“This water project that improved the lives of all the families (in La Esperanza), and generations to come was powerful. Seeing the smiles and gratitude of the members of the community made me realize how lucky we all are to live in the USA.” — DG 2024-2025 Lorena Beckius

Lorena Beckius is from Ambato, Ecuador. Since she was little, Rotary has been a big part of her life. When she was 17 years old, she had an opportunity of a lifetime and became a Rotary Youth Exchange Student in Ogallala, NE.  You can read her RYE diary published in Rotary Magazine from September 2020 here.

She didn’t know her life was going to take a big turning point when she met David Beckius as a Rotary Youth Exchange student. They began dating long distance a couple of years after she went back to Ecuador, and after she graduated from college, David asked her to marry him. After living in Omaha for five years, they moved back to Ogallala.

Lorena joined the Rotary Club that had hosted her when she was an exchange student. In a short time she became club secretary and a board member and helped and participated in service projects and fundraisers. Later, in 2019-20, she became President of the Ogallala Rotary Club.

A very important and meaningful project for Lorena was La Esperanza Clean Water System, a global grant partnership with her father’s Rotary club. District 5630 and District 4400 worked together to bring safe drinking water to an indigenous community about 14,000 feet above sea level, where people were neglected.

“This water project that improved the lives of all the families (in La Esperanza), and generations to come was powerful. Seeing the smiles and gratitude of the members of the community made me realize how lucky we all are to live in the USA” said Beckius.

One of Lore’s biggest accomplishments as Club President was the Unity Project, when Optimist, Kiwanis, Elks, Lions, and Rotary clubs and the City of Ogallala worked together. The Unity Project raised $475K for the Collister Park renovation, providing an inclusive playground and a splash pad. It was a great example of one of Rotary’s Areas of Focus: Economic and Community Development.

Lorena works for Allen Capital Group, an investment firm, as a Client Support Manager. She and David are the parents of twin boys, born in 2015. She is looking forward to working with each Rotary District 5630 member and each club to improve and grow the District together