They say it is better to light a single small candle than to curse the darkness. So we see how our fellow islanders react to disaster, some curse the situation, others work to make a change for the better – and of course, most of us do both. Perhaps the example to follow is that of the Rotary Clubs, Red Cross, and K1 Britannia. Not to overlook the heroic efforts of the Military, the Police and Fire departments, VROMI, and GEBE personnel.
These have been our heroes of late, but when the drama dies away, the hard task of picking up the pieces and rebuilding our lives comes into stark focus. That medium to long term vision has gripped the members of the island’s three Dutch-side Rotary Clubs. Club presidents John Caputo, Anjali Manek and Damali Bryson along with Marcellia Henry, assistant governor for the Rotary Clubs of St. Maarten/St. Martin, St. Barth and Anguilla, are meeting weekly to write proposals to Rotary International to apply for grants to help with the rebuilding of the island’s schools and some key NGOs.
“Rotary works by helping our own communities,” says John Caputo, president of Rotary St. Maarten. “But there is also the Rotary Foundation which does matching grants for, in this instance, disaster relief.”
Rotary joined in the immediate relief to residents after Hurricane Irma. Marcellia Henry reports that so far two containers have been packed and shipped for St. Barth and St. Maarten/St. Martin; however, due to Hurricane Maria, the harbor has been blocked. With the reopening of the harbor, we will collect and distribute relief supplies to the community. At the district level, the District Relief Committee has been receiving donations for the countries affected by Hurricane Irma and Maria via the Disaster Network of Assistance – Rotarian Action Group (DNA-RAG) Fund.
Meanwhile, the Rotary Clubs of St. Maarten Mid-Isle and St. Martin Sunrise and St. Dominic Interact Club assisted Philipsburg Jubilee Library with the cleaning up of their premises, which was badly damaged by Hurricane Irma. The Clubs will also be assisting with other clean-ups in the community.
As these actions took place, though, members noticed that very few organizations were focusing on medium- to long-term relief. Caputo: “So we are placing our focus on schools. Obviously, if the schools aren’t able to meet their responsibilities successfully, it is bad news for our whole future.” They went right to work on this task.
Rotary members toured several schools last weekend and saw that what wasn’t destroyed by Irma was quickly destroyed by vandals and looters. “That is where we came in to help,” says Caputo. “We hope to take on some big projects. Our Club was already helping Marie Laurence School achieve exceptional education. The idea was to transform this school into an oasis for safe and encouraging learning and social environment. Finding out what inspires each child, whether it is sports, music or art, and then bringing out that passion and giving a sense of purpose and belonging. One of the roadblocks to our vision was that they needed to add several classrooms to the school. Now the school, as well as other schools, is severely damaged. So now is the time to repair and rebuild it, but also to be proactive for security against future disasters and theft and to have modern and up to date materials for the school.”
Members of Rotary Clubs across the world have shown great empathy for what has occurred on The Friendly Island. There are many with some connection to the island, perhaps just as tourists or perhaps they have family here – so through the network of Club partnerships, grant requests and dedicated emergency relief funds have been implemented. “Because of this outpouring of love and funds, we should be able to achieve our goals to help with some substantial projects and in the process change lives and the island’s sustainability in the long term.”
“We are exploring helping two other schools, one is Sundial (the whole culinary section was destroyed or looted) and the other is St. Maarten Vocational School. All three Dutch side Clubs have pledged to work together on these projects and each to focus on one school. We have asked the schools for a wish list of how it can be, insurance should put the buildings back to where they were before, but a lot of the materials wouldn’t be covered by insurance. Rotary Club wants to improve the overall functioning and modernization of the schools. Schools will need laptops and storage units to protect them from future storms and theft. They will need all kinds of supplies, projectors, desks, chalk and white boards.”
“Now we are meeting the reps from all the Clubs and the boards once a week and now that we have communications back up, we are able to respond to the influx of offers for assistance. We will be applying for Global Matching Grants and District help to hopefully make a substantial difference. This week, we are doing the paperwork for the grant applications. We are in the planning phase, we have to soon turn it into the execution phase,” says Caputo.
Rotarians believe in the motto “Service above self” and they will continue to exhibit this motto as they assist with the rebuilding of St. Maarten, St. Martin, St. Barth and Anguilla. “If people are looking for avenues to donate or help, there are many great organizations out there, but for Rotary Clubs, it’s highly effective, because100% of the donations that come to us goes into the projects.”
