A group of pupils from Reid Street School, Darlington have raised enough money to sponsor three guide dogs for the blind in a fundraising project lead by the school’s Rotakids – an organisation of children connected to Darlington Rotary.
The children were inspired by a parent governor Lorna Davies, who came to the school with her guide dog to tell them about Guide Dogs for the Blind and how it works, and eventually raised just over £640.
We are very proud of our Rotakids. They danced, had a quiz and a sponsored silence and we raised enough to sponsor three dogs.”
Rotary President Peter Phillips said: “It is an amazing result for the children and the school as a whole. The pupils come up with their own ideas and to have raised so much is a credit to them and the staff.”
Joanne Davison, who is the school link with Rotary, said: “We are very proud of our Rotakids. They danced, had a quiz and a sponsored silence and we raised enough to sponsor three dogs.”
She said that other recent fundraising activities involved a spring clean to collect clothes no longer needed. They collected 427 kilos of clothes and raised £189. A donation of £150 will go to the British Heart Foundation and the rest will buy Easter Eggs for an end of term raffle.
Elsewhere, Stevenage Rotarian and celebrity chef Oli Khan was finally able to be presented with his MBE he was rewarded last year by HRH The Prince of Wales.
Stevenage Rotarian Oli Khan receiving his MBE from HRH The Prince of Wales.
Over lockdown, Oli and his Surma Takeaway committed to give 5,000 complementary curry meals to NHS frontline staff and other key workers across England and they ended up providing over 10,000!
Oli provided complementary food to the NHS frontline staff and other key workers in care homes, ambulance, police and fire stations, postal depots, bin workers, bus drivers, and for the blind and disabled.
Oli is an internationally recognised chef and entrepreneur who has featured over the years on Sky News, BBC, ITV and CNN News.
Up towards Peterborough, President of Peterborough Ortons Rotary Club Clive Doubleday was able to present two young rowers with their Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) certificates.
Wiktoria and Emma receiving their RYLA certificates.
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is an intensive leadership experience organized locally by Rotary clubs and districts for participants ages 14-30 where they can develop their skills as a leader while having fun and making connections.
Emma and Wiktoria are promising young rowers who train 3 nights awake with Peterborough Rowing Club and loved their weekend of caving, climbing and zip-wiring, feeling like they’ve improved in confidence and leadership skills in the process!
Finally, down towards Portsmouth the Rotary Club of Fareham successfully raised the funds needed to build a Sand Dam in Kenya.
South East Kenya is a tough place to live with more than 840,000 people living below the national poverty line. Most are rural farmers who depend on rain-fed agriculture to survive.
Now they can have that rainwater thanks to the fundraising efforts of Fareham Rotary and inspiring other clubs to contribute to its success.
The Wisuka Sand Dam that was completed thanks to funds raised from Fareham Rotary.
Jon Richards, International Lead for the Rotary Club of Fareham, said: “We wanted to help the community in the Wisuka region to have access to clean water that in turn, can lead to better health and education.
“The project motivated our members who, supported by the Rotary Clubs of Whiteley and Portsmouth & Southsea, have raised in excess of £13,000 (50% of the final cost of the dam), and the Sand Dam is now complete.”
The Club were also successful in obtaining a Rotary Global Grant which is helping to fund 2 further dams!
