While on a trip to Mexico, club member Bjorn Houston said he met the director of the San Luis De La Paz division of the Mexican Red Cross, Sara Gutierrez Carbajo. She mentioned to him that the organization's sole ambulance, which they had been "patching up with rubber bands," had recently broken down. The vehicle had served not only the small village but also several counties in the surrounding region.

"In the village, resources are limited," Houston said. "They make extended use of whatever they have."

Wanting to be of assistance, he came back to the United States and began to explore the possibility of securing an ambulance under the auspices of the Rotary Club. The Rotarian said he did not have to wait long to find what he was looking for.

"The timing was perfect. American Medical Response was looking for an organization to donate an ambulance to," he said.

According to American Medical Response Director of Operations for Santa Clara County Wayne Davis, the organization, in partnership with Assist International, had arranged for six emergency vehicles to be donated to Third World countries in the name of regional Rotary Clubs. He said that the Willow Glen Rotary Club was the first to ask for an ambulance, so they received the first one.

After an emergency vehicle accrues 250,000 miles, Davis said, the American Medical Response can no longer use it. The vehicle the organization donated to the Rotary Club had logged 268,000 miles, he said, but after being outfitted with a new transmission and motor, the ambulance is expected to last for at least another 500,000 miles.

Willow Glen Rotary Club President Dan Foss said Davis told Houston that if he experienced any problems with the vehicle, he could take it to any American Medical Response location nationwide for repair.

On Sept. 10, Houston picked up the used ambulance from American Medical Response headquarters and embarked on a journey to San Luis De La Paz. He made it as far as Laredo, Tex. Then he ran into a snag. The Mexican customs officials prevented him from completing the delivery because he needed additional documentation from the Mexican Red Cross director stating that the ambulance would be used exclusively by and for the organization.

Although Houston said customs officials volunteered to take the ambulance to the proper destination once the paperwork had been delivered, he declined their offer.

"I said thanks, but no thanks," he said. "I promised to deliver the ambulance safely to the Red Cross, and I wanted to keep my word."

Wanting to leave the vehicle in a secure place with a 24-hour valet service, Houston said he decided to try a hotel in Laredo called La Posada. Wearing his Rotary Club T-shirt, he approached the owner, explained the situation to him, and asked if he could leave the ambulance under the hotel's care.

What happened next, Houston said, was nearly a miracle.

"The owner said to me, 'I'm a Rotarian in Laredo. How can I refuse a fellow Rotarian?' It was a very beautiful moment after hours of turmoil."

The vehicle is currently still in Laredo, but Houston was on his way back to Laredo so he could complete the delivery to San Luis De La Paz once the customs officials receive the proper paperwork.

Foss said that although the club acted as a conduit to distribute the ambulance to its intended destination, American Medical Response was the major factor in the process of securing the vehicle for use in San Luis De La Paz.

Foss also said he anticipates that the Santa Clara County Rotary Club will work with American Medical Response and Assist International in the future to donate additional used ambulances to Third World countries in need.

"This is a new deal, and a blossoming relationship between the Rotary Club and American Medical Response," he said. "And it started right here at the Willow Glen Rotary Club."