The Rotary Club of Anguilla, District 7020, on Friday afternoon, 20th May, held a handing over ceremony at the Teachers’ Resource Centre, to present school supplies to the island’s six public primary schools.
The gifts were sent to the Rotary Club in Anguilla, District 7020, by the NextGen Rotary Club of Southern California, District 5240. A statement from the President of the NextGen Rotary Club, Mr. James Hilser, was read at the ceremony by local Rotary Club Secretary, Mrs. Carolyn Richardson-Hodge:
“One of Rotary Club’s mantras is ‘Service Above Self’. It is in this phrase that NextGen Rotary Club of District 5240 operates.”
“That is why,” the statement continued, “when we learnt that the students of Anguilla’s Primary Schools were in need of computers and school supplies the members of NextGen Rotary Club jumped to action.
“James R. Hilser, the Club’s 2021 President, visited the island in the Summer of 2021 and spoke with locals about how the pandemic affected the island. When it was acknowledged that there were students who were struggling because of the transition of hybrid virtual learning, the newly chartered club leapt into action.”
“By the Fall of that year, a School Supplies Drive was established in Southern California, where thousands of dollars were raised and a pallet of school supplies, conducive to the new modes of education, was shipped to Anguilla.”
The School Supplies Drive’s corporate sponsor, Interlink Electronics CEO, Steve Bronson, who first visited Anguilla in 2017, had this to say: “Anguilla is very special to me, and I want to do what I can to support the island and its extraordinary people. While the beauty of the island itself is undeniable, it is the warmth of its local people that has kept me coming back for the past five years.”
Rotary Anguilla’s Assistant District Governor, Mr. Seymour Hodge, addressed the modest gathering: “Rotary International encourages clubs to partner with clubs within our district, as well as outside of our district, for service projects for our communities,” he said.
He continued: “The NextGen Rotatay Club of Southern California, and the Rotary Club of Anguilla, agreed to partner on a Rotary International service project. This project falls within one of Rotary International’s seven areas of focus, which encompasses basic education and literacy.
“The NextGen Rotary Club raised in excess of US$4,000 to purchase the school supplies for this project. These supplies include (but are not limited to) backpacks, computers, laminators, geometry sets, calculators, and much more.”
Mr. Hodge said that a need assessment was carried out with the assistance of the Department of Education, and it was concluded that indeed school supplies were needed for students in Anguilla. He said it was decided that these supplies would be distributed as evenly as possible among the six public primary schools.
One individual who had been quite instrumental in this endeavour was Mr. Velvoy Vanterpool. The Secretary, Mrs. Hodge Richardson, described him as a dear friend of NextGen Rotary President, James R. Hilser. Velroy, along with his wife, Kamarla, in meaningful conversation explained the need of the schools to the President. Velroy was given an opportunity to make remarks at the ceremony:
“I met James, socially, while working at the Four Seasons Resort. He was a guest there. In speaking with him, our conversation led to him questioning how he can reach out to assist with the needs of churches, clubs or schools on the island. When I mentioned that the primary school students would be in need of supplies at that time, he expressed his desire and willingness to jump in and assist. So today, this is the fruits of our labour, and I want to say a big ‘thank you’ to James.”
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Mrs. Bonnie Richardson-Lake, voiced her gratitude for the donation of school supplies: “I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to our local Rotary Club and the Rotary Club of Southern California,” she said. “Here in Anguilla we have a collective responsibility to support our children and to promote their education. This responsibility is not Government’s alone but, in fact, the whole country must play its part in this endeavour. ‘It takes a village to raise a child’ as the proverb says.
“When we have service clubs like Rotary International, that can reach out across boundaries, and bring us this kind of support, we must consider their efforts as being very important, and for this gesture we must be very grateful. So I would like to say hearty thanks to the Rotary Club of Anguilla, and to the Rotary Club of Southern California. Thank you very much, again.”
Rotary Anguilla Secretary, Carolyn Richardson-Hodge, expressed her thanks on behalf of Rotary International, to all who made donations to the schools possible, and for taking part in the handing over ceremony. She thanked the Assistant District Governor, Mr. Seymour Hodge; Mrs. Bonnie Richardson-Lake, Ms. Sandra Fahie, and Mrs. Susan Smith of the Department of Education.
With regard to freight movement and transportation, she expressed thanks to Abel Scafolding of the US for consolidating and moving the packages, Tropical Shipping for freight, and the local company, Good-to-Go Trucking, for transporting the packages to the Teachers Resource Centre.
Most importantly, she heartily thanked the NextGen Rotary Club’s President, Mr. James R. Hilser, for initiating the project – as well as the School Supplies Drive sponsor, Steve Bronson, CEO of Interlink Electronics.
