The final  presentations  for the Maos Juntas Team were at Wilmette Harbor on November 17^th and Woodstock Noon on December 10^th. All  clubs in our District are encouraged to learn more about GSE, become involved in sponsoring and guiding a team member or leader, hosting the incoming team, and consider the matching grants that come back with the outbound team as ways to promote international good will and friendships. On behalf of the Team, I want to thank the Rotary Foundation, the five sponsoring clubs, the seventeen clubs that invited us to tell about our journey to Brazil 4480, and all the Rotarians in 6440 and 4480 who make the GSE program work. There is an incredible amount of time and effort given by all these people for the cultural and professional exchange that is the hallmark of Group Study Exchange and we thank you.

September has been a very busy and productive month for the Mãos Juntas Team.  We presented to 6 Rotary Clubs.  All the clubs greeted us with open arms and genuine interest to hear what we had to share with them about Brazil.  I would like to thank each and every one of those clubs for giving the GSE Mãos Juntas Team a chance to tell our stories and share our adventures. I hope you enjoyed listening to us as we enjoyed sharing with you. 

 I also would like to remind you to invite the South African Team to hear them tell their tales and adventures alike I’m sure it will be exciting. This team will start presenting in January of 2011.

 I want to encourage all the clubs we visited and future clubs alike to take an active part and become more involved with Foundation.  It’s your donation dollars that help support programs like GSE.  It is such a wonderful way to spread good will and gain better friendships and understanding in a way that only Rotary can!  I consider myself to very blessed for this opportunity

 Now for your assignment!  As you know it is difficult to take pictures of yourself while presenting. I ask that the six clubs we visited (listed below) in September to please help us out and post any pictures you may have taken of us at your club and share them here on our blog: comments are welcomed as well.  

 Here are the club names and dates we visited in September.

09/02/10 Gurnee Rotary Club

09/10/10 Fox Lake /Round Lake Rotary Club

09/14/10 Northbrook Rotary Club

09/15/10 Park Ridge Rotary Club

09/22/10 Wheaton Rotary Club

09/27/10 Highland Park/Highwood Rotary Club

The Mãos Juntas Team attended the Fare Well Dinner for the outbound GSE team headed to South Africa on August 29. We had a fantastic night. The evening really brought back fond memories of the beginning of our journey. There was beautiful music, excellent food and great company.

Also that evening, the Foundation Alumni of Rotary District 6440 were invited to become Rotarians and to join the new E-club that is getting organized. These new clubs will exist online with chatrooms and video conferencing over the internet. The most exciting part about this is that members of the new club can be from all over the world, because the alumni list includes more than 300 people who have ever been outbound or inbound participants of any program funded by foundation.  This is an awesome new venture in rotary and we were happy to be invited to participate.

We would like to thank the Lake Forest Lake Bluff club for hosting the event, and also the Outbound GSE team for inviting us to attend.

We had a fun night and took some good looking pictures too.

The second week of August found the Mãos Juntas Team rising early to present to two 6440 Rotary Clubs: Lake Forest/Lake Bluff and Barrington Breakfast. The entire team was able to be at Lake Forest/Lake Bluff Club and it was nice to see everyone once again. We muddled through technical issues and had a good time sharing our experiences in Brazil.

Ronnie presented the flags given to her in 4480 for her sponsoring club and presented gifts she brought back from Brazil to past president, Len Dedo, and her sponsor and professor, Ron Hirasawa. The Team gave President Fredric Lesser a university back pack from a Brazilian University to be auctioned for a contribution to Foundation. 

The next morning, technology went smoothly and, accordingly, Team enthusiasm was high. Mike Martinez, who introduced us (btw: he joined Rotary after his Sweden experience as a GSE team member, under the leadership of Long Grove Rotarian, Jim Runnfelt) was given one of our Maos Juntas Team pins. Dave Waring, who gave our team member, Cindy, a polio plus vest (worn in India on a polio eradication mission) to present to a Rotarian in 4480, got to see the presentation in our slide show. Again, the current president, this time Gary Ecklund, was given a pen/pencil case and three pens from a university in Brazil for an auction contribution to Foundation. This is one of the ways we are using to say thank you to Foundation and the Foundation (Paul Harris, et al) contributions of all the 6440 Rotarians: this is what funds the GSE program! Thank you!  

And, thank you Lake Forest/Lake Bluff and Barrington Breakfast for being great hosts to the Mãos Juntas Team. 

 To all the Rotary Clubs in the 6440 District – if you would like us to present our journey to 4480 in Brazil to your club please contact me Team Member Chris Arce at christinaarce@yahoo.com or our Team Leader Donna Gulley at donnalee127@yahoo.com.  We look forward to hearing from you!

