Dresses for orphaned children in Uganda.

Rotarian Joyce Marshall made these beautiful dresses for the girls living under the care of the Organization for the Good Life of the Marginalized (OGLM) in Uganda. Chris Kalema, founder and director of OGLM, received the dresses for the girls from Joyce when he visited the Rotary Club of Whitby Sunrise in the spring of 2009. The Rotary Club of Whitby Sunrise is a proud partner of the work of OGLM to assist children left orphaned and vulnerable as a result of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, natural disasters and poverty in Uganda.

Learn more at www.oglm.org.

“La Loma” is an adult training center in the small town of Consuelo, Dominican Republic (approx 1½ hrs East of Santo Domingo). The Grey Sister’s of the Immaculate Conception established La Loma in 1997. The Grey Sisters, an order of Nun’s founded in Canada in 1737, have been working in the Dominican Republic since 1951.

La Loma’s purpose was to train locals for the emerging resort industry. In 2001 the local sugar mill closed, and as a result, the school was besieged with people wishing to be retrained and thus find work. The school was unable to accommodate the increased demand. In 2001 a Canadian Rotarian, Bob McAllister & friend Bob Kirk rode bicycles from Whitby, Ontario to Chicago, Illinois in order to raise money for an addition to La Loma. By raising $35,000, a new building was constructed and opened in 2004. Last year (2006) saw 314 graduates in areas such as waiter/waitress, bartending, small engine repair, & plumbing to list a few. All found placement in their area of study. This is significant since the unemployment rate of the region prior to La Loma was 90%.

Ongoing stewardship of La Loma is carried out by Infotep (approx. English translation: Institute National Formation of Technical Professionals). Infotep is a Dominican agency controlled by private sector and government funding. They provide salaries for teachers, along with curriculums for various courses. An Infotep diploma is internationally recognized, thus students graduating from La Loma can find work throughout the Caribbean and around the world. La Loma has just been recognized for Educational Excellence by Spanish American countries, and will receive this prestigious award in Panama later this year.

Due to its success, La Loma is expanding once again. The new building was constructed with the provision of adding a second floor at a later date. That later date is now.  In 2008, 8 people rode bicycles from Vancouver BC to Calgary AB to raise funds for an expansion of the school (http://www.vivalaloma.com/). Construction is presently underway with expected occupancy in the fall of 2009.

In the spring of 2002 a decision was made by the Rotary Club of Whitby Sunrise to seek  a  partnership with other service clubs within Durham Region to satisfy the many requests for funds to assist various people with the Region.

The  Community Care  Access Centre in  Whitby were approached  to research  a method of  how to  assist  people in Durham  that were in need of financial  help to  obtain Wheel Chairs,  Hospital Beds,   Ceiling  Track and  stair lifts  to mention  a few

It was suggested that we work through an Agency in Durham who are aware of the various people needs.   These Agencies for example are Community Advantage Rehab, Integrated Rehab Professionals to name two very active Agencies with Occupational Therapists on their staff.

At this time we have the following Partners involved, Lions, Kiwanis, Knights of Columbus, Rotary, Kinsmen, Whitby & Oshawa Fire Departments, Canadian Progress Club Pickering and Durham Regional Police

The  Sunrise Whitby Rotary Club is the prime  Service Club in Durham  that  co-ordinates the  other  Service Club & Organizations in providing  assistance to people in need

The Partnership completes on an average of 42 transactions per year with the Clubs & Organizations donating $31,000 each year.

The Partnership In Service is a very productive organization serving the  people of Durham

Mission Statement
To provide people with special needs within the Region of Durham with financial assistance through the support of various Social Agencies, Service Clubs, Public/Private sector organizations through “Partnership In Service” .

The Rotary Club of Whitby Sunrise has been doing humanitarian work in the Dominican Republic since 1998. At that time the club had been looking for a good International project & had become aware of The Grey Sister’s, a group of Canadian Nun’s who were working in Consuelo, a small town approx 1½ hr. N/E of Santo Domingo (Capital). Blair Buchanan & Brian Thompson, (2 members) traveled to Consuelo to investigate possible future projects. Shortly after their return from Consuelo, Blair Buchanan received a call asking for help. A Hurricane had hit the area with the eye passing directly over Consuelo. Within 72 hours, 3 Rotarians, Blair Buchanan, Bob Jarvest, and Tom Sears were on a plane for Consuelo. They carried chain saws (to remove fallen trees), medicines, and perhaps most important of all roofing nails. While they were away the Rotary Club of Whitby Sunrise packed and shipped a 40 ft. sea container full of relief supplies.

