The Spoke – April 29th 2009

Last week Gary Price introduced Arleen Huston. Arlene works for the City of Bonita Springs and reviewed the special events process that must be followed as groups such as ours holds events within the City—examples being the Christmas Tree Sale and the 5K Run. In short, Arleen discussed why we need a permit to have a party. Coordination is key as communication with a variety of governmental agencies is often necessary to provide public safety and security. Arlene offered many interesting examples of the permit function. Thanks Arlene for a helpful presentation.

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Bonita Rotarians donate $910 to feed 26 Mayan families for Easter

Subject: Mayan Families – Semana Santa

SEMANA SANTA / EASTER BASKETS.

I can not begin to tell you how I felt when I asked for you to join me in support of the Easter food baskets for Mayan Families in Guatemala- and you donated $910 !!!.  I want to give a special thank you to Don Manley for challenging us with matching funds.  There are 26 families that will have a meal for the holiday because of your generosity.   Wow!   

Please feel free to read the email below from Mayan Families.  It also contains a link to their web site so you can see more of the excellent work that this organization does for the Mayan people of Guatemala.  Sharon is the Director that I spoke of in my recent presentation.  She is truly the “Angel of Lake Atitlan” .

Sandy Scoggins

Semana Santa ( Easter) is celebrated in Guatemala with eating fragrant sweet breads and drinking hot chocolate. 

Malnutrition and hunger are huge problems for the indigneous Mayan communities. 

The families that we work with do not have enough to eat nor can they afford the traditional celebration foods. 

Easter is a time of sharing…we would like to be able to give these families a basket of food to be able to celebrate Semana Santa .

This basket will include:

A chicken.  

Carrots.

Squash.

Incaparina – a fortified cereal.

Oatmeal – to make the customary drink of mosh.

Sugar.

Sweetbreads

A block of chocolate to make cocoa.

These foods will be given in a large re-usable plastic basket that has many uses in a Guatemalan household.

* some food items may be substituted due to availability.

Please consider giving a basket of food for a family.  It will mean a great deal to them. It may be the difference between going to bed hungry again ………or not.

Your gift of a food basket or any donation that you would like to send is so valuable in helping break the cycle of the crushing poverty that these children and families endure.

If you would like to give a basket of food to a needy family or if you would like to nominate a basket for your sponsored student and their family, please send a donation of $35 to the  Community Aid Project,  Mayan Families, either through our website…

www.mayanfamilies.org/DonateOnline

 or send a check to:

Mayan Families

2609 Hartford St.,

San Diego. CA 92110-2315.

Tel: 619-200-6800

Please send your donations in on or before April 6th. Please remember that we accept donations for much needed food and our many other projects year round. No donation is too small.

To help as many families receive food as possible, please consider forwarding this email to your family and friends and please post it on your personal blogs, social networking sites and websites….together we can make a difference.

Wishing you and your loved ones a happy Spring time,

Sharon Smart-Poage

MAYAN FAMILIES

Web:    www.mayanfamilies.org

E-mail:  sharon@mayanfamilies.org

Rotary 5k Run

The Second Annual Rotary Run to benefit Gift of Life will be held on Saturday, April 4, 2009 at 7:30 am at Riverside Park in Downtown Bonita Springs.  This year, like last, the race will kick off “Celebrate Bonita.”

As most Rotarians already know, the Gift of Life program helps children with failing hearts who desperately need cardiac surgery but do not have the resources to get it.  The program reaches out to these children, who would otherwise die, and heals them through the miracle of open-heart surgery.  It was started by a group of Rotarians in 1975 in Manhasset, NY, and today it is a global effort.  The program has saved over 9,000 children from all over the world.
Donations to Gift of Life help defray the cost of medical expenses surrounding the surgery.  Medical professionals donate their time and skills and participating hospitals and medical centers greatly reduce their costs, but money is still needed for medical supplies, recovery and travel.  Generally, $5000 is the minimum needed to save the life of a child.  The objective of this race is to raise at least $5000 so that one more child in need can be saved.  Additional donations are always appreciated.

If you or someone you know is interested in either participating in this race, either as a runner, walker, or a sponsor, please help us get the word out by asking other people and businesses if they are interested in supporting us as a sponsor to help us reach our goal.

Register for the race online at http://www.active.com/
Thank you very much.

Bonita “Shots for Tots” Program Completes 10 Years!

Under the leadership and endless dedication of Rotarian Ira Hawk, more than nine thousand immunizations have been administered to area children in the first 10 years of the Bonita Springs “Shots for Tots” program.  

Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Bonita Springs in cooperation with the First Presbyterian Church of Bonita Springs and the Lee County Health Department, the clinic offers free immunizations to protect children against disease.  It is held on the first Tuesday evening of each month at the Church on Bonita Beach Road.  Many of the children have no other access to health care. 

Begun in January 1995, the program has served 4,546 children from infants to 18 years of age.  A total of 9,077 shots have been given.

The program continues into its second decade with the next clinic scheduled for Tuesday evening, January 4, from 6pm to 8 pm.  The church is located at 9751 Bonita Beach Road.