Urgent Appeal!! District 6900 Tornado District Relief Fund Established
Rotarians of District 6900 we have once again faced disaster in our District. Tornadoes tore through the District on the evening of April 27th. We have had at least one Rotarian killed in the storms here in Georgia. We are not first responders but we can make a difference to those who have been devistated by the storms. Make your checks out to the District 6900 Charitable Fund and send them to the District Treasurer - Cheryl Greenway marked District Tornado Disaster Relief.
Tornado Damage in the Barnesville, GA Area
Initial reports indicate over 350 homes and businesses destroyed in Spaulding County (Griffin), much damage and deaths in Barnesville, damage in Warm Springs and Manchester, and I am sure there are others we don't yet know about.
We will all step up to the plate and do the right thing again and again here in the District. I encourage you to give. Help those suffering from this latest disaster. There has been a great deal of damage outside the District as well. Let us see what our family of Rotary needs here and we will also address the other damages as best we can.
A New Message from Disaster Relief Chair PDG Steve Stanfield
I visited Warm Springs and Manchester yesterday and met folks whose
homes were a total loss. One lady sat up in her bed just in time to
have the rafters just miss her as they fell onto the bed when the roof
collapsed.
The destruction is amazing. A local elementary school lost its roof and
the school system is requesting that all classes in the county be
suspended for the rest of the school year due to damage.
There is wide spread destruction in Spalding County (Griffin area) and
in Barnesville as well as the damage I described above in Merriweather
County.
We know that this is the end of the Rotary year and the change of
leadership is near. Club Presidents please, please, ask your clubs to
help our family of Rotary and the citizens of our District. It is hard
to send money to Alabama and Mississippi for tornado damage and to the
Mississippi River area for flood victims if we do not take care of our
own first.
There will be need here for a long time. Entire homes are completely
destroyed. Families have nothing they can salvage. Automobiles have
been totally destroyed.
I know that you all will help - you always do. This is certainly one of
the most benevolent districts in the Rotary world. Thank you all for
what you do for the citizens of the world.
PDG Steve
Rotary International Establishes
Disaster Relief Fund (DRF)
for Japan and the Pacific Islands
As many of you are probably aware by now Northeastern Japan was rocked recently by a massive earthquake followed by numerous and powerful aftershocks. Furthermore, Islands in the Pacific and coasts as far away as South America, Central America, Mexico, and our own west coast experienced tsunami effects. It is much too early for us to realize the impact that this natural disaster has had and will have on those in its wake. At this time, I just ask that you keep those effected in your thoughts and prayers.
PDG Steve Stanfield, our District Disaster Relief Chair, is monitoring this natural disaster and will be contacting the appropriate persons at Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation to coordinate our responses with their needs. Rotary is very strong in Japan. Nonetheless, they will need Rotarians help from around the world to rebuild their country and their lives.
District 6900 is pleased to be able to offer $5000 in District Grant funds for this relief effort. The District is able to provide these funds for relief in this disaster due to the generosity of the Rotarians of our District in Foundation Annual Giving three years ago. Please continue to give as generously as you can to Annual Giving so that our District Governor three years from now will have adequate funds to provide for the needs of the District and the citizens of the world.
The Rotary Foundation has established the Rotary Japan and Pacific Islands Disaster Fund, which will support long-term recovery projects in affected areas. Rotarians and non-Rotarians can donate online. More information concerning your contributions is available by downloading this FAQ document.
Thank you for your Leadership and for being a Rotarian,
Casey Farmer
District Governor 2010-2011
District 6900 Disaster Relief Notification
Recent Earthquake - New Zealand
We are all aware of the recent earthquakes in New Zealand. Rotary International has not yet established a DAF for this disaster but they are directing all who inquire as to how to help the citizens of New Zealand to the website - www.rnzwcs.org . This is the Rotary New Zealand website and their appeal for help can be found here.
You may make tax deductible contributions directly on the Rotary New Zealand website or, contributions can be sent to the District 6900 Charitable Fund marked New Zealand earthquake relief and they will be forward to Rotary New Zealand.
Remember that RI President Bill Boyd – 2006-2007 is from New Zealand and his Rotary theme was “Lead the Way” – let’s support the citizens of New Zealand to the best of our ability.
PDG Steve Stanfield
District Disaster Relief Chairman Contact PDG Steve
UPDATE!!
Rotarian Earthquake Relief for Haiti.
The outpouring from D6900 Rotarians in support of disaster relief has been incredible- and your gifts have gone right to work!
ShelterBox kits have arrived in Haiti and Rotarians there are delivering the kits to victims. Additional kits are being assembled non-stop and will soon be on the way. Despite what you have heard about aid not getting to the victims, we are assured that the ShelterBox kits are moving to those in need. Rotarians are there and seeing to the distribution. You can be very proud of our ShelterBox response.
Alpharetta Rotarian Wayne Robinson (right) at work
in Haiti with Response Team partner.
I have been in touch with RI
Director Eric Adamson and with Past RI Director Barry Rassin, of
Nassau, Bahamas, who is doing much to coordinate Rotary's relief
efforts in Haiti. Both are encouraging us now to support the Donor
Advised Fund at The Rotary Foundation.
"Rotarians are working hard and fast to get help to those in Haiti,"
says Rassin, "We're at the same time working on long-term efforts."
