John McKoy
Norm Noble
It was an easy selection for Rotarian of the Month. John McKoy has overseen the biggest project the Sun Lakes Rotary Club has ever undertaken! The Navajo Water Project provides safe, inside tap water in 36 homes on the Navajo reservation. Up until now, these people had their water delivered weekly by a water truck into above-ground, 50-gallon holding barrels in their yards. These 50 gallons had to last each family for a week. Do you have any idea how long 50 gallons of water lasts in a normal Phoenix home? Estimates vary, but each Phoenician uses about 80 to 100 gallons of water per day. That includes showering, flushing toilets, and drinking. In other words, a Phoenician family of four consumes up to 2,800 gallons of water a week. For Navajo families, these 50 gallons are used for laundry, bathing, cooking, and drinking. Do the math. For a family of four, that’s a little over 12 gallons of water apiece for the week.
Under John’s leadership, the Sun Lakes Rotary Club installed underground cisterns which pump running water into 36 homes at a cost of $4,500 per home. The homes are located within a 70-mile radius of Thoreau, New Mexico.
John is a former educator, eventually heading up special education in seven California districts. He joined Sun Lakes Rotary in 2010.