News for December 2010
Fund Raising and Donations
Presentations to District 6600 Rotary Clubs have continued in an effort to increase awareness of the work Resource Centers International is doing in Belize. To date two District Rotary Clubs have 'adopted' Resource Centers in Belize. The Rotary Club of Galion has adopted the community of Duck Run 3; and the Rotary Club of Hicksville has adopted the community of Bullet Tree Falls. Presentations are scheduled for the Bowling Green Rotary Club on December 2nd and the Findlay Rotary on Club January 17th.
We have almost everything we need to send the next container to Belize. What is still needed and is critical to the mission are computers. We are short at least 20, but will take as many computers as we can get. Also needed are educational and manual dexterity games and toys. These items are most helpful in the development of young bodies and minds and in creating positive social interactions. You can make donations by contacting Mel Honig: ph. 419 843 4459, or email: gailmel75@yahoo.com.
December Mission to Belize
All the equipment and supplies shipped in early November from our MESA warehouse have been received in Belize. This was an especially difficult shipment to put together because of the last minute unexpected loss of funding. Great thanks has to go to Tim Tam and Tim Hagen at the Word at Work, Jeff Gast of the Lima Rotary, as well as Eric Maas of the Belmopan Rotary who arranged getting everything into Belize in a very cost effective manner….and through customs duty free. The additional funds necessary to make this shipment came from MESA, and Jeff Gast.
With the last minute withdrawal of the computer team from Owens Community college are asking the University of Belize to help us in meeting our Information Technology needs during the mission.
March Mission to Belize
After the December mission, our next mission will be in March, 2011 when we will be opening four new sites. We are already well prepared for this mission. Instead of two weeks as in the December mission we will complete this mission in only one week. Not only do we have almost all the equipment and supplies, but we have the largest team organized set to go. Funding for shipping the container to Belize is still an aspect that has to be resolved. Currently we do not have the finances to ship a container, but are exploring many different avenues to resolve the issue.
The tentative mission team and their job responsibilities are as follows:
- Six or more Rotaractors from the University of Findlay to include a historian, trainers and possibly information technology specialists
- Bob Rustic and spouse, University of Findlay advisors and trainers
- Susan Schafer, Sylvania Rotarian, Librarian and trainer
- Susan Honig, Occupational Therapist and trainer
- Justin Kendall, Owens student and Information Technology (IT) specialist
- Mel Honig, Sylvania Rotarian and Project Coordinator
We still need an engineer and one or two more trainers/I.T. specialist for the March mission. If interested please contact Mel Honig, Project Coordinator: ph 419 843 4459, or email: gailmel75@yahoo.com.
The communities chosen to have Resource Centers for the mission will be determined during the December mission. As of this date three communities have already requested that Resource Centers be placed in their communities.
-Mel Honig, Project Coordinator
