Heart 2 Heart’s 100 Plus Program for club-to-club project opportunities

Under the 100 Plus Program, Rotarians in the Heart 2 Heart network work with FURMEX and other partners to provide potential partnering opportunities in Mexico for club-to-club projects. Please see the list below of currently available projects.

Thank you for your interest in the 100 Plus Program and in helping to make a difference for those in need in Mexico! Questions or comments about the 100 Plus Program (and any of the project opportunities listed below) can be addressed to Ron Appuhn (rappuhn53@yahoo.com).

Updated August 8, 2025

HEART 2 HEART 2025-26 CLUB PROJECTS                                  

GROUP 1

4170.2406 ANSeR sanitation improvements (Tlalpan Golf Mexico) – We are working with ANSeR, an organization that supports families whose children are being treated for cancer. This project provides bathroom and sanitation improvements (and adds a disabled access bathroom) in the site where ANSeR serves these families daily. The US share of this project is around $12,400.

4170.2502 Hospital General Las Americas vital signs monitors (Ecatepec) – This project will improve the quality and timeliness of care for the over 120 patients treated daily in their emergency room, through the purchase of eight (of the 15 needed) vital signs monitors. We have partnered with this club and this public hospital on several projects, and many Heart 2 Heart travelers have been to this hospital and/or have met with the host club. The US share of this project is around $7,500.

4170.2501 Girls Empowerment Book 6 (Tlalpan Golf Mexico) – This is the publication of the club’s sixth book in their series of eight for girls’ empowerment through story telling. The books also support basic education and literacy. This book will include stories and poems from an indigenous area of the Tarahumara region in north central Mexico, where we are currently doing annual global grants for a water project. The book will be written both in Spanish and in the local indigenous language, where that language is disappearing in any written form. As a result, the number of books printed will double from prior years. The US share of this project is around $11,000.

4170.2504 Water tank cleaning in schools (Ecatepec) – This will be the fifth year of an on-going project to clean water tanks for sanitation purposes in primary schools. US sponsorship is led by the Decatur Daybreak AL D6860 club and is substantially funded by their district grant, with additional support from an individual in D6780. The US share of this project is around $5,400. This project does not need any additional support unless the AL district grant for this year is not approved.

GROUP 2

4170.2503 Vision Day event (FURMEX/Devlyn Foundation) – Our partners FURMEX and the Devlyn Foundation host several Day of Vision events around Mexico, mostly in the Mexico City area. These are week-long events where people can get vision testing and new glasses (as needed). We are arranging for one of these events to take place during the next H2H trip to Guadalajara in November 2025. The Heart 2 Heart partners would be providing the glasses at 300 pesos per recipient, with an expected need of up to 400 recipients. The US share of this project is around $6,500. (Note – H2H sponsored the most recent event in January 2025 in Mexico City when the H2H travel team was there, and it was a huge success.)

Districts 6170 and 6820 annual hands-on service trips to the Guadalajara area – Both trips involve service projects that can always use some financial support. District 6170 will be leading their annual hands-on service trip to the Guadalajara area on October 4 – 11, 2025. Please contact PDG Bill Fish (bfish@ipa.net) for more information about their potential financial support needs. District 6820 will be leading their annual hands-on service trip to the Guadalajara area on January 31 – February 7, 2026. Please contact Lucy Anne Walker (lucyawalker@yahoo.com) or PDG Bill Walker (bill@brickerton.com) for more information about their potential financial support needs.

GROUP 3

MESA (Medical Equipment and Supplies Abroad) – We have started work on a partnership with MESA (www.rotarymesa.org), a non-profit based out of District 6600 OH which supplies containers of repurposed medical equipment and supplies to many parts of the world. The cost of a container to Mexico will be $10,000, which is an incredible value for the amount of good that are provided. We are in the early stages of determining the process and planning the initial pilot project, and the possibilities for impact in Mexico are very encouraging. 

Mobility Worldwide: sponsorship of a container of mobility carts – We are started work on a partnership with FURMEX and Mobility Worldwide (www.mobilityworldwide.org) to supply up to three containers of around 200 mobility carts each (purchase cost of $375 each provided for free!) to Mexico annually for the cost of transportation from their two Texas locations to Mexico, probably by truck (and maybe some import/customs fees). We are in the early stages of obtaining pricing and of planning an initial pilot project, and the possibilities for impact in Mexico are very encouraging. 

New projects from District 4140 – District 4170 Governor Enrique Garcia has notified us that a few new project requests will be submitted soon. Information on those projects will be shared with the H2H network once the projects are received and reviewed.

For contributions to the first three Group 1 projects and/or to the Group 2 project “4170.2503 Vision Day event” and/or to general support for any of the projects as needed, please make checks payable to “Rotary District 6780” with a notation of the preferred project number or description. Please mail checks to Jenifer Campbell, Rotary District 6780 Treasurer, 12515 Choto Mill Lane, Knoxville TN 37922. Also please send a short email to Ron Appuhn (rappuhn53@yahoo.com) about the contribution so that we can track our progress on supporting these impactful projects.

