Semiahmoo Rotary Club Partners to Rebuild School Destroyed by Tsunami
Posted by Michael Reddington
Semiahmoo Rotary Club and Elgin Park Secondary in Surrey, B.C. agreed to team up to raise funds for a disaster recovery project in South Asia. Through Semiahmoo Rotary contacts with Rotarians in Thailand, the students at Elgin Park (EPS) received information that Rotary District 3350 who had decided, in consultation with the officials in the Kingdom of Thailand, to concentrate their efforts on re-building schools and houses in the recovery phase after the disaster.
On January 4th Elgin Park Secondary students agreed that they wanted to focus on raising funds for a school re-building project in southern Thailand, estimated to cost $33,000 CDN, and asked for a partnership with Semiahmoo Rotary to help fund-raise and oversee the construction project. In addition, the students agreed that they wished to make this an on-going "sister school" project to help the school recover beyond the construction period and to foster global understanding on a teen to teen basis. Semiahmoo Rotary agreed to partner with the school at its first meeting of the new year on January 6th and assisted the school to plan and execute a three-day fund-raiser at the school.
On Thursday, January 13th, a delegation of 8 staff and students attended the Semiahmoo Rotary Club meeting and announced that they had collected over $17,000 from the student and staff of over 1200 in just 3 days! Semiahmoo Rotary members were so impressed that a collection was made on the spot raising $3,941. As well, the Club was so impressed by the students efforts that it voted unanimously to commit to raising the balance of the $33,000 for the school re-building project. On Friday, January 14th, the student total of funds collected topped $22,700.
At a boisterous rally held at the school at noon that day, the organizing committee announced to deafening cheers the fact that, combined with the Semiahmoo Rotary commitment, the total funds raised hit $33,000. See the accompanying acticle from the Peace Arch News written January 15th 2005.
On Thursday, January 13th, a delegation of 8 staff and students attended the Semiahmoo Rotary Club meeting and announced that they had collected over $17,000 from the student and staff of over 1200 in just 3 days! Semiahmoo Rotary members were so impressed that a collection was made on the spot raising $3,941. As well, the Club was so impressed by the students efforts that it voted unanimously to commit to raising the balance of the $33,000 for the school re-building project. On Friday, January 14th, the student total of funds collected topped $22,700.
At a boisterous rally held at the school at noon that day, the organizing committee announced to deafening cheers the fact that, combined with the Semiahmoo Rotary commitment, the total funds raised hit $33,000. See the accompanying acticle from the Peace Arch News written January 15th 2005.
