Southwest Durham Rotary Club is sponsoring its first Rotary Youth Exchange Student. Grace Abels, who recently graduated from Jordan High School in Durham, is spending a year in Arequipa, Peru. 
She left in July, and came to speak to SWDR earlier that month to talk about her upcoming trip. She will be attending school, traveling and volunteering with other Rotary exchange students, and staying with local host families. When she returns next year, she will attend Duke University. She’s also a Rotary Youth Exchange legacy — her father Jon was an exchange student to Sweden when he was in high school. Jon is involved with the Rotary Peace Fellow program at Duke.
Club member Bill Fine, who is very involved with the Rotary Youth Exchange Program, recently told the District 7710 newsletter, “If your club is yet to get involved with Rotary Youth Exchange, I highly suggest that you do. It is tremendously rewarding experience for the students, host families and host clubs. This is how Peace breaks out, one person at a time.”
SWDR is also hosting an incoming student from Brazil, João Pedro Santiago Indi, who recently arrived and is now attending Jordan High School.
Host families are needed for João for later in his year here. You do not have to be a Rotarian to apply, but you do need to live in the Jordan High School district. If interested, please contact Bill Fine by email here.
On July 28th, Southwest Durham Rotary Club sponsored a free dental treatment day at 
for clients of Urban Ministries, using a mobile dental truck that has been adapted for dental treatment by the North Carolina Baptist on Mission. Non-dentist volunteers also helped check in patients, take blood pressure and review medical histories. More than 30 patients were provided dental care worth more than $28,000.