The Seward Rotary Club is a member of Rotary International and for their weekly program they went very “international” featuring a live presentation from the Grand Bahamas, with the presentation from the Rotary Club Lucaya’s President Jaims Carey. He made the presentation on Wednesday, June 10 at noon in a live Zoom meeting. He was introduced by Seward Rotary Program Chair Melanie Ayres and Seward Rotary Foundation Committee members, Jon and Bonnie Kruse. Also featured on the program was Rotary District Global Grant Chairman-Ed Walsh of Omaha. Jaims Carey is a Mechanical Engineer and works at the Freeport Container Port. He noted he is “back to work” at his office and commented briefly on the Corona -19 Virus on Grand Bahama.
The Seward Rotary Club is a member of Rotary International and for their weekly program they went very “international” featuring a live presentation from the Grand Bahamas, with the presentation from the Rotary Club Lucaya’s President Jaims Carey. He made the
presentation on Wednesday, June 10 at noon in a live Zoom meeting. He was introduced by Seward Rotary Program Chair Melanie Ayres and Seward Rotary Foundation Committee members, Jon and Bonnie Kruse. Also featured on the program was Rotary District Global Grant Chairman-Ed Walsh of Omaha. Jaims Carey is a Mechanical Engineer and works at the Freeport Container Port. He noted he is “back to work” at his office and commented briefly on the Corona -19 Virus on Grand Bahama.
presentation on Wednesday, June 10 at noon in a live Zoom meeting. He was introduced by Seward Rotary Program Chair Melanie Ayres and Seward Rotary Foundation Committee members, Jon and Bonnie Kruse. Also featured on the program was Rotary District Global Grant Chairman-Ed Walsh of Omaha. Jaims Carey is a Mechanical Engineer and works at the Freeport Container Port. He noted he is “back to work” at his office and commented briefly on the Corona -19 Virus on Grand Bahama.
President Carey updated and informed the members of the Seward Rotary Club on the benefactor of the Global Grant-Rand Memorial Hospital-a public hospital.. He thanked the Seward Rotary Club for their dedication to serve the people of the Bahamas, who lost the Rand Memorial Hospital during Hurricane Dorian on September 1 st . He noted the storm lasted 48 hours and almost 75% of the land in the island was underwater at some point. There was extensive flooding and the Rand Memorial Hospital was destroyed.
He presented the timeline of the Seward Rotary Club/Rotary Club of Lucaya Global Grant to assist in new beds and equipment for the hospital. He noted that the Rand Memorial Hospital is the only hospital on the island and serves 50,000 residents. Sharon Williams is the hospital administrator. It also is the only hospital for many of the smaller islands and serves the two million tourists that visit the island annually. They are currently using tents and the Bahama Government is planning to rebuild the hospital but not furnish it! It is a 95 bed hospital and currently has no regular beds as a result of Hurricane Dorian. There is also a need for equipment and currently there is a real shortage.
The goal of the hospital is to reopen July 31, 2020 and until then, they are using tents. He also commented on the impact of the COVID-19 –stating that there were about 100+ cases of COVID-19 on all of the Bahama Islands and Grand Bahama has had about 8 cases. There is currently a 9:00 pm curfew nightly. A “Lock-Down” over the week-ends was just lifted.
He and Ed Walsh spoke on the proposed Global Grant sponsored by the Seward Rotary Club/ Rotary Club of Lucaya, raising funds to pay for a total of 22 hospital beds and a defibrillator. Funding for the event will be by both Rotary Clubs, assisted by various other area clubs interested in partnering with Seward and Lucaya Rotary Clubs to fund the beds and defibrillator.
Rotary Global Grant District Chair, Ed Walsh complemented the Seward Club on an outstanding example of how the Rotary Global Grant program is outlined to work. He saluted both Rotary Clubs for their wonderful working relationship and pointed out that this grant proposal is exactly what Rotary envisions for a Global Grant, as it achieves all the goals of Rotary International. He noted that the grant is due July 1 to take advantage of all the matching opportunities.
Walsh pointed out that the District will match the donation by 100%, the Rotary World Fund will match the donation by 100% and also offer a cash contribution of the donation by another 50%. That is a 2.5 times match to the local donation. Every dollar donation will be $3.50 donation! Walsh commented that this is one of the best Global Grants he as seen to date and the District usually only matches one grant a year. They can match up to three grants but usually it is one grant a year that is presented to the district. Walsh thanked the Seward Rotary Club for their leadership in this Global Grant process.
The Seward Rotary Club has pledged $9,000 towards the Rand Memorial Hospital project to buy hospital beds and a defibrillator. Other donations from members, sister Rotary Clubs and the Rotary Club Lucaya, matched by Rotary District 5650 and the World Fund of Rotary International created a total grant of approximately $90,000! The Seward Rotary Club funds were from local member donations, from the Rotary Club’s recent “No-Event” event because of the COVID 19 pandemic, along with funds from their club’s fundraising account.
President Jaims Carey shared that his Rotary Club Lucaya is celebrating their Rotary Club’s 50th anniversary. He shared the many projects and activities of their Rotary Club and said there are five Rotary Clubs on Grand Bahama. He is a proud recipient of a Rotary Club scholarship himself, as a student, where he studied in the USA. The Lucaya club has about 28 members. Since Hurricane Dorian, the club has received $200,000 in donations for disaster relief.
Rotary President Carey saluted, honored and thanked the Seward Rotary for their vision and commended them for living the Rotary International motto-“Service Above Self!” He personally thanked the leadership and dedication of Seward Rotarians Jon and Bonnie Kruse, who continue to direct the Global Grant for Rand Memorial Hospital, with a completion date of August 1, 2020.
Questions and Answers followed the presentation.