While tragic at the time, Hurricane George formed a strong bond between the people of Consuelo and Whitby Sunrise Rotarians. Many members have since made the yearly trip. Some worthwhile projects include:

- Bringing 2 young people suffering from a condition known as Brittle Bones disease, to Canada for life saving surgery.

- Supplying and distributing water filtration systems to local homes & schools.

- Shipping numerous containers full of medical, and school supplies. One of our latest projects has been La Loma.

- La Loma is an adult training center in Consuelo. It trains 314 students a year in trades such as Bartending, Cooking/baking, small engine repair, plumbing etc. To date 100% of the graduates have found work in nearby tourist resorts.

In 2002 the Rotary Club of Whitby Sunrise sponsored the construction of a new building for La Loma. In 2008, 8 people rode bicycles from Vancouver BC to Calgary AB to raise funds for an expansion of the school (http://www.vivalaloma.com/). Construction is presently underway with expected occupancy in the fall of 2009.

Many Rotarians are now planning their next trip in the fall of this year, where amongst other things, we plan to celebrate 50 yrs of service by the Grey Sisters to Consuelo. 

Kimberly Perez

Kimberly Perez is a 15 year old who lives in Consuelo in the Dominican Republic.

She is a wonderful, vibrant teenager. Kimberly suffers from Brittle Bones Disease – a disease which causes the bones to become very brittle and easily broken. Kimberly needs infusions every 3 months at a cost of approximately $175 each session. She will also require surgery to insert 2 expandable metal rods in each leg at a cost of approximately $4,000.

Her Mom's name is Geraldine. Kimberly’s father died about 18 months ago. With one sister they live in a small house made of wood and metal in Consuelo. Geraldine’s only source of income is from a very small kindergarten school that she holds in her yard.

A mini golf tournament, a Class Act brunch, the sale of candied nuts and other donations totaling more than $4000 will mean that Kimberly will be able to have her surgery.

Thailand

Exchange Student

St. Vincents Kitchen

The Rotary Club donates its time to the kitchen once a month, both preparing and serving the meal. The Kitchen served its first meal on October 15, 1990.

It was named after the Saint, Vincent Pallotti. A small group of people saw a sad thing happening in Oshawa. They saw that many people were hungry and had no way of eating a nutritious meal. They also saw that there were businesses who were throwing out good food. They wanted to provide a place where those who needed a meal could come.

This small group sent a letter to all the churches in Durham Region inviting them to come to a meeting at St. Mary of the People Catholic Church Hall. They expected 25 people to attend but were very surprised and pleased that 250 people attended the meeting. From that group volunteer teams were formed as well a board of directors.

The location was discussed and Downtown Oshawa was decided upon because of its central location. 51 King Street East had a vacancy in the basement but the work involved to set up a restaurant that was fire safe was a tremendous task. Many hours of planning and work went into making that basement the St. Vincent's Kitchen dining area we know today. http://stvincentskitchen.com

The Rotary Club donates its time and resources to help with building and yard maintenance, IT support and ongoing donations.

Adopt-A-Highway

As the sponsors of this section of road our name has been placed on signs erected by the Region of Durham, serving as a visible reminder of Rotary's contribution to life in our community. We clean up the garbage along the sides of the road twice a year, in November and April.

The Refuge exists show to God's love and compassion to the at-risk and street youth of the Durham Region community in such a manner that will bring about positive life changes in their lives. They accomplish these goals through programs that are focussed on preventation and intervention.

“The Refuge”, is based in Oshawa and is a drop-in centre for at risk children and youth, living on the streets in the Durham Region. The Refuge is almost entirely funded from private sector donations. At Christmas time, our club approached the The Refuge and offered to purchase 20 fully-stocked backpacks for the homeless and street youth.

Listed below were the items included…

• Warm, good quality socks
• Warm, good quality gloves
• Face cloth
• Full sized deodorant
• Full sized shampoo
• Good quality towel
• Toque or winter hat
• Small stuffed animal
• Snacks
• Comb or hair brush
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Gift card ($10) to Zellers, Movie Theatre, or Tim Hortons, etc. 

The Zellers store in Ajax provided a 10% discount on the total purchase.

http://www.refugeoutreach.com/