ROTARY ROUND-UP: ShelterBox scheme provides vital supplies after natural disasters

This week, Gerald Illsley, from the Rotary Club of Worthing Steyne, gives an update on the latest and future goings-on.
Rotary helped to provide ShelterBoxes for people in the Philippines after a typhoon in November 2013Rotary helped to provide ShelterBoxes for people in the Philippines after a typhoon in November 2013
Rotary helped to provide ShelterBoxes for people in the Philippines after a typhoon in November 2013

Some might say that troubles come in threes, and Haiti seems to be a prime victim of a run of natural disasters, earthquakes and floods, reaching a peak last week when it was battered by the Category 4 Hurricane Matthew, the fiercest Caribbean storm in nearly a decade, which struck the island at 145mph, killing an estimated thousand people.

All the rescue services jumped into action and Rotary was amongst the first of them to provide help and aid for the local people.

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Our ShelterBoxes are always ready and are being shipped to the island to provide essential equipment.

The boxes have family-sized tents specially made to fend off the elements and give people temporary shelter until local authorities can start rebuilding homes – www.shelterbox.org

A ShelterBox contains all of the essentials – like cooking sets, solar lights and activity sets for children – to help people restart their lives and repair and rebuild homes straight away.

We may not always have everything covered, but after many years of experience helping victims of many other natural disasters, we have been able to get the right sort items together to help families and children affected by these events.

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Haiti is one example where we, as a local Rotary club, can quickly act positively to provide help.

The money we raise locally with your support helps us do this. Thank you for your help and continuing generosity.

You may remember our recent article about Gill Leslie, a Rotary member for Winchester, who was walking the Downs Way to Eastbourne for our district conference there this year.

This year Gill is walking 76 miles from Guildford to Eastbourne for Water Aid – www.wateraid.org/uk

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When we cannot stretch to help, we have our back-up – our ARC Lite scheme – where you and others locally can decided how much time, and not cash, you might want to offer to come along and help us with our local events supporting local organisations – such as the Worthing Society for the Blind, Waitrose food bank collections, the NSPCC, Guild Care, local schools and many more.

Could we get together and work with your organisation?

Why not come along and tell us about your ideas.

Come along to our Rotary Club of Worthing Steyne meetings on Mondays.

We will all be pleased to see you and hear from you. Hope to see you soon.

Call 07788 638757 if you would like to come along.

Details of Worthing’s three Rotary clubs are:

• Worthing Rotary Club meets Monday, 12.55pm, at the Chatsworth Hotel, in The Steyne, Worthing, 01903 209564.

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• West Worthing Rotary Club meets Tuesday evening at Tudor Close, Ferring, 01903 501961.

• Worthing Steyne Rotary Club meets Monday evening at The Ardington Hotel, in Steyne Gardens, Worthing, 01903 234957.

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