Members of Rotary in Great Britain and

Ireland are saying a huge thank you to the public after it was revealed

that over £3m was raised for ShelterBox, Water Survival Box and Aquabox

in the first three months of this year for Haiti and other countries

hit by disasters.  

The staggering figures provided by the

charities, shows how much the members of the public care for others

at times of great need and that Rotary is trusted to deliver help where

it is needed the most. Christchurch Rotary club, for example, received

a donation of £1500 from a local school plus £750 from a parent -

enough altogether to pay for between 4 and 5 ShelterBoxes each of which

will provide a tent and survival equipment for a family of up to ten

people. This was in addition to the substantial sums raised by the Club

from street collections and other local donations. 

President Ian McDonald from the Rotary

Club of Christchurch said: “Our members were all out and doing whatever

we could to raise funds. You cannot fail to be moved by the horrific

news reports and stories of loss. We might not be able to go over and

help but we can send aid. 

“I am very grateful to the people of

Christchurch who have given so generously and contributed to this

amazing

figure. We work closely with the community and it's thanks to that

relationship

that people feel they can trust us to do the right thing with their

donations.” 

Aquabox, Water Survival Box and

ShelterBox

volunteers have worked tirelessly to get aid to Haiti, Chile and other

countries affected by disasters, as well as supporting those who are

providing help. Had it not been for the unique design of the aid boxes

and life-saving equipment contained within, hundreds if not thousands

of lives would have been lost. 

President of Rotary in Great Britain

and Ireland, David Fowler, said: “I am overwhelmed and delighted by

the amount of donations kindly given by the public. This is what Rotary

is all about, helping others at times of great need. Thanks to the

unique

network of Rotary members, we can get aid to disaster zones very quickly

by using our worldwide network of members.” 

Lasse Petersen, General Manager of

ShelterBox,

said: “We want to say a huge thank you to members of Rotary in Great

Britain and Ireland for their dedication and commitment in helping raise

funds for families who have lost their homes in the Haiti earthquake

and other disasters around the world. We are also indebted to the public

for their generous donations which makes it possible for us to deliver

emergency shelter and life-saving supplies. This year is ShelterBox's

tenth anniversary and an opportunity for us to thank all our supporters

for everything they do.” 

Hugo Pike, Chairman of World Water Works

said: “Not only did Great Britain and Ireland dig deep into their

pockets, we received a donation of £42,000 from Taiwan. Last year we

sent out hundreds of Water Survival Boxes following the typhoon. Taiwan

donated as a thank you and their generosity says a great deal about

the relevance of the box. Emergency rescue services took our boxes to

Haiti which again is a great endorsement of the Water Survival Box and

its relevance in these disasters.” 

If you would like to join the Rotary

Club of Christchurch or know more about Rotary in your area,

please visit www.ribi.org