Drive to raise funds for food, water, vaccines, shelter and Christmas gifts for children affected by Hurricane Maria.
LIBERTY, N.Y. (December 14, 2017) – The Liberty, N.Y. Rotary Club is partnering with Rotary Districts 7210 (NY Catskills/Hudson Valley), 7910 (Central Massachusetts) and 7000 (Puerto Rico), in partnership with Operation Endeavor and Wings of Michael, to raise funds for victims of Hurricane Maria.
The relief drive, which launched on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2017, is targeting Moca, Puerto Rica, a municipality in the northwest corner of the island and one of the areas hit hardest by Hurricane Maria in September 2017. Moca consists of 12 wards and is part of the Aguadilla-Isabela-San Sebastian Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Wings Of Michael S.A.R. (Special Airborne Rescue) and Operation Endeavor worked together to conduct a reconnaissance mission to identify centers of gravity and a needs assessment. As a result of that assessment, the drive will focus on four areas of support:
Food and Clean Water Support – These funds will assist with in-country purchases of basic food and water supplies for ongoing distribution to the hurricane victims of Moca. Funds will also be used to purchase and distribute chlorine tablets for purifying water sources to prevent waterborne disease.
Emergency Shelter Support and Construction – These funds will assist with in-country purchases of building supplies to repair all roofs with shelter tarps. Supplies will be purchased from Home Depot in Mayaguez (within 1 hour of Moca), which will help to stimulate the local economy. Purchases and transportation of supplies will be facilitated by the Moca Rotary and Nuestra Senora de la Monserrate Catholic teams.
Vaccination Clinic for Hurricane Victims – Funds raised will be used to procure vaccines for a major vaccination clinic for up to 1000 victims of Hurricane Maria. The clinics will be administered by Dr. Lemuel Soto, MD and will be conducted in the regional churches as epicenters of the community by Operation Endeavor and WOMSAR Emergency Medicine Professionals. The clinic will include Flu, Tetanus and Diphtheria Vaccinations.
Moca Rotary Christmas Toy Drive – A portion of the funds raised will be used to purchase gifts for the children of families who sustained total losses during the hurricane. This will help to ease and mitigate the sense of sheer loss and psycho-trauma experienced by the youngest survivors of Hurricane Maria.
Members of the Liberty, N.Y. Rotary Club will be traveling to Moca for a relief mission in early January where they will be participating in relief effort activities coordinated by contacts at the Moca Rotary Club, the Mayor of Moca, and Nuestra Senora de la Monserrate Catholic Parish. Activities will include aiding in food and clean water distribution, emergency shelter construction, flu and tetanus vaccination clinics, and toy distribution to children who sustained total losses during the hurricane.
“It’s been almost three months since Hurricane Maria made landfall and the Liberty, N.Y. Rotary Club and Operation Endeavor are hearing the calls for help from the victims in Puerto Rico,” said Gary Siegel, Liberty, N.Y. Rotary Club Treasurer. “Our goal in joining the hurricane relief effort is to help the citizens of Puerto Rico, offer support and demonstrate solidarity as Americans and Rotarians in the spirit of our motto of ‘Service Above Self.’”
One hundred percent of the funds raised through the Rotary’s relief drive will be donated to the Moca Rotary Club (MRC) to purchase and distribute supplies to those families in need. MRC officials will be supplying the Library, N.Y. Rotary Club with monthly reports of how the funds have been spent, including receipts and photos. All funds will be supporting the hurricane relief victims and their families in Moca, Puerto Rico.
Only monetary donations are being accepted due to the logistical difficulties of transporting supplies from the Continental United States to Puerto Rico.
How to donate:
Make checks payable to:
CFOS Liberty, New York, Rotary Club Foundation Fund
30 Scotts Corners Drive, Suite 203
Montgomery, NY 12549
Online:
Go to: https://cfosny.org/project-funds/liberty-new-york-rotary-club-foundation-fund/ and click on the “Donate Now” button through Paypal to donate with a credit card.
All donations are tax deductible as allowed by the Federal Tax Laws. All supplies and toys will be purchased in-country by the Rotary Club of Moca to help stimulate the economy of Puerto Rico which has been devastated as a result of the hurricane. Please consider making this one of your end of the year donations so that we can provide much needed relief to those hurricane victims in need in Moca.
About Liberty, N.Y. Rotary Club
The Liberty Rotary Club is dedicated to putting service above self locally, nationally, and internationally. Rotary members work together to identify community needs on a local, national and global level, and then leverage their resources to enable solutions.
About Rotary International
Rotary International is a global network of 1.2 million neighbors, friends, leaders, and problem-solvers who come together to make positive, lasting change in communities at home and abroad. For more than 110 years, Rotary members have used their passion, energy, and intelligence to take action on sustainable projects.
About Wings Of Michael S.A.R
Wings of Michael is a faith-centric religious X99 501(c)(3) non-profit (dedicated to the spiritual charism of Michael the Archangel) that provides reconnaissance and rescue services, often incorporating aviation resources, to populations that are beset by natural disaster or acts of sectarian violence and refugee displacement. (www.WingsOfMichael.org)
About Operation Endeavor
Operation Endeavor is comprised of EMS, Emergency Medicine and Rescue professionals and is incorporated as an M99 501(c)(3) that operates domestically and globally to build capacity for EMS and Rescue systems in regions of disparity. The team is also active in disaster response. (www.911ForTheWorld.org)
