Annual LIFT Project Update: Arden Hills/Shoreview Rotarian Dave Newman, who has led our District's LIFT initiative for 13 years, provided our club with an update on LIFT, the district-wide economic development program in rural Nicaragua. LIFT is an acronym for Listen, Inquire, Facilitate, and Transform, and its approach is to facilitate local buy-in, ownership, and sustained management of projects to eliminate extreme poverty. The district 5960 website has a thorough description and review of LIFT; the link is here: https://www.rotary5960.org/district-projects/lift/. Click Read More for the rest of the story and to learn about Dave Newman.
After Dave described the basics of LIFT and its approach, he described the completed water project at El Corozo, noting how the local community dealt with a pump outage on their own without any outside assistance or funds. He then described economic development efforts based on the spice turmeric. He passed around a sample, and he talked about the favorable supply-and-demand status of the product, which many think has health benefits. Dave also described travel opportunities, noting how valuable the experience is for those able to make the trip.
About the Speaker: Dave has been a Rotarian since 1982 and is currently a member of the Arden Hills/Shoreview Rotary Club. Dave has held a variety of leadership positions in our Rotary district, including for 13 years as the Chair of Fast for Hope and is currently on LIFT’s Board of Directors. Dave has made 14 trips to Nicaragua with the most recent trip being December 2022. He is the recipient of the “Service Above Self” award from Rotary International and is a major donor to the Rotary Foundation. By profession he is a residential real estate developer and is a member of the Board of Directors of Tradition Capital Bank.