Thank you to the 2025 team!
This is Mike Cole's final Facebook post for this year's successful Rotary Wheels for Learning program in Cambodia. Mike has led for 11 years!
"The final distribution (#7) was completed at the District Center, Kampot Province yesterday as our bus was unable to travel the 20 km road leading into the 2 schools. To say the children and parents were excited is an understatement - when we showed up at the build site, they were all there, waiting for us. Although they knew the build process would take the entire day, they wanted to watch us and help where they could.
Happy to report we were able to provide all 100 children with their new (to them) bicycles.
Close to a year ago, I began assembling RWFL Team 2025, hoping to gather 20 individuals from across Canada - and the USA (Ryan, a transplanted Canadian who now calls California home) who would be able to come together under adverse conditions. The heat, very early mornings, constant moving from hotel to hotel, missing their loved ones, and the Cambodian factor (those who have been here understand) are just a few.
Our team, which included accountants, business owners, retired OPP, military, teachers, doctors, real estate agent is diverse to say the least. But the gel that holds us together is the collective traits most Canadians hold true - empathy, global awareness, compassion, and a desire to serve others who are less fortunate.
Thank you to all RWFL Team 2025!!!! You have made a real difference in the lives of the rural Cambodian children. While we will never know how many of these children will go on to higher education, we can all be assured their lives will be richer as a result of your hard work in building, repairing and distributing 644 bicycles to some of the happiest children we have ever had the pleasure to come across."