At the March 17th Liberty Rotary Club meeting, we were fortunate to have a number of guest speakers linked to the international projects to which our organization has given assistance.
Our first speaker was Katherine Meighan  from the Rotary Club of Belize who spoke about the work in her area after the devastating impact of Hurricanes Eta and Iota and the incredible good the contributions raised by Liberty Rotary Club was doing in the region.  Ms. Meighan told about the widespread impact the hurricanes had on Honduras, Guatamala and Belize.  She stated that without the support of the Liberty Rotary Club, her club would not have been able to accomplish all it  had.  These accomplishments included determining what immediate relief was needed and the creation of 120 survival kits to aid those in desperate need of essential supplies.(The following photos are from Ms. Meighan's Presentation)
As the local residents struggled with water that had not yet receded, they distributed clothing to those that had lost their worldly belongings.  They also distributed 144 AquaBoxes to assure that families would have safe and clean drinking water.  The value of these boxes was approximately $9,000.
They also were able to obtain shoes from an organization know as "Sole Purpose".  The synergy of all the organizations that helped with Belize's recovery brought great relief to an area that was so extensively altered by the natural disasters.  Ms. Meighan said the the assistance from Liberty Rotary Club and its connections for aid brought great surprise and elation!  To donate to the Belize Disaster Relief Campaign go to: https://cfosny.org/our-funds/project-funds/liberty-new-york-rotary-club-foundation-fund/
 
Our next speakers were Roz Adamson from AquaBox and a member of the Rotary Club of Twickenham and Roger Cassidy a member of the Rotary Club of Haselmere .  Roz explained how the AquaBox systems work and the great impact they were having around the world.  Each filter box can be distributed to a community or family and will last indefinitely.  Some of the units have now been in use for 6-7 years and still provide clean, potable water.  They identified that the only part of the system that sometimes fails are some O-rings, so extras are now included to assure their units keep serving those in need.  As long as the systems are back-flushed daily, their simple design keeps performing.

Natural disasters, such as earthquakes, flooding, drought, typhoons or hurricanes happen all too often. They can occur in any location in the world, causing widespread disruption, loss of life, food and water shortages. Similarly, man-made conflicts result not only in severe damage to infrastructure but also in large numbers of people being displaced from their homes with very limited access to shelter and essential living items.  Aquabox responds by sending its AquaFilters and humanitarian aid, working closely with selected aid agencies and distribution partners who ensure that the aid reaches those most in need.  (Photos from Roz Abramson's Presentation)

To donate to Aquabox go to https://www.aquabox.org/donate-online.html

We thank our guest speakers so very much for sharing the amazing work they are doing to aid those struggling with incredibly difficult situations.  Liberty Rotary Club is proud to do its part to support these efforts.