In just a week's time, a group of Circle K'ers gives a community's children safer water to drink, a better place to play and learn, and a new sport to play: baseball

On the surface, many children in Cotacachi, Ecuador, are thrilled with their newfound ability to play baseball, the colorful additions to their library, and the friendships forged with a group Carolinas District Circle K members.

Behind the scenes, however, just as many adults are pleased: the Ecuadorian children’s parents, of course, but also Kiwanis’ Ecuador-District in-formation governor Alonso Tamayo Sanchez and his wife, Raquel, in addition to Circle K’ers from their country who all came out to the airport to welcome the United States’ Circle K crew and show their appreciation and support for their hard work. Add to that list US Kiwanis-family members from Illinois to North Carolina, who made the trip a success through generous donations and by sponsoring drives to collect baseball equipment.

A young girl eagerly awaits a chance to catch her first baseball. ABOVE: On the first day of the baseball camp, more than 60 children crowd around to hear instructions given to them in their native Spanish by Circle K’ers.

“Baseball is mystical in that everyone wants to play, but the amount of equipment necessary makes it virtually impossible in a poor community,” says Alec Macaulay, Circle K International President, who, along with Jeff Stern, a Circle K’er and co-founder of Cultural Convergence International (CCI), conceived the trip. The CCI work swith impoverished communities worldwide to provide resources and equipment for organized youth athletics, as well as to support other needs identified by community leaders, such as water purification and medical supplies.

Jeff and Alec, who met early in their college careers, realized the fit between Circle K and CCI and began to work together. This is the second trip resulting from their partnership.

This past spring Alec and Jeff, along with nine other members of the Circle K Club of Duke University in North Carolina and current Carolinas District Governor Susan Watson of the Circle K Club of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, sought to make the sport of baseball more accessible and life a little better for children in Cotacachi.

Cotacachi, a town primarily known for its leather goods and the fact that it lies in the shadow of a volcano of the same name, is a little more than 100 km northeast of Quito, the nation’s capital. Or, more accurately for the Circle K’ers, a nearly three-hour drive through the Andes mountains and across the Equator while crammed—along with many boxes of baseball equipment, tools, medical supplies, and other donated items—into pick-up trucks.

The first day of their journey was dedicated to learning about the Cotacachi community and that of another nearby city, Otavalo. The Circle K’ers met up with the Kiwanis Club of Otavalo and visited a school it supports, Luis Ulpiano de la Torre, which enrolls about 320 children. There, they watched a traditional dance performed by indigenous children and later took their turn in the spotlight, dancing with and for the giggling masses.

Upon return to Cotacachi, they toured the Biblioteca Jose Martin, the library setting for a large portion of their week’s work. Though relatively new—it opened in May 2005—the small, four-room library instantly became a central component to children’s lives in Cotacachi.

“The library was opened to provide the children of the community with a safe place to have educational, stimulating activities,” says Amber Foreman, a former member of the University of North Carolina Circle K who has lived in Ecuador for nearly a year through a Peace Corps assignment. “The children don’t have any books and games at home.”

The library filled that void before, but the Circle K’ers decided to make it better. Using a CKI Tomorrow Fund grant and donated supplies, the group scrubbed the entire library and painted the walls with cheerful colors. In addition, they turned one of the rooms into a cinema, ultimately to generate income.

“Movies will be shown for 10 cents, with the proceeds going directly back to the library to purchase books and educational materials,” Alec says.

According to Amber, the location of the library was purposeful.

“The library is located in the market to target the poorest children in town, since the families of many of them work at the market,” she says.

That is also why the Circle K’ers installed a water purification system.

“It is set up just inside the door of the market, which is locked at night, so it’s kept secure, but accessible to all during the day,” Alec says. “There will be a full 50 gallons of pure water at the beginning of every morning.”

With two goals down—a newly refurbished library and safe water to drink—it was time for the games to begin.

As school let out the day of the camp, Circle K’ers fluent in Spanish stood on street corners, reminding children when and where to go. Meanwhile, others prepared the camp for more than 60 children ranging in age from 5 to 13.

After registration, Alec asked the children to raise the hand with which they write. A baseball glove was then placed on the other. (During previous trips, children chose their own gloves and put it on their dominant hand, catching the ball, taking the glove off to throw it, then putting the glove back on.)

The Circle K’ers spent the first day teaching basics, playing such games as “pickle” (running between two pieces of cardboard to introduce the concept of running bases and getting tagged out). But the next day produced a baseball game.

“After morning drills, we played games,” Alec says. “Jeff and I pitched to them and put most everyone else in the field. The kids took to it immediately and did quite well. Innings were long, as it was easier to get a hit than to get an out, but it was fun, and the kids loved it.”

After baseball, the kids were served lunch and went back to the library to watch The Sandlot with Spanish subtitles in the new cinema.

“Most of the kids could read, but a few couldn’t, and it was really heartwarming to see some softly reading to their friends,” Alec says. “Amber apologized to everyone before the movie that it only had subtitles, but one, Carlitos, replied by saying: ‘It’s OK. The most important thing is that we watch how they play.’

“Seeing the smiles on those kids’ faces, watching them help one another, and even catching them being a little mischievous sometimes made me realize just how much they are like kids in the US,” Alec says. “No matter where they’re from, they’re just kids: laughing, smiling, being goofy, and having fun.”

Luis Ulpiano de la Toree schoolchildren unite with members of Circle K and Kiwanis in dance during an assembly in Otavalo, Ecuador.