Barry e-mailed me today, "Our big need will come down the road to
rebuild the city and so we are strongly urging support through the
Donor Advised Fund at TRF which will be a major source of our
rebuilding efforts."
The Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund , a donor advised
fund within The Rotary Foundation, has been established to streamline
the flow of contributions from Rotarians looking to assist victims of
the earthquake in Haiti. The fund will be directed by Rotarian account
holders. The account holders will work with local Rotary clubs and
districts, as well as emergency relief agencies, to meet the most
pressing needs of people in affected areas. Account holders will make
grant recommendations after consulting with District 7020 Governor
Errol Alberga or his designee. Funds will be used in the relief effort
and for projects providing longer-term support and development (e.g.
funding for Rotary Foundation Matching Grant projects). Click here to learn more.
An Update on District 6900 Disaster Relief
The generosity of District 6900 Rotarians has never been greater, nor more desperately needed. Many thanks to each of you who have so generously given this year to disasters in the District and now to the efforts to help our fellow citizens of the world in Haiti. It never ceases to amaze me how benevolent the Rotarians of this District are. In times of a struggling economy you still continue to give and give and give.
Disaster relief has unfortunately been a topic on everyone's minds this year. It started with the rain - then flooding all over the Atlanta area and especially in South Cobb, Austell, Lilburn, Villa Rica, Douglasville, Bremen, and Carrollton - and I am sure there are other areas I missed. The loss of life was tragic and the numbers of people displaced from their homes amazing. The Rotarians of the District responded promptly and generously.
Here are the numbers for the flood relief effort within the District:
Donations --We received $19,202.78 We paid out 21,500.00. That leaves us a balance of $202.78. We have helped 41 families and supplied $1,000 of bottled water.
The way we worked the flooding disaster was the same as we used in the flood of 1994 that caused so much damage in the southern part of the District along the Flint River and the tornado of 2007 that destroyed part of Americus. The methodology was created and put in place by District Governor Barry Smith in 1994.
We must remember that Rotary International and our Rotary District are not first responders. We give money to first responders and to those who need it. With that the District has a grant request form that is administered by the club presidents in areas affected by a disaster. They have it filled out by those in need stating their needs and then verify that need by signing the form and sending it to the District Disaster Relief Chair - in this case me. After review, I forward the grant request form to the District Treasurer and request a check be made out to the individual in need. So the 41 families helped in the flooding received checks to be used for their needs - these checks were delivered by club presidents.
One club in the District - Griffin Daybreak has used their District Simplified Grant to help families through the Rotary Club of Douglas County. That is an ongoing effort and is being coordinated by the Club's Assistant Governor David Gallaway of Newnan.
The recent disaster in Haiti proves again that Rotary is not organized to be a first responder. After consultation with Governor Roy and discussion of our options, the District decided to send shelter boxes to Haiti immediately and in Honor of the District Governor in charge of Haiti. Donations are coming in to the District and more shelter boxes are on the way to Haiti - paid for by District Rotarians.
Continue to do what you do so well - give! Remember, The Future of Rotary is in Your Hands!
Steve Stanfield District Governor 2006-2007 Disaster Relief Chair District 6900 USA
As many of you are probably aware by now Northeastern Japan was rocked recently by a massive earthquake followed by numerous and powerful aftershocks. Furthermore, Islands in the Pacific and coasts as far away as South America, Central America, Mexico, and our own west coast experienced tsunami effects. It is much too early for us to realize the impact that this natural disaster has had and will have on those in its wake. At this time, I just ask that you keep those effected in your thoughts and prayers.
You may make tax deductible contributions directly on the Rotary New Zealand website or, contributions can be sent to the District 6900 Charitable Fund marked New Zealand earthquake relief and they will be forward to Rotary New Zealand.
The generosity of District 6900 Rotarians has never been greater, nor more desperately needed. Many thanks to each of you who have so generously given this year to disasters in the District and now to the efforts to help our fellow citizens of the world in Haiti. It never ceases to amaze me how benevolent the Rotarians of this District are. In times of a struggling economy you still continue to give and give and give.
Disaster relief has unfortunately been a topic on everyone's minds this year. It started with the rain - then flooding all over the Atlanta area and especially in South Cobb, Austell, Lilburn, Villa Rica, Douglasville, Bremen, and Carrollton - and I am sure there are other areas I missed. The loss of life was tragic and the numbers of people displaced from their homes amazing. The Rotarians of the District responded promptly and generously.
We must remember that Rotary International and our Rotary District are not first responders. We give money to first responders and to those who need it. With that the District has a grant request form that is administered by the club presidents in areas affected by a disaster. They have it filled out by those in need stating their needs and then verify that need by signing the form and sending it to the District Disaster Relief Chair - in this case me. After review, I forward the grant request form to the District Treasurer and request a check be made out to the individual in need. So the 41 families helped in the flooding received checks to be used for their needs - these checks were delivered by club presidents.
The recent disaster in Haiti proves again that Rotary is not organized to be a first responder. After consultation with Governor Roy and discussion of our options, the District decided to send shelter boxes to Haiti immediately and in Honor of the District Governor in charge of Haiti. Donations are coming in to the District and more shelter boxes are on the way to Haiti - paid for by District Rotarians.
Continue to do what you do so well - give! Remember, The Future of Rotary is in Your Hands!