Lawrence Central Rotary

Category: Rotary International

Lawrence Central Members Attend RI 5710’s All Zone Lunch

Several members from Lawrence Central welcomed our incoming Rotary President Ron Burton while joining the 300+ attendees of the Zone Institute (Zone is the level above the district and the Institute is a gathering of regional Rotarian leaders) from Mexico to Canada.

It was a great event to see a broader vision of worldwide Rotary and what Mr. Burton has planned for his term in office.

September 21, 2012
Interested in Rotary? We’ve got a program for you.

The members of Lawrence Central Rotary invite you to an hour of

fellowship and information about Rotary International.

We are proud of our local impact and international contribution.

Let us tell you about our club.

Please join us!

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

5:15 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.

Program at 5:50 p.m.

The Eldridge Hotel

701 Massachusetts Street

RSVP to Kate Campbell,

ccampbell@sunflower.com

September 11, 2012
Letters – We Get Your Letters

Earlier this summer Rotarian Penny Dash who is past president and current secretary from the Cypress California Rotary Club was in town visiting friends and decided to stop in and visit Lawrence Central. She told us about her club and what they do and we did the traditional trading of rotary banners. There was one snafu – she didn't have any of hers. Well last week we were happy when we opened the mail bag and sure enough Penny had sent one long.

September 3, 2012
LCR issues ShelterBox Number

Earlier this summer Lawrence Central raised the funds for our first Shelterbox. Well, we’ve received our tracking number and are now waiting to see where it will be deployed. Lawrence Central’s box is #021404 and we can check to see where it’s been deployed here: http://www.shelterboxusa.org/trackbox.php

ShelterBox is a global humanitarian aid organization that provides shelter and life-saving equipment to people affected by disaster – such as earthquakes, volcanos, floods, hurricanes, cyclones, tsunamis or conflict by delivering aid to the world’s most vulnerable. We work closely with other aid agencies to fill the gap. Other aid organizations have told us that our green box stands out as a symbol of hope in a landscape of disarray. In many cases, our boxes make the difference between life and death.

When disasters strike, ShelterBox works to ensure emergency shelter reaches those locations as quickly as possible, thanks to the generous support of people like you, who are truly making a difference. ShelterBox has firmly established itself at the forefront of international disaster relief, providing aid to survivors of over 170 disasters in nearly 80 countries.

ShelterBox relies significantly on donations like yours. Every dollar goes toward supporting our mission—to provide humanitarian aid in the form of shelter, warmth and dignity to people displaced by disasters.

So What’s in a Shelterbox anyway?

Shelter

At the heart of every ShelterBox is a disaster relief tent for an extended family. It is custom made for ShelterBox by Vango, one of the world’s leading tent manufacturers, and is designed to withstand extreme temperatures, high winds and heavy rainfall. Internally, each tent has privacy partitions that allow recipients to divide the space as they see fit.

Warmth and protection

In addition to the tent, there is a range of other survival equipment including thermal blankets and insulated ground sheets, essential in areas where temperatures plummet at nightfall. Where malaria is prevalent, mosquito nets are supplied, as well as life-saving means of water purification.

Water supplies often become contaminated after a major disaster, as infrastructure and sanitation systems are destroyed. This presents a secondary but no less dangerous threat to survivors than the initial disaster itself. Our water purification equipment, the LifeStraw pictured below, can provide a typical family up to three years worth of clean and safe water.

Self sufficiency

A basic tool kit containing a hammer, axe, saw, trenching shovel, hoe head, pliers and wire cutters enables survivors to improve their immediate environment by chopping firewood or digging a latrine, for example, then when it is possible, to start repairing or rebuilding the home they were forced to leave.

Fit for purpose

Every item is durable, practical and brand new. The box itself is lightweight and waterproof and has been used for a variety of purposes in the past – from water and food storage containers to a cot for a newborn baby.

A heart to the home

Key items are either a wood burning or multi-fuel stove. The multi-fuel stove can burn anything from diesel to old paint. Some boxes also contain our specially designed wood burning Frontier Stove, pictured below. This provides the heart of the new home where water is boiled, food is cooked, and families congregate. In addition, there are pans, utensils, bowls, mugs and water storage containers.

A smile
A children’s pack containing drawing books, crayons and other supplies. For children who have lost most if not all their possessions, these small gifts are treasured.

Adaptability

We keep a broad range of equipment in stock so we can adapt the contents of a box to a specific disaster. For example, following the Javanese earthquake in 2006, when some resources were available locally or could be salvaged from buildings, the overwhelming need was for shelter – so we just sent tents, packing two in each box.

ShelterBox USA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing shelter, warmth and dignity to survivors of disaster worldwide.

August 27, 2012
Lawrence Central Rotary Donates Shelterbox

Dr. Lynn O’Neal presents Club Treasurer with the last of funds to donate our first Shelterbox.

In July of 2011, the Lawrence Central Rotary Club elected to begin a fund drive to raise $1000 to purchase a Shelter Box from ShelterBox USA. George Brenner and Lynn O’Neal, MD were the first contributors to the fund.

Over the course of the the year, at each weekly club meeting, a raffle was held to raise funds for the Shelter Box drive.

The winner of each raffle was allowed to donate her or his winnings to the fund. Thanks to the winners who donated their profits back to the club, we were able to raise approximately $80 per month.

Lawrence Central Rotary looks forward to monitoring the location and use of our shelter box and we hope our small contribution will help a family to survive during a time of crisis.

If you are unaware, ShelterBox is an international aid organization that provides emergency shelter and life-saving equipment following disasters such as earthquake, volcano, flood, hurricane, cyclone, tsunami or conflict.

More than a decade ago, ShelterBox founder, Tom Henderson asked himself what his family would need to survive if they lost their home. His question became a quest to provide a compact, universal tool kit to families displaced by disasters. ShelterBox would afford dignity, self-sufficiency and most importantly, human survival in the chaotic weeks following an earthquake, tsunami, landslide, flood or other disaster.

The top priority of many aid organizations is to provide food, water and medical care to help people survive the immediate aftermath of a disaster. Without protection from the elements, survivors are at a higher risk as they await nourishment or medical attention. We recognized that little or no assistance was given in terms of proper shelter to help them through the first few days, weeks and months as they tried to rebuild their lives. In response, ShelterBox developed a solution to help disaster survivors during the critical period following a disaster but preceding reconstruction.

Each box supplies an extended family with a tent and life-saving equipment to use while they are displaced or homeless. The contents are tailored depending on the nature and location of the disaster, with great care taken sourcing every item to ensure it is robust enough to be of lasting value.

The donation amount to sponsor each box is $1,000, which includes delivery direct to those who need it. Each box bears its own unique number so as a donor, you can track your box all the way to its recipient country via the web site.

Highly trained ShelterBox Response Teams distribute boxes on the ground, working closely with local organizations, international aid agencies and a global network of volunteers.

Since its inception in 2000, ShelterBox has firmly established itself at the forefront of international disaster relief, providing emergency shelter for people who need it most following more than 180 disasters in over 80 countries.

They rely on public donations and could not operate without the generosity of people the world over. Shelterbox’s supporters constantly go the extra mile to help make a difference to the lives of families who survive disasters.

July 31, 2012