Batesville, AR – The Batesville Rotary Club is working to help raise money for the victims of the recent devastating earthquake in Haiti. The club is accepting monetary donations through Friday, January 29th. Those wishing to donate can mail a check or money order to:
Batesville Rotary
Haiti Relief
PO Box 2654
Batesville, AR 72503-2654
“Rotary’s motto is ‘Service Above Self’, and we want to try to do something to help the people of Haiti who are suffering so greatly,” said Batesville Rotary Club President Mark House. “We have a chance to use our network of contacts to raise money to be used to help the people of Haiti, and that’s what Rotary is all about”.
All money raised by this fundraising drive will be sent to the Rotary Foundation’s Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund. This fund was established by the Rotary Foundation to support medium to long-term relief projects in Haiti, not disaster relief efforts. “While the disaster relief efforts are on everyone’s minds right now, the Rotary Foundation is thinking long-term,” said Batesville Rotary Club Secretary Ronald Richardson. “Once the dust has settled from the disaster relief, the people of Haiti are going to need support for rebuilding their infrastructure -clean water, sanitation, and other things that people often forget about following a disaster. The Rotary Foundation’s Earthquake Relief Fund has been specifically established to raise money for just those things, and we feel it’s an excellent way for people to make a long-term difference,” said Richardson.
Using social media like Facebook to promote their effort, the Batesville Rotary Club has already secured donations from as far away as Alabama. “Our club has made a commitment to donate, and several of our members have given individually and through their businesses. In addition, we want to challenge all of our local civic clubs and organizations to support our efforts by making a donation, and even helping us man our tables on the 29th. The more people we can get involved, the more successful we’ll be,” said House.
All donations made to the Batesville Club’s effort will be tax-deductible, and receipts will be mailed to individual donors by the Rotary Foundation. Anyone with questions about the Batesville Rotary Club’s fundraising efforts is encouraged to visit www.batesvillerotary.org for a list of club members who can help answer questions.
