stop! Judi Malcolm, Manager of OBLT notes:

“As we started planning our program offerings, we were concerned about how we could safely use the WOW bus with Covid-19 protocols, and were thrilled when the Parksville AM Rotary Club approached us to see how they could help.  Covid-19 has presented many challenges, along with financial implications.  Rotary’s support has been a real game changer.”

With funding from Rotary, clear partitions were installed to enable two families to be on the bus at the same time while still offering quality learning experiences.  Photo at left shows the bus interior prior to renovations, while right photo shows the plexiglass partition which enables two families to use the resources on the bus simultaneously.

Big Boy’s Toys, a local business, donated labour and a full community discount on parts for an electric awning, stairs and handrail to promote outdoor play in all kinds of weather.

 

RV stairs and a gate were placed at the back of the bus for a second access.