On July 13th, we  presented to Governor Bill’s Long Grove Rotary Club. Chris, Scott, and I told the club about our month in Brazil, emphasizing vocational visits and highlights including Rotary projects that touched our hearts. We learned that the Long Grove Club selected a matching grant that they learned about when the Brazil Team was here. Governor Bruce has 16 Matching Grants that we brought back from 4480. This is one of the wonderful ways that we in 6440 can continue our international peace and good will efforts with the warm and welcoming Rotarians from 4480. Our Humanitarian Grant Committee will be getting information to all the clubs about these grants and I am available to add a personal perspective, as you like.

To all the Maos Juntas fans we are back from Brazil, District 4480 and ready to tell you all about it.   Today I was accompanied by Team Leader Donna Gulley and Team Member Scott Nadeau: this was our first presentation since our return on June 4th. I have to say it went really well.   So, to the Central DuPage A.M. Club, thank you for allowing our first presentation to be your 1st program for the new Rotary year.   We look forward to many more presentations.   Just a small reminder to District 6440: if you have not yet booked your GSE presentation, but would like to have us at your club please email me at chris@copresco.com  with a date and time and we will gladly add you to our schedule or you can contact team leader Donna Gulley, Northbrook Rotary Club, donnalee127@yahoo.com.

We are now back home and want to tell the story of the wonderful people we have met, the culture we’ve experienced, our professional exchanges, and the Rotary projects that touched our hearts.

Here in 6440, each team member is taking responsibility for scheduling three or more presentations so club program chairs may contact anyone on the team to schedule a program. Rotarians will also have the opportunity to hear about our cultural and professional exchange at Foundation and at District Conference.

While it is true that the GSE District 6440 month long visit to District 4480 has come to an end for Maos Juntas, the exchange, of course, will continue.

As Team Leader, I want to take this opportunity to thank the 4480 Rotarians, families, friends, and businesses who have opened their hearts and homes to our team. The personalized and caring experiences have been beyond our expectations. There are not words or gifts that could express our feelings and appreciation. You have “paid it forward” and now it is ours to share your kindness in word and deeds as we go forward.

Waldermar is so right: “A friend is a gift you give yourself” and Maos Juntas returns to the U.S.A. with many “gifts.”

To the Rotary Foundation and District 6440 who gave us their support, we also say, “thank you.” GSE is quite the opportunity for those chosen and who fully involve themselves to make friends and connections that will ensure the continued promotion of international understanding, goodwill, and peace. We are indebted to the Rotary World and hope to hear that we have made you proud.

Our Blog tells of the towns we visited and touches on our vocational visits, cultural experiences, the wonderful Rotarians we met, and the projects near and dear to your hearts. But it is not complete. Add your comments to continue the story: please tell your experience with Maos Juntas and add a link to your club, business, or a project you would like to be sure to see featured. This is one of the ways we can continue our exchange and understanding of each other in our communities and the world.

Muito obrigada – muito prazer – ate mais!…

  Maos Juntas



Sao Jose Do Rio Preto, the last stop, is a big and exciting city.  There is lots to do and see. My only wish is that we had more time in every city we visited. Each city is the same in the sense that we become very attached with our host families, love the city and find it hard to part ways.  Some of the sites here in Rio Preto include; A replica of the Jesus Cristo, great shopping, wonderful parks and the Capivara (which looks like a giant rodent) that romps the city freely. I am told that it stays close to the river because of the water. Here in Rio Preto, I was able to visit a printing shop: Steve you will enjoy the info and the new innovative things they are doing here. I also visited a Graphic Arts Company and a Wellness Center, Espaço A (http://www.espacoaspa.com.br/). The entire team was treated to a massage (what a way to spend some free time!). A special thank you to Paula and her entire staff for making us feel so special and to Geisler Chbane Bosso for making this possible. So, if you are ever visiting Sao Jose do Rio Preto in Brazil, make sure you visit the surrounding towns of  Fernandopolis, Jales, Santa Fé, Jau, Lins, Bady Bassit, and Adolfo!

Enjoy the pictures!

The team has really enjoyed visiting all of the cities in Brazil and Jales was no acception. We visited the Courthouse, 2 English schools, a state of the art hospital specialized for cancer treatment, and the absolutely beautiful water treatment facility.

Aside from our visits we also spent our time with some very wonderful Rotarians and their families. My hosts son, Edwardo, charmingly made his way into almost all of our photos. For our time spent in Jales we have dubbed him an honorary team member.

Thank you Jales! We miss you already!!!

We had a nice relaxing time in Fernandopolis.  It’s the only city we did not have to make any presentations at all.

The anniversary of Fernandopolis’ birth is being celebrated here for about 12 days.  We were here for 3 nights.  My host took me there for all 3 nights.   It was cool to see the rodeo.

We visited a sugar cane factory.  It was fun to see the machinery process the sugar cane.  I wish you were all here with us to smell the sugar cane ethanol.  You are missing out!

We are leaving for Sao Jose do Rio Preto in an hour.  It’s the last city of our GSE trip.   I am looking forward to going there but I am really sad this adventure is almost over.  = (