Cabo San Lucas, on the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California Sur peninsula, is known to visitors for its whale watching, sport fishing, alluring beaches, and rowdy spring break partying. But on the outskirts of town is a facility, unknown to most tourists, that serves a very different population: Casa Hogar, a boys’ orphanage.

Loosely translated, the name means “the house that is a home.” Twenty boys ranging in age from 5 to 16 live there, though with additional funding the facility will be able to accommodate 60. The boys are placed there for many reasons, but to Clicerio Mercado, vice president of Casa Hogar and a member of the Rotary Club of Cabo San Lucas, they are alike in one important way: “They each have tough stories,” he says. “It doesn’t matter why they’re here. They need a home.”

It is a home that would not exist without the Rotarians of Cabo San Lucas and elsewhere. Located in a poor barrio, Casa Hogar sat empty for years after its planner (who was not affiliated with Rotary) abandoned the project. In 2005, the local Rotary club adopted the partially built, unfunded Casa Hogar, and things began to change.

“We had a lot of luck,” explains club president Roberto Martinez. “Because Cabo San Lucas is such a popular destination for travelers, we receive many visitors from other Rotary clubs at our meetings. They say they want to help, and they do.”

Donna Draney, a retired insurance broker and member of the Rotary Club of Boulder City Sunrise, Nev., USA, and her husband travel several times a year to Cabo, where they’ve owned a vacation home since 2001. She learned about Casa Hogar at one of the Cabo San Lucas club’s meetings.

“I was looking for a way to give back to the community, to make a difference in the lives of children, and our Boulder City Sunrise club was looking for an international service project,” Draney says. “This was the perfect match.”

In 2006, the Draneys made a one-time donation to ensure the completion of construction on Casa Hogar; additional monthly donations through this past December helped pay operating expenses. Other Boulder City Sunrise Rotarians also provided funds and continue to raise money to expand the facility’s capacity and add amenities like a soccer field and basketball court.

Casa Hogar officially opened its doors last February. During the opening ceremony, Rotarians buried a key in the soil. “Without a key, none of us can close this place,” says Mercado. “It must stay open.”