District 6780 receives contributions for Heart 2 Heart projects and wire transfers funds to FURMEX, which handles the fiduciary needs for most projects.

PROJECTS THAT ARE ON-GOING AND CAN BE PROMOTED AND SUPPORTED

1 Tlalpan Golf Mexico club (D4170) – scholarship for La Quinta (Unnido Foundation) children to attend Montessori school – $1,300 annual or $110 per month per student, based on current exchange rates

2 Tlalpan Golf Mexico club (D4170) – support for programs for La Quinta (Unnido Foundation) children (food, medicines and medical support, education and personal development, general support) – any financial support helps

3. Mobility Worldwide (Wayne Beare, Gary Moreau) – non-profit that provides mobility carts for people in places where wheelchairs are ineffective – $350 per mobility cart

4. Grace-Aire Medical Foundation / Aztec Ministry (Tami Beller Gaddis) – non-profit that serves indigenous Aztec communities through various programs including medical brigades, optometry brigades, mobility carts, and literacy materials – any financial support helps. Specific projects include the following:

* “Business in a box” for a physically challenged adult $200/kit – examples: Condiments Vendor Cart Business, Jam/Jellies Homemade Canned Goods Vendor, Leather KeyChain Crafts and Wallets, Hair Bow Making, Bracelet and Bead Crafts, Haircutting Barber Shop Supplies, Toiletries Vendor (Shampoo, Soap, Razors, Combs, Mirrors, Toothbrush, Toothpaste), Seed Distributor Cart.

* Mobility cart for an individual $400/cart (made in the USA)

* Optometry brigade $1,800 – 150 to 250 people in one day (Includes Eye Exam and Prescription Glasses or Readers Fitted – Pulled from our Portable 8,000 Eyeglasses Inventory).   (500 is typical for three days)

* Mobility cart container freight sponsorship $5,000

* Medical brigade $5,000 – 700 to 1200 people in a three day medical brigade.

* Used truck for medical outreach clinics – Budget $15,000 Medium Sized Truck 2014-2015

* Diabetes mobile screening clinic

* Grow a Garden $15,000

* Music for amputees $20,000

* Eye surgery campaign $42,000

* Mobility cart manufacturing facility in Mexico – very big dollars

For more information on Grace-Aire Medical Foundation projects, please contact Tami Gaddis (aztecministry@gmail.com, 865-374-3391).

PROJECT OPPORTUNITIES WITH OTHER COOPERATING PARTNERS

Refurbished ambulances – One World Medics (Bryan Peterson – bryan@oneworldmedics.com)

Wheelchair Foundation – FURMEX (Reiner Jahn – reiner2013@outlook.com)

Refurbished fire trucks & firefighter equipment – Baja Bridges (Katherine Van Diest– tahoediesthaus@icloud.com)

History and Concept of the 100 Plus Program

The 100 Plus Program was originally known as the “100 in 100” Program. On April 1, 2021, Mexico celebrated 100 years of Rotary service in Mexico. This anniversary created opportunities for Rotarians in both countries. For Mexico, it was a chance to spotlight Rotary all over Mexico and to engage more of their clubs with the US and perhaps in some cases even more with their communities. For the US partners, it was a chance to get more clubs (and hopefully more districts) directly involved on the club-to-club level.

The celebration project was originally designed to engage at least 100 different US clubs to do service projects in Mexico during 2020-21 and 2021-22 (thus the “100 in 100” Program). These service projects ranged in size from approximately $500 to $10,000 USD, with a shopping list of opportunities for US clubs, depending upon their interest and funding options. US district grants could be used where available.

What this concept also does is to help the US clubs get more directly connected with Mexico club partners. Once this is done, more projects of all sizes can be done moving forward on a club-to-club level. Everybody wins, and most importantly, more people in need in Mexico will benefit from Rotary’s service.

The program is led by a US Rotarian team (headed by PDG Ron Appuhn, D6780 TN) working with a Mexico Rotarian team (headed by Reiner Jahn, D4170) that represents their entire country and works closely with FURMEX. Past District Governor Roger Sims (D6540 IN) organized and started the processes in the beginning and was serving as the US coordinator until his sudden death in late October 2019. Rotarians in both countries lost a great friend, and we all made even stronger commitments to make this program a success to honor Roger and his family.

Mexico clubs prepared project proposals from July through late October 2019 for review by the 100 in 100 teams. Project selection by US clubs and districts began in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic challenges altered the timing and implementation of the projects, and eventually the project list and the program name became dated. Over 50 projects were completed under the 100 in 100 Program umbrella. The new name of the 100 Plus Program became effective in 2022, and several projects have been completed in the last couple of years.