The Rotary Shoebox Scheme is not just for Christmas!

Close on 13,000 boxes left our main Preston Warehouse two weeks ago bound for north west Romania. Shoebox Chairman Peter Clare and regular volunteer driver Gareth Hughes travelled in a smart new tractor unit, kindly again donated for the trip by our good friends at SCANIA.

Last week they were personally distributing the boxes, first in the Baia Mare region and then in the area around Cluj.  In Baia Mare our main contact was Hope and Homes for Children (HHC) and over 4,000 boxes were left with them for distribution. In the photograph, Peter and Gareth are seen giving a shoebox gift to a mother and child who are typical of many being looked after by HHC.

We hope to meet many Rotarians at the RIBI Conference at Harrogate in April.

We will be in the House of Friendship on stand 61 and look forward to saying hello to as many supporters as possible.

If you have not used the scheme before, then you are doubly welcome to come along and see for yourself how the scheme works and to pick up some literature and latest newsletter.

At last a few photos of boxes being delivered in Ukraine have started to come in. This one shows children at an Orphanage receiving gifts
at Christmas.

Over 12,000 Shoeboxes left the main Warehouse on Wednesday 12th December bound for Ukraine ready for Christmas distribution. A further similar load, will go shortly to Romania and Moldova. Any boxes remaining in the Warehouse, or received after this, will still go out in future loads since the Rotary Shoebox Scheme operates all year round not just at Christmas. On behalf of all those who will receive your gifts, thanks so very much for all your support.

Our secretary Roy Deem from Lymm Cheshire, decided to retire from the voluntary post at the end of June after serving the Rotary Shoebox Scheme for twelve years. In addition to the usual secretarial duties, Roy also collated the whole of the Shoebox records including all boxes ordered and returned. At a special dinner held in his honour by the management team, Roy was astounded to receive a Paul Harris Fellowship presented by District Governor Colin Ince, who is himself a member of the team.

Please order your boxes as soon as possible to enable us to spread the load at the Warehouse and enable you to make a start in your community. As you can see from the photo of Tom Gunn from Scotland, using the Rotary Shoebox scheme can be great fun.

12,800 of your Shoebox Gifts are currently being delivered (4th April 2012) to western Romania in time for Easter. These will be distributed by our contacts out there, including ‘Hope and Homes for Children’ and ‘Spurgeons’.

SCANIA have again helped greatly, by loaning one of their tractor units for the journey.

Ray is the only one looking directly at the camera

On Monday 12th December, a lorry set off from our Warehouse in Preston loaded with 13,600 of your shoebox gifts for the children and families of Odessa and Kiev in Ukraine. A similar load will shortly be setting off for north-east Romania and Moldova. RIBI President, Ray Burman, visited the Shoebox Warehouse twice in December. He was very impressed with what he saw and with all the practical work that the scheme generates for Rotarians throughout RIBI. On his second visit he made a video message to send to all Rotarians in the New Year via the Rotary website.
www.ribi.org/about-us/whos-who