300 for Dinner

A  massive Progressive Dinner for 300 was held by the Rotary Club of Pencarrow on Saturday 21 May!   All proceeds will be winging their way south to CHCH and we even have Peter Beck (off the cuff on video clip) giving an update and saying grace before we start. Locals have been awesome with their support and have even have donated prizes for quiz prizes and items to auction. All food was donated by from Pak n' Save and all community groups have combined to ensure the night is a success. Club President John Stevenson commented that as he was mc'ing he was able to "extract every last cent from all attending!"

Submitted by:  President John Stevenson, Rotary Club of Pencarrow, District 9940

Shoe Boxes of Love - Update

These continue to be received from all over New Zealand - 30 from South Wairarapa is just an example.  A spot check shows these to have high quality contents and and are being distributed within hours of receipt - Rotary New Zealand World Community Service (RNZWCS) Chair Stuart Batty mentions that he has personally delivered some of these and has to "carry a box of tissues with me such is the grateful response." 

RNZWCS has linked with the Aranui Community Trust (ACTIS) www.actis.org.nz and approx 20 other local NGO’s to deliver house by house in the most affected areas of Chch.

ACTIS is a very well organised community organisation and provides support in conjunction with a number of organisations including NZ Police, HCNZ,  Women’s Refuge etc. who are available Monday through Friday at their premises. They have a full time neighbourhood nurse and the other services mentioned also make house calls. A very informative newsletter is being delivered to 3000 homes on a regular basis.

The wonderful supporters of Shoe Boxes of Love can be assured that the recipients are truly grateful to caring people they will never meet to thank personally.

Shoes Boxes of Love

Jessie Jarvie of National MP Nikki Kayes
office

Throughout New Zealand individuals, couples, families and groups are putting together shoeboxes of items for the people of Christchurch.  In Auckland 154+ (majority from Waiheke Is) were collected from CABs, National MPs and area offices and Bay Audiology by the people of RDU and delivered to Freight Link who have generously donated the freight to Christchurch.  Rotarians in various centres around New Zealand are providing similar assistance with collections and transport.

These boxes contain a wide range of items with examples being:

smaller of 2 pallets at Freight Link
- thanks guys

• a box with men's toiletries
• a box with soft toys for young children
• a box with ladies 'necessities' (whatever that may be)
• a box with food items.

In most cases these are wrapped with care and many have messages of support for the people of Christchurch, often penned by children.  Some examples are:

• Soft Toys - chocolate bunny and puppy need two needy children to love and cuddle them lots and to keep them company
• To Christchurch - feel safe, don't worry, be happy, enjoy life
• Hello - we are all heart-broken and we just wish you all the best and hope you will recover from the earthquake soon.  Just call on God for help and healing.

Australia Dollars Very Welcome

The Rotary Club of St Peters, Adelaide has donated A$5,000 to RNZWCS for the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal.  The club members send their sincere best wishes for the future well being of Christchurch and it's occupants.

St Peters Rotary website

Dramtic tour of Inner city Christchurch

Click on:

https://picasaweb.google.com/RossBeckerNZ/2011April27IntoTheChristchurchRedZone#slideshow/5602376597050171794 

Virtual tour of the 'Red Zone'

Yesterday a link was launched by CERA for footage of the inner city red zone http://eqstreetcam.co.nz  

Submitted by:  Ross Skinner

Japan has contributed so much

Over NZ$250,000 has been contributed by Districts in Japan and this is greatly appreciated. International Districts have expressed interest regarding Matching Grants and also regarding the transfer of District Designated Funds to District 9970 to assist this to occur.

Both Districts 9920 and 9930 have special funds collecting donations for the purpose of matching with grants from District Designated Funds and / or Rotary Foundation Matching Grants for projects in consultation with Rotary in Christchurch.  It has been acknowledged that this will occur over the medium term to ensure funds are applied wisely to those most in need.

[Explanations about what District Designated Funds and Matching Grants are can be found via www.rotary.org ]

Trying to move towards a new normal

DG Margaret spoke to a packed District 9940 conference in Hamilton on the weekend of 6-7 May about the amazing progress of the Rotary response to Christchurch.  She expressed gratitude that Christchurch and the Rotarians there had experienced the very essence of Rotary through the amazing support from the Family of Rotary throughout the world.  Now, three months on from the earthquake, they are trying to move to a new normal and bring clarity out of the chaos as they move to look after the needs of the community.

DG Margaret said that while the new normal at present includes things like the ever-present tremors and sights of damage, where traffic jams are a new experience due to the damage to the roads with occasional new damage occuring from the aftershocks, where schools are sharing sites and being able to flush the toilet is becoming a renewed experience although for many that day has yet to arrive.  Despite this, the lovely thing is that people now ask how you are and actually stop and listen ... there is a new sense of caring and community throughout the city.

The Rotary Christchurch earthquake fund has raised $1.4 million so far which far exceeds what was ever expected and a robust structure is now in place to use these funds wisely over the medium to long-term.

Update in Rotary Down Under magazine

The May issue of Rotary Down Under magazine includes a couple of update articles on the recovery.  This can be read on-line at www.rotarydownunder.org

Please share this Blog with your friends - there is a very long way to go in the recovery and Rotary is quietly at the forefront of helping families and youth in coping with the long road toward normality.

1st May walk around shows the ever-presence of the damage

In addition to the aftershocks, there is no getting away from the depressing visual effects of the earthquake

Submitted by:  Assistant Rotary Coordinator PDG Ross Skinner