We're doing some good in the
Groton Community and the world.
Joe Urda, Groton Rotary Club member and Shelterbox USA Representative, meets with Tom Henderson, Shelterbox founder at the Winter Shelterbox USA Conference in Washtington, DC.
For more information, go to www.shelterboxusa.org
Local scouts help with ShelterBox USA display at Groton Old Home Days.
We are raising funds for the placement signs to designate the
Viet Nam Veteran's Memorial Highway of Valor
as it passes through the Village of Groton.
Gary Watrous, Vietnam Veteran and Joe Urda, USN Corpsman 1966-70 and Groton Rotary member, take part in the dedication the New York State Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Highway of Valor.
Click HERE for the video.
As a club project, we painted the many Historical Markers from aroung the Groton area.
Linda VanBerkom's picture of the kids at the Jinja Nursery School.
The CORAfrica Water Project
Water is essential to human life, yet many people take it for granted. Today, 1.1 billion people - nearly 20 percent of the world’s population – lack access to safe, clean drinking water, and 2.6 billion live without basic sanitation facilities. Contaminated water and inadequate sanitation exacerbate the spread of preventable illnesses, resulting in the deaths of about 6,000 people every day, the majority of whom are children. Moreover, these problems are leading contributors to worldwide poverty and social instability.
- More than 5,000 children around the world die every day for diarrheal diseases caused by unsafe drinking water and a lack of sanitation facilities.
- More than 125 million children under the age of five live in households without access to a clean water source, and more than 280 million lack adequate sanitation facilities.
- Women and children in developing countries often spend as many as six hours each day traveling to retrieve water for their families, a task that adversely affects their health and prevents them form pursuing an education.
A borehole (well) will be located in the Little Flower School, intended to improve the standard of water supply for the school and the entire community of Ipong-Obudu, which at present suffers form acute supply of clean water. The Ipong Community is comprised of Six Villages with a total population of 12,212 inhabitants. It is a largely agrarian community. Their principal cash crop is Yam.
In 1980, through community effort, a stream was excavated and cement walling was used to cage the water. Now the cement wall has caved in and the water is unfit for both drinking and washing of clothes. With acute shortage of water all around, school children do long treks each day in search of clean water from nearby urban locations. The community needs help in cleaning the present mess in order to drill a well or borehole in this same location. The clean water will be used seasonally especially in the dry season.
Thanks to members of the Groton Rotary Club, the Groton Community and the Endicott Rotary Club's $2000 contribution, Pres. Joe Urda is shown presenting a check to Carolann Darling, representing COREAfrica. With this check, we met our $5,000 goal. (3/25/2010)
The water well and pump are now installed and here are the results of our successful Water Project.
Members of the Board of trustees after a recent meeting held in Ithaca, NY.
Standing from left to right is Bruno Schickel, Thomas Lickona, Fr. Peter Abue, Maria DiFrancesco, and Royal Colle.
The Red Kettle Challange between Rotarian Janet Watkins and Friend of Rotary Michelle George against Rotarians Joe and Eileen Urda.
Collected funds - Janet and Michele, $159.51, Joe and Eileen, $197.58.
Thanks to everyone for your contributions to the 2010-1st Annual Groton Rotary Red Kettle Challenge. Look for us agian next year. It will be bigger and better.
The Groton Sesquicentennial Parade - 2010
Spaghetti Supper - Fund Raiser
for the Will Forney Scholarship-10/16/10
at Pres. Terrry Donlick's B&B.
Adopt-a-Highway Crew - 9/16/2010
12/6/09 - As part of or Community Service Projects, club members and friends of Rotary decorated the Senior Citizen's gathering room. Click HERE to see the photo album.
June 2009 - several members of the Groton Rotary Club repainted the WELCOME TO GROTON signs that were a club project back in 1969. Joe Urda, PHF, Eileen Urda, PHF, Ken Thompson and Jen Christiansen were the painters. A special thanks goes out to the Village of Groton and the village crew who removed the signs and brought them to the village garage for easier painting. They also replaced the finished signs. Thanks again.
Eileen Urda paints in the letters.
Joe Urda rolls on the background finish.
Jen Christiansen paints the back side of each sign. Don't worry the paint dries to a deep burgandy.
Joe and Jens with the finished product ready for hanging. Not in the photos is Ken
Thompson, club member who made it possible to have the signs brougt to the village garage. He spent some time painting too.
December 2008, as part of our Community Service Projects, members of the Groton Rotary Club decorated the Groton Nursing Home.
Doc and Janet build a tree. Mona comes to their aide.
Les thinks that light should go over here.
Barb and Will work on the high stuff. Then Mona offers them a hand.
Now that's another mess you've gotten me into Ollie. Our President Janet all tangled up in lights.
What a nice job, Eileen!
Joe creates the center piece.
Will needs a rest after all that work.
Les, a long time member of the Groton Rotary Club, shows off his room at the Groton Nursing Home.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year