Roger May, President, Lake Oswego, Oregon Rotary reports: “I was in Dar es Salaam on August 24 and again on September 5. I visited the SOS Childrens Village there on both occasions. The purpose of the return visit on the 5th was to see the completed water storage project. As you can see from the photos they weren’t quite done [finishing the Water Tower, that Springfield Rotary plus some other Rotary clubs helped fund] but they were putting on a “full court press” to get all of the loose ends tied up because the former president of Tanzania was to dedicate the structure on the coming weekend. Along with various photos of the water storage structure I have include some general pictures of the village as well. There are photos of one of the thirteen houses showing the dining – living area, bedrooms, boys and girls wardrobe cabinets, class rooms and some general site shots. I have more if that would be of interest to you or your club. I have now had four visits to the village and have been in many of the houses. They are all maintained to the same high level. The orphaned children here appear to be receiving excellent care.”
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CONCERN teaches Rotary about Foster Care in the Area
Representatives from CONCERN, a private 501(c)(3) non-profit community based child welfare organization dedicated to meeting the needs of abused, neglected, and delinquent children and youth, presented to the Springfield Township Rotary Club on what the organization does, what it looks for in foster parents, and described some of the circumstances for which children come under their care.
They reviewed how they are organized, that they serve some 200 children a year in Montgomery County alone and 20,000 – 25,000 children a year in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. For more information on foster care and adoption through CONCERN visit www.concern4kids.org
Former Springfield Rotary President, Jack Norrie with two representatives from CONCERN, Diane Devlin and Mary Kay Rafferty, a foster care
and adoption agency that helps children throughout Montgomery County.
CONCERN’s Montgomery County office is located at 49 Easton Road (behind Weinrich’s Bakery) Suite 202, Willow Grove, PA 19090
Rotary Funds DARE Program
Rotary President Jim Pearce presents Springfield Township Police Officer Sam Boone a check for $2,000 to fund the township’s DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Program. Fifth grade students from the township take part in a 10-week education program to “say no to drugs” and “yes to life.” Below some of the children from the program came along to tell the Rotarians what they learned and to thank the club for its support of the program. For more on the program look here.