Rotary reaching out
The youngest Rotary Club in New Zealand is earning a strong reputation for innovative thinking and positive action. Who would have worked out how 12 donated laptop computers could be refurbished with new software and batteries, and then given to Bethlehem College students who are visiting Florence Young School in the Solomon Islands? The visiting students will pass the laptops on to teachers at Florence Young who will use them in their classrooms.
Rotary President Bronwyn Carter explains, “The laptops were donated to us on the understanding that they would be used to ‘do good’ in the world. Our friend, computer engineer and Katikati Rotarian John Buchanan refurbished the laptops for us. We knew Bethlehem College was planning a Solomon Island school visit, and they were an ideal group to extend the reach of our Rotary Club into the Pacific.
This is not the first time Ōmokoroa Rotarians have assisted with computers.
Several months ago, Phil Parker from New Zealand Red Cross was able to distribute a number of donated Rotary laptops to organisations in the Gisborne area as part of the Cyclone Gabrielle recovery programme.
“Recent Rotary projects have included an Ōmokoroa beach cleanup and a presence at the Ōmokoroa markets. The current ‘big one’ for us is an $8,000 fundraising initiative to purchase a high-tech training aid for Ōmokoroa FENZ First Response volunteers, who operate out of the Fire Station. They provide life support to accident and illness victims until St John Ambulance Paramedics arrive. Rotary will support them any way that we can, and a gala fundraising dinner is planned for 21st June,” says Bronwyn.
The Rotary Club of Ōmokoroa meets every second Thursday morning at 8am for coffee at Ōmokoroa Boat Club. Contact Bronwyn at 021 236 4623 or Meredith at 021 349 917 if you are interested.