Behind Mallorca’s image of lavish luxury living is the harsh reality of a growing number of homeless and abused people plus families struggling to make it to the end of the month. This is increasing the pressure on charities and organisations dedicated to helping the needy, and one of those which will be making a huge difference to hundreds of lives this Christmas is Rotary Calvia International.
This week members and volunteers have been packing up some 500 Dignity Packs which will be distributed over the coming days and Rotary president Ella Marchetti is overwhelmed by the generosity of the 75 members and other supporters this year. Ella, who finally moved to Mallorca five years ago after having decided some 30 years previously after her first visit to the island that Mallorca was where she would eventually love to live, joined Rotary Calvia International on her arrival and has just been reelected to continue as president next year.
Originally from Austria where she studied economics before running a hugely successful fashion business in Germany, the opportunity to realise her dream move did not present itself until 2020 when she sold her business and made the move. “It’s the best decision I’ve ever made. And I’m not working any more so I can channel all my work, all my love, energy and knowledge into the Rotary club. We have 72 members and we also accept associate members who are members of other clubs around Europe or the partner of an existing member of our club. We have 14 different nationalities in the club which makes it really vibrant. We’re a very strong club and the fastest growing club in our district,” Ella explained.
“Our primary aim is to serve society, unite for good, give something back...for me that’s very important. I’m lucky in life so I just want to give something back. As we know in Mallorca, we have many people who are really struggling and need help, which is why for the past seven years we’ve been giving out the Dignity Packs; we do this at Easter as well as at Christmas. We wanted to reach 500 this year and we have thanks to some very kind donations. Apart from the basic hygiene items, we have an excellent stock of quality clothing and lots of toys this year. In total for this project we raised some 10,000 euros,” Ella said.
“The packs will go to different charities on the island. One of them is Tardor because they care for a great number of people. Another is Hadas Kids, an organisation in Palma which focuses on families from South America, then there is SOS Mamas. As this year we’ve got a lot of stuff for children, we’re going to be spreading that around different Rotary clubs across the island in order to reach as many people and families as we can.
“When I first got involved in this project I was shocked by the level of poverty and struggling people and families on the island. I cried seeing them struggling and when I see them today, it still makes me very sad. And every year, the numbers go up. That is why helping the needy is deep in the heart of Rotary Calvia International,” she stressed.
“It’s one of our key projects but we have many throughout the year. For example, in September we bring two disabled and able-bodied under-17 football teams from Germany to Mallorca to play local sides at the municipal ground in Santa Ponsa. “The idea is to bring the kids together. We hold a massive BBQ, make a huge paella and it’s a lovely project.
“Then we have the charity walk for Hadas Kids in Galatzo, and last year we raised 5,000 euros for that event. Then we have a project for RANA which helps sexually abused children. We hold a music and dance night - that took place on November 29 at Es Molí d’es Comte – and we raised 8,000 euros, a record amount. We will continue with the Dignity Packs for Easter and if people want to donate or help they don’t have to be members. All the information is on our website.” Ella explained.
Our doors are always open to more members
“We obviously always want more members to join. Our doors are always open and we would like to reach out to more English-speaking people. Calvia is a very English speaking area and we would love to have more English people involved, but everyone is welcome of course. Rotary is global, we have 1.2 million members worldwide and we have global projects. For example, Rotary was the first to have helped stop polio; that’s a global project which we are involved with as well,” she said.
“So we’re very active throughout the year helping those in need in Mallorca and we want to grow so we can help more and more people. It’s a full-time job, we have great community support. Sometimes we go to Tardor and help with the cooking and providing food and we did a big cook-off for Hadas Kids so they could have a warm meal while doing their homework. As a Rotarian I really want to help, I’m a heartfelt person, I’m extremely empathetic and of course I have experience in leadership, as does the eight-strong committee and many of the wonderful members,” she said. For more information: rotarycalvia.com