Peoria North Rotary Club member and Past President Bret McKeand joined four other District 5495 Rotarians in March to travel to Sonora, Mexico as part of the district's Micro-Lending project. The project is a partnership between United States and Mexico Rotary Clubs and Fin-Reg, a private financial institution in Mexico. Through Rotary grants, Fin-Reg provides small loans (usually $200-400) to family-owned businesses in Mexico. Rotarians from the district travel to Mexico several times a year to meet with Fin-Reg employees and interview the borrowers to inspect first-hand the impact these micro-loans have on the small businesses and their communities. During the trip, the group met with and interviewed borrowers owning such businesses as grocery stores, hair salons, fruit food vendors and a bakery. During the trip the group visited the small community of LaMesa and assisted the Nogales Rotary Club with a food distribution program focused on young women and children.