The Santee-Lakeside Rotary Club has had a long-standing partnership with Rancho Santa Marta, an orphanage and school for at-risk children near San Vincente, Mexico. The Club's original goal was to raise approximately $60,000 in order to purchase a 150+ solar panel system that would offset 70 percent of the Ranch's energy expense, allowing more resources to be diverted directly to the children of the orphanage and school. In partnership with Pathways Church and local community members, a fundraising campaign was initiated. The Club also applied for and received a Rotary District Grant to support the project. All of the funding needed to complete the full project came in within a span of two months.
In August 2019, the Ranch signed contracts with a Mexican solar contractor, who began installing the system in September 2019. The Club is ecstatic to know that the project is now complete. The entire 35,000 watt system is installed and the Ranch will now be able to save $10,000 annually. The savings will have a long-lasting impact on the children of the Ranch.
To learn more about Rancho Santa Marta you can visit their website. In addition, the Club was able to visit the Ranch this past weekend and came back with a video of the solar project. To view the video, click here. The video really gives you a sense of the size of the Ranch.
