A Big Thank You to Loon Lake, Gravenhurst Resident and Friend, David Bryce for raising funds for 50 ROTARY WHEELS FOR LEARNING BICYCLES for children here in Cambodia. These bicycles will be given out in January-February 2014, when our team of 30 Ontario Rotarians & Friends come to Cambodia on their 3-week bicycle distribution trip.
Visit Rotary Wheels for Learning on Facebook and give it a Like.
Our third bicycle distribution trip to Cambodia sees our
largest group going over yet with 30 participants – Rotarians and Friends –
from across District 7010. The trip filled up quickly this year – here follows the
names of our illustrious and eager team:
Steve and Andrea Roberts, George Kadoke PDG Brian and Dorothy Menton , Ron and AG
Margaret Walton, Elizabeth Harvey, Doug Patterson, Mike Davidson, Tony and
Susan Davidson, Andrew Walton and Kat Beck, Linda Cantle, Beverly Rogers, Sue
Whitley, Dan Herbert and Janet Stead, John and Pat Hulme, Girvin and Cheryl
Devitt, Carol Cartier and Pete Burrell, Mike and Maryanne Kinsey, Marc Durocher
and Lisa McCoy. We have a local guide and translator, Sophea, that travels with
our team.
Rotary Clubs represented on the trip are: Matheson,
Gravenhurst, Bracebridge, Haliburton, Washago & Area Centennial, Bridgenorth-Ennismore-Lakefield,
Parry Sound, Barrie-Kempenfelt and South Georgian Bay.
The team arrives in Phnom Penh Cambodia on Tuesday, January
28th, 2014 and will spend 3 weeks distributing bicycles to needy
students in the rural areas. Our current goal is to distribute 800 bicycles in
9 target locations – but we are happy to provide more if donations pour in.
Along with distributing bicycles, our team will be bringing
over donations of schools supplies, used eyeglasses, toys and children’s
clothes which we will give out at the schools and orphanages that we visit. At
every bicycle distribution, a Cambodian dental professional will provide a
dental hygiene lesson to the children, families and teachers there – so, we are
also looking for donations of toothbrushes and toothpaste.
Some of our distributions will be done with members of the
local Rotary Club of Battambang. We will attend one of their meetings and enjoy
a Cambodian dinner with them.
Our team will also get to visit many of Cambodia’s historic
sites including: the famed temples of Angkor Wat, The Tuol Sleng Genocide
Museum, the Killing Fields, the Landmine Museum, the Royal Palace and National
Museum. Our team enjoys local boat trips, cyclo rides and even ride the famous
‘Bamboo Train’. We see a lot of rural Cambodia that the average tourist does
not see.
Our past two service trips to Cambodia saw a total of 2,328 bikes distributed to needy
children enabling them to swiftly cover the miles to school. In the past 2
years, we also distributed 4 tons of rice, 1,231 family-sized mosquito nets and
thousands of toothbrushes and toothpaste.
Our 2013 Bicycle Distribution Team |
You can contribute to our team’s effort by making a
tax-receiptable donation. $50 buys a bicycle for a child in Cambodia. Donations
can be made online through PayPal on this site or at www.gravenhurstrotary.com
or by cheque to Rotary Club of Gravenhurst, Box 888, Gravenhurst, Ontario, P1P
1V2 (‘RWFL’ in memo field)
Steve Hayhurst from Rotary Club of Gravenhurst |
Rotary Wheels for Learning is an international program of the Rotary Club of Gravenhurst. For more
information Contact Patrick Bongers
705-689-1646.
To donate items towards the trip contact Lisa McCoy
705-644-0779, rotarywheelsforlearning@gmail.com
Rotary Wheels for
Learning Links:
RotaryWheels4L on You Tube