Port Loyola Library gets upgraded
The Rotary Sunrise for the past few years has undertaken a project to upgrade the Port Loyola Library. Students from schools on the Southside use the library for afterschool and weekend work as well as a monthly reading program. The library also has the only computer lab that’s open to students in the community. But it sits in an area of the Central American Boulevard that is plagued with crime, which means the facility has been broken into and vandalized on several occasions. Hugo Moguel, the Public Relations Officer for the Rotary Sunrise, told us that security was their first task, followed by expansion and other repairs. Moguel also spoke about a fundraiser being held on Saturday to complete the project.
Hugo Moguel, Public Relations Officer, Rotary Sunrise
hugo moguel
“We noticed that some negative aspects of the neighborhood was affecting this library. We noticed there was a huge security concern; there was no fence. So we built a fence, that was our first move. And then the second year we built a top floor. We have since built out the roof and now we need to do the finish work; add doors, windows and all the finish work. We have also gotten computers, new machines for their computer lab. We’re renovating that as well. It has taken three years but we’re on the last leg and so we need help for just the last bit of stuff to finish and have more usable space for these children in this neighborhood.”
Delahnie Bain
“You also have an event coming up this weekend. Could you speak about that?”
Hugo Moguel
“That’s our international night. We’re getting one embassy and two consulates; the Embassy of Venezuela and the consulates of Japan and India that are donating cultural items, food, performances. So it will be a fun filled night, showcasing the cultures of those countries and enjoying our own as well.”
Delahnie Bain
“And this is also a fundraiser for your projects?”
Hugo Moguel
“Yes, specifically for this project. We’ve been working on it, as I said for the last three years and we need to complete it. So we’re getting assistance from a few companies but we need more help. And also people that want to lend a hand rather than cash, we welcome that as well. We have gotten aid through the Library Service, through Rotary International, through our own fundraising efforts here in Belize City and so Rotary is about support service and fellowship and so all the Rotary Groups come together and try to assist each other and working on different projects.”
The event starts at seven-thirty on Saturday night at the Biltmore. Tickets are forty dollars each, which includes entrance and food. You contact Moguel at 610-1404 to get tickets.
