Submitted by Susan Hardee Steger
November 14, 2015 1:41 p.m.
On a windy overcasted Halloween day, Dr Deborah Walters paddled into the Fernandina Harbor Marina on her kayaking journey to Guatemala. Walters, a Rotarian and past visitor to the Sunrise Rotary Club, is raising money and awareness for the plight of the poor in Guatemala through the non-profit Safe Passage organization which works in Guatemala City “to bring hope, education, and opportunity to the children and families living in extreme poverty around the City’s garbage dump.”
Walters took a brief break from her kayak excursion to be honored by the United Nations in New York for her work with the people of Guatemala. Her involvement and partnerships with fellow Rotarians and other non-profits brought water, sanitation, healthcare, and education infrastructure to thousands of families in four highland villages.
Walters was met in Fernandina by Rotarian Art Shuster and his wife Theresa who hosted Walters during her stay.
“It was interesting arriving in Fernandina Beach by boat, as you see the paper mills and other industry, where if you arrive by car, you only see the cute village. I like the fact this is a real community with residential and industrial areas, ” writes Walters in her Facebook journal.
As Walters is leaving Fernandina she writes in her journal entry, “A high point of the day . . . Joey [kayak companion] spotted my host, Art {Shuster] , under our first bridge. Art was manning the controls of his drone, making it fly out over the water with a payload of a camera, taking video of us kayaking along. We had been zooming along with the current, but turned back to head over towards Art.
You can follow Walters’ journey on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/KayakForSafePassageKids www.safepassage.org.