Members of the Rotary Club of Tigard gathered recently for dinner at the home of Paul and Judy Miller. They were there to celebrate the successful fund-raising effort to purchase a much-needed ambulance for the village of Chwele in Kenya.
Grace and Paul Kuto presented a video that introduced village life, the operations of a medical clinic that Carol VanDomelen, another Rotary member, spent 7 weeks helping to organize and run, as well as the enthusiastic dedication of the well-equipped ambulance.
The path from Tigard to Chwele was paved with donations from club members; a Rotary grant and a well-received fundraising dinner at Calvin Presbyterian Church.
Chwele is Kuto’s home village and she grew up experiencing the challenges of limited access to medical services and the difficulties involved in transporting individuals in need of medical care, including pregnant women, from their homes in the nearby mountainous areas.
She commented, “We thank our whole club for the corporate support towards the ambulance fundraising earlier this year. Many thanks once again go to the several individual club members who additionally gave so generously to help us reach the goal of at least purchasing and equipping the ambulance. “
Locally, members of the Breakfast and Noon clubs distributed dictionaries to third graders in the Tigard Tualatin School District. Pictured is Mike Stone, explaining what Rotary does around their neighborhood and the world.
This is an annual event and the students receive both English and English/Spanish dictionaries.