Deb Walters, a member of the Rotary Club of Unity who is on a solo kayak expedition from Maine to Guatemala to raise awareness for Safe Passage, was chosen as one of six Rotary Global Women of Action.
She will be recognized on Nov. 7, World Rotary Day, at the United Nations in New York for her service to the people of Guatemala and her efforts to help break the cycle of multi-generational poverty.
Walters, a retired cognitive scientist, currently serves on the board for the Yarmouth-based non-profit Safe Passage (Camino Seguro). The organization provides education, health care, counseling, nutrition and community services to the children and families living in the Guatemala City garbage dump community. Working with other Rotarians, Walters has helped provide funds, leadership and hands-on service to that community. Most recently, she set out to complete a solo kayak expedition from Maine to Guatemala to raise $425,000 for Safe Passage’s programs, which serve nearly 2,400 students and their families—both young and old— every day.
“I am humbled that my service in Guatemala is being recognized by Rotary International and the United Nations,” said Walters said in a press release. “Achieving this level of recognition on the world stage will go a long way to bringing international attention to the plight of so many families in need. Through global collaboration, together we can lift these families out of chronic poverty and offer them hope for the future.”