Elyria businessman travels to Belize to provide computers to needy community

ELYRIA — For Kent Iler, Belize has become kind of a second home. Since 2014 he has been part of a series of mission trips bringing computer equipment, school supplies, books, toys and sporting goods to school-age children in dozens of communities in the Central American country south of the Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. Iler, 55, returned April 6 from his 10th and most recent trip, which found him visiting 33 schools in communities spanning from Stann Creek district along the Caribbean Sea to Cayo district in the west near the border of Guatemala. The project is coordinated through Rotary's District 6600, which covers much of Northwest Ohio including Lorain County. Rotary is a 120-year-old global organization of 1.2 million business and professional people committed to providing humanitarian service while building understanding and peace. "It's just such a neat country, so poor. There's so much joy there. Just seeing how much joy there is, it just proves that you don't need material things to be happy," said Iler, president and CEO of Iler Networking and Computing in Sheffield and a member of Elyria Rotary. He's been traveling to Belize since 2014 with fellow Rotarian Mel Honig of the Sylvania Rotary in suburban Toledo. Honig, 82, started leading the mission trips under Rotary in 2010. The two work with the Rotary Club of Dangriga in Stann Creek. Each mission is coordinated through Medical Equipment Supplies Abroad, an independent operation under the auspices of Rotary, and Resources Centers International, a program through which local Rotary clubs partner to provide resources in developing countries. This year's trip spanned about three weeks, with Iler and four volunteers in Belize for about 10 days. Honig traveled earlier and returned April 11. Iler estimated the team's efforts will reach about 4,100 students immediately and more in future years. A team installs about 150 computers during a typical visit. Iler has tallied visits to more than 220 schools. "There's definitely gratitude (for what we do). Teachers realize the value. The students are incredibly friendly. There are ton of hugs, lots of hugs," Iler said. "A little boy came up, and again, they are very poor, the little boy came up to me and offered me a snack. You realize they have so little to give, but they're so generous as well," he said. Honig said teachers often tell him that "if you didn't give this to us we wouldn't have it." Iler learned about the partnership between Sylvania Rotary and Rotary groups in Belize when Honig spoke at the Elyria group's weekly luncheon more than a decade ago. Honig said at the time he wanted to bring computers to schools. That's when Iler, as the owner of a computer networking firm already working with Lorain County schools, thought "it's right up our alley." "It was just fascinating," Iler recalled of his first visit to Central America. "The schools are incredibly needy. Now over the past 10 trips, we've made great connections with some of the teachers." It didn't take long for the mission trips to begin to include educational materials. Teachers, Iler said, must purchase supplies from their meager salaries. "They're not paid a lot. It's just very hard for them to get books, tables, toys, anything like that," he said. Iler prepares for the trips year-round. His company stores computers donated by businesses, schools and individuals at his company located on Abbe Road. Staff members prep the computers by doing a secure wipe of the hard drives and installing educational software such as Reader Rabbit and JumpStart, which are designed to teach basic math, reading, and typing skills. The software is in English, the official language in Belize so students quickly adjust to using the computers. Most students are bilingual. Depending on the region in which a school is located students may speak Creole, Spanish or a Mayan language at home. The mission trips also provide books, classroom equipment, soccer balls and basketballs and even some furniture. Books are provided through the Kids' Book Bank in Cleveland, Honig said. For years Honig has arranged to store collected materials in a warehouse in Fostoria. About two months before each trip, a 40-foot shipping container is loaded with the donations for transport to a seaport. The trip typically takes six to eight weeks, Iler said. For the most recent trip, the container was delayed as it sailed from Philadelphia to Colombia to Jamaica and finally to Belize. It arrived just days before Iler, Honig and the were set to leave Ohio. "It was pretty crazy," Iler said. The cost from Fostoria to the final destinations in Belize totaled about $11,000, Honig said. Arriving in Belize, the volunteers which included representatives from Northeast Ohio businesses, met with educators contacted in advance to determine exactly how many computers to deliver to each locale. Some schools will already have computers, usually donated in a goodwill gesture by an oil corporation or other mining firm working in Belize, Iler explained. "If a school has gotten or already has good working computers, then we'll focus on some of the resources that they don't have," he added. The trip is not just about delivering goods to schools. There is a chance for cultural exchange as well. "A traditional Mayan home is a one-room home, mostly dirt floor. Sometimes they have a wood paneling or something like that on there. They have their fire at one end where they do all their cooking," Iler said. "We've been invited multiple times to come in, and you can tell they butchered a chicken that day. They made homemade tortillas, and so they have soup, the chicken, and the tortillas," Iler said of the gracious greetings he has received over the years." Iler has been joined by his wife Stacey and all six of his children at various points over the years. He said the trips have touched each family member differently and helped them realize the advantages they have of living in the United States. Iler and Honig welcome anyone, including non-Rotarians, interested in making future trips. The crew stays in a small local hotel or short-term rental. Food is relatively inexpensive. Team members split the cost of a rental vehicle. Contact Dennis Sadowski at sadowski.dennis@gmail.com.