CHiPS May 4th, 2015

Visiting Rotarian, Roger Loiselle of the South Club

Speakers, Bill and Dennie Dyer of Shelter Box (both volunteers)

 

Nick went to Myrtle Beach a few weeks back to play golf and realized his game wasn't so great. He recently found solace in baseball through the Yankees.

Gary bragged for the Castleton Rotaract Club receiving their official charter!

Catherine bragged as she just got back from Montego Bay

Mike bragged for the Sabataso Family, as they are opening a new restaurant on Lake Bomoseen at Prospect Bay.

Nicole bragged that she is still alive after she almost slid off a 20 feet creek ledge while walking around an outdoor fire pit. She was able to grab a branch or root to hold on! Glad you are ok, Nicole...

Bob Miller bragged that he had checked with RRMC a day or so after he cooked for everyone at the Park Clean-Up, and no one had come in w/ food poisoning...yet....(shout-out to Bob...the food was great!)

Colie bragged for Rutland Young Professionals receiving a resolution from the government members in Montpelier recognizing them on their efforts to revitalize the Rutland area.

Kevin fined himself for being gone in Florida, but promised that he would have a date together for the admin committee meeting

Mike bragged for the girls that he coaches soccer for. They have been doing very well under his leadership

Joan bragged for the weekend she spent at her niece's wedding, the Red Sox game she went to, and in general the fun time they had in Boston.

Roger bragged for Sonia. Roger and his wife were heading to Myrtle Beach a few weeks back and the day before they were going to leave, his wife had a cap fall off a tooth and it almost cost them the trip, but Dr. Yau saved the day by getting her fixed right up.

 

 

Chuck is looking for volunteers to help at the Golf Tournament.

 

$24 little pot, $146 big. Matt Parker won little, not so lucky on the big...

 

Speaker: SHELTER BOX, represented by Rotarian Bill Dyer and his wife Denny.

They are Londonderry, NH residents. Both retired, but wanting to give back. Shelter Box is the #1 in emergency shelter solutions for those in disaster situations. They do not provide food, money, etc, just shelter and necessities to become self-sufficient again. The goal of Shelter Box is to provide housing for half a million people a year, but they always hope they fall far short of their goal due to the nature of events surrounding the need of their service. They are found primarily in poor and underdeveloped countries, but have even delivered boxes to places in the United States (ie. Tornado alley). A box includes a 10 person tent, cooking utensils, things for the kids to play with or color, hammer, other tools, wood stove, pots, pans, blankets, ground cloth, etc. During the Haitian Earthquake, 30,000 boxes were sent to the island nation. Shelter Box was originally founded by a Rotarian in Cornwall, England who wanted to help people. He went to a store similar to Home Depot and just got a big box and bought things that he felt people in an emergency situation could use and would need. Now, Shelter Box has 8 distinct, separate operations (i.e. Shelter Box UK, Shelter Box USA, etc). Shelter Box is a 501c(3) and they do NOT take money from governments to avoid the strings they often attach. They do receive monies and valuable donations of services from companies like DHL offering discounted shipping for the boxes. Their main benefactors are Rotarians. In-fact, each box actually has the RI symbol printed directly on it! 85 cents on the dollar that Shelter Box receives actually goes into the box, its' contents, shipping, and training of Shelter Box workers and volunteers. The other 15 cents goes for brochures, marketing, promotion, administration, etc. They do not have any high priced "talent" working for them. Most folks are volunteers. One thing that really stuck in my mind was when the speaker was asked how long the tent and items last. He said he is aware of confirmed reports of tents still being lived in over 5 years after being set up. A fully loaded box weighs about 150 pounds. Inside each box there is actually a letter that says who donated the money to make the box possible. Currently, there are two Shelter Box teams in Nepal trying to figure out logistics and who needs what the most.