Club meeting by ZOOM

30th September 2021 Rotary Shoe Box Scheme – Colin Ince

The Vale of Belvoir Rotary Club will be taking part in the Rotary Shoe Box Scheme and Colin Ince from the scheme very kindly (via Zoom) talked to the club about how the scheme works.  He also gave greetings from President Paul Winstanley and members of the Rotary Club of St Helens-Rotary District 1285

Introduction of how it all started

1994: Rotarian Malcolm McCarthy suggested that Rotary District 1280 collect shoeboxes full of gifts for Iasi (Romania)
2000: 50,000 boxes annually to Eastern Europe

Aims and objectives

To serve the underprivileged people of Central and Eastern Europe
To give comfort and raise morale
To deliver special shoeboxes filled with gifts from Great Britain and Ireland.
To assist donors by transporting their gifts

All year, shoeboxes full of gifts are sent to needy children & families in Eastern Europe

Very poor and homeless families

Children in orphanages and hospitals

Families of people in prison

Older children in prison

Veterans

Schools for children with learning disabilities

There are usually around 14,000 to fill a lorry ready to take them overseas.

For many of the children the shoebox with presents in may be the first toys they have ever owned

Shoe boxes are delivered no matter what the weather carrying Shoeboxes along muddy roads and delivering boxes in the snow in Ukraine

Maggie gave a vote of thanks and thanked Colin for taking the time to join our zoom meeting with a very detailed presentation and some heartfelt photographs of the children receiving their boxes, and to give us more information on how the scheme works which will help us as a club as we will be taking part in the scheme late autumn 2021 - early spring 2022 with our local schools and hoping to spread a little more happiness to some very poor and homeless families and members joined with a virtual show of their appreciation.        MF/AR