Fellow Rotarians, I received the following email from PDG Donna Lee Rubin recently on the status of our international service mission to Cebu in the Philippines.“I’m saddened to say that due to the global travel restrictions and the uncertainty of the spread of the pandemic, we must postpone the 2020 mission to Cebu. I have notified PDG Anton in Cebu who will communicate with the sponsoring Rotary Club , patient recruiters , hospital and volunteers. They are truly admirable, loyal and so hard working. We are so appreciative of the ongoing enthusiasm and support from the clubs and donors in my dear District 7930. You are all so special to me and I miss you…
What an impact D7930 has made globally having sponsored missions since 2001 which is when I brought Rotaplast to Massachusetts and beyond in our Zones.I was DG and went on the first district sponsored mission to Bolivia just weeks after 911 and the full Boston team all stayed on the team to join the mission. It was fabulous and was the platform for helping so many children in need globally for years to come.
Now in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we will be canceling missions through at least July 2021. We hope to get out on the other side of this and resume future missions. Hopefully D7930 will be there to sponsor the next mission to Cebu.
I want to thank the chairs and DG Joan and all those track Governors that have enthusiastically supported these missions. I thank my PHF friend David Boudreau for his energy and positive attitude helping us with fundraising and record keeping and being the “ treasurer/ banker extraordinaire“ as well as producer of our Rotaplast Team show “12 days of Mission” act!
I don’t want to leave anyone out and will ask you to extend thanks to those not mentioned in this email.”
As PDG Donna Lee says our mission is merely postponed not cancelled. Those of us who have gone know that when we return there will be more children than ever who need these life changing surgeries. Our goal is to have our next mission fully funded before it is even announced. If you missed out donating for this past mission or if you have it in your budget to support an upcoming mission, we ask that you send checks to District 7930, c/o David Boudreau, Institution for Savings, 68 Storey Avenue, Newburyport, MA 01950. Your donations will be recorded and put into a separate account for our upcoming mission. Please make checks payable to District 7930 noting Rotaplast on the memo line. If you are making a donation that requires a tax-exempt receipt we ask that you make the donation directly to Rotaplast Internation at www.rotaplast.org, with the District 7930 Cebu notation on it and notify the district of your donation so that we may track it.
Please call us with any questions you may have. We will be happy to speak at your club, and present a powerpoint slideshow to tell you all about Rotaplast and this mission.
Yours in Rotary Service
Terry Curran, Rotaplast Co-Chair 2019-2020
Bob Arsenault, Rotaplast Co-Chair 2019-2020