CITY FOCUS:Digging in to help Bolivians

What does a small, rural village in Bolivia have in common with Laguna Beach?

Maxwell Borella, that’s what.

The native Lagunan will host a fundraiser from 5 to 6:45 p.m., Sunday, at the Woman’s Club of Laguna Beach to help bankroll his nonprofit foundation’s development of water and other natural resources for impoverished Bolivian villages at risk.

“I come from Laguna, so I have experience with disasters and environment,” said Borella, son of Ginger and Peter Borella, a local geologist.

Borella, 31, graduated from Laguna Beach High School in 1993, the year of the fire storm. Like his father and brother Josh, Borella has a degree in geology. After graduating from Pennsylvania State University, he earned his master’s degree at George Washington University and worked for the U.S. Geological Survey before joining the Peace Corps.

He was assigned to Bolivia, where he served a full Peace Corps service period of two years and four months.

“I came back with a desire to do more,” Borella said. “In the Peace Corps, you are a human resource, but you don’t come with funding.”

To that end, Borella and fellow Peace Corps veterans Zack Guido of Vermont and Michael Stephenson of Colorado created Terra Resource Development International, which recently achieved state 501 (c) (3) status.

“It took way more work than I expected learning about the pitfalls of starting a nonprofit,” Borella said. “It was 11 months before the application got to the review stage. Mary Fegraus [Laguna Canyon Foundation Executive Director] kept telling me to be patient.”

Once reviewed, the application was approved in just two weeks.

Even before the approval, the foundation was busy.

“Two projects last year were in rural villages that had shallow, contaminated, 10-foot deep wells,” Borella said. “We came in and dug 120-foot wells that provided clean tap water to villages that had been in a drought for 12 years.

“The majority of our projects will be dealing with water resources.”

One of the wells cost $8,000, the other $7,000. Terra put in a total of $8,300 for both projects, with the rest of the funding coming from the local population.

With the 501 (c) (3) approved, the foundation is eligible to seek tax-free exempt donations.

“One hundred percent of all donations will go to the foundation projects,” said Borella, who takes no salary.

Borella shares office space in the family business and takes advantage of his father’s and brother’s expertise.

He also tapped childhood friends to serve as directors and advisors for the foundation.

Attorneys Josh Vinograd and Bob Jamison serve on the board. Darren Gravely and Eric Fegraus are technical advisors, along with Borella’s family.

Donors and supporters of Terra are welcome to travel to project sites and assist.

“We need to build people bridges as well as give money,” Borella said.

The fundraiser on Sunday will include the sale of Bolivian art, a 30-minute slide show, preceded by an hour-long meet and greet. Admission is free.

For more information, visit the website mborella@terraresource development.org or call (949) 680-7850.