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Rotary is back, building 5 new homes in East End Grand Bahama thanks to the donor TK Foundation. After Hurricane Dorian, Rotary has built 19 homes, repaired over 1000 homes, repaired 120 boats, gave 60 engines to East End fishermen and more. Watch for updates as Team Sea Grape builds new homes to help hurricane victims.

Rotary’s motto is Service Above Self.

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VIDEO: Rotary Club of Freeport Raffle 2023 Prize Drawing

Club members and friends came together at Out Da Sea on Saturday, March 18, for the eagerly-anticipated raffle prize drawing. Who was the lucky winner of the car?

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Rotarians deliver "Blessings in a Box"

Courtesy of 242 News Bahamas

Under the presidency of Luther Burrows, the members of the Rotary Club of Freeport celebrated another year of existence in the Grand Bahama community this past January.

As part proceeds of our signature event, our Wine and Cheese, the members of the Rotary Club of Freeport came together this past weekend, after purchasing over $ 5,000 worth of groceries with one thing in mind and that was to assist our community and families in need. We gathered at the Leader Beverages (Rotary Warehouse), formed an assembly line and packaged 150 boxes of grocery items proudly referred to as BLESSINGS IN A BOX.

We started out early on Saturday morning, even though it was a rainy day and covered the entire island of Grand Bahama, from Sweetings Cay to West End, distributing boxes of goodies to families in need. The items ranged from rice, grits, can goods, oat meal, toilet tissue, washing detergent and dish washing liquid just to mention a few.

We were also pleased that during that time we were able to assist Burrows Home for the Aged as well as Home Away from Home in a small but tangible way. We would like to express our sincere thanks and appreciate to the GB community with always assisting the Rotary Clubs. We can only do what we do because of the GB community.

ZNS News reports on Rotary's continuing work in east Grand Bahama

Rotary Grand Bahama's Disaster Relief Committee lends a helping hand to a McLean's Town resident through their housing project. As a result, Joyce Russell, who was left homeless following Hurricane Dorian is now back in her home. Shayne Stubbs has more in this report.

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Bahamian Brewery fulfills promise to GB Rotary club

Clayton Russell, (pictured right) Sands and Bahamian Brewery Assistant General Manager in Grand Bahama presented a check valued at One thousand five hundred dollars to Mike Stafford, (pictured left) Manager Grand Bahama Water Relief Foundation. "We are very thankful for the generous donation from the Bahamian Brewery," Stafford said. "This generous donation will help us in our maintenance and upkeep of supplies to continue to be ready, willing, and able to distribute fresh drinking water free of charge in the event that the natural supply is interrupted."

Click HERE to read more at ZNS Bahamas

Rebuilding in Sweeting’s Cay

By: Denise Maycock/Tribune Freeport Reporter

Photo: Hulan Davis, a recipient of the first Rotary house built on Sweeting’s Cay, recalls the trauma of Hurricane Dorian. (Photo: Vandyke Hepburn)

Sweeting's Cay has come a long way in three years since Hurricane Dorian, but more remains to be done before the community and people’s livelihood are fully restored. The school and the community clinic are still not open. Repairs to the public dock are still not finished and some homes and businesses need repairs.

September 1 will mark the third anniversary of Hurricane Dorian. And Sweeting’s Cay residents are hoping and praying that another storm does not come their way. During a visit to the cay this week, we saw some signs of progress. The vegetation has grown back, and even some mangroves are starting to regenerate on the shoreline. More residents have also returned to rebuild the island and resume their lives.

Click HERE to read more in The Tribune

VIDEO: District Governor visits Grand Bahama

From ZNS News

District 6990 Governor Michael Kesti and his wife, fellow Rotarian Maria Kesti, visited Grand Bahama August 12-16 and saw first-hand the many projects on the go on the island, including the Rotary water plant, new laundry trailer, the Beacon School and topped it off with a visit to Sweetings Cay. All the clubs came together for lunch on Monday, August 15, where Kesti praised Bahamians as extraordinary people and pledged to continue the district's support.

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Sweetings Cay residents settle into new homes courtesy of Rotary, donors

From: The Nassau Guardian

For 12 months after the ferocious Hurricane Dorian in 2019, Darren Cooper, a Sweetings Cay resident, lived in a tent.

“After Hurricane Dorian hit Sweetings Cay, I was left with nothing to my name,” Cooper said. “Everything I owned was gone, including my home and my boat.”

Now, thanks to the combined Rotary Clubs of Grand Bahama, Cooper has a new home and a new engine for his boat.

“I give God thanks for bringing Rotary to Sweetings Cay,” he said.

Click HERE to read more in The Nassau Guardian

ZNS News VIDEO: Generous donations build Rotary water plant's capacity as hurricane season begins

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VIDEO: Livestreaming the 60th anniversary celebration

The Rotary Club of Freeport celebrated 60 years of service to the Grand Bahama community with a celebration at Oceans Blue restaurant on Saturday, May 28th. Relive the many moments of the night, from the fellowship, toasts, speeches, induction of the incoming board with the passing gavel, energetic raffle, music and dancing.

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Past Presidents' Fun Run/Walk draws a crowd

More than 60 participants, of all ages and from all walks of life, gathered on a slightly cool morning at Taino Beach on Saturday, April 9th, for the Rotary Club of Freeport's annual Past Presidents' Fun Run/Walk. New this year were a choice of distance: 3K or 5K and a spirit of competition among the runners with medals awarded to the top three males, females and students.

*5K Males Medal Winners*
1st Place: Clifford Bowe #010
2nd Place: Sean Thompson #020
3rd Place: Darren Cooper #017

*5K Females Medal Winners*
1st Place: Lorine Miller #035
2nd Place: Therisetta Vietti #039
3rd Place: Smobia Moreau #042

*Student Medal Winners*
1st Place: Chanyah Thompson #037 student of Jack Hayward High School.
2nd Place: Brooklyn Thompson #005 Wilbur S. Outten Academy
3rd Place: Nairah Rahming #018

For some, the incentive to get to the finish line quickly was the delicious chicken souse and banana bread waiting. Participants also went home with a gift bag of an RCF water bottle and an orange. In addition, a team from Grand Bahama Health Services was on-hand to offer complimentary glucose testing and health screenings. Click HERE to view the photo album.

VIDEO: OUR News reports on Sweeting's Cay homes handover

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Rotary Club of Freeport wheelchair project makes Wheelchair Foundation newsletter

Last October 23rd, a flurry of e-mail back-and-forth touched off an effort to transport 25 wheelchairs to the island of Grand Bahama. Stephen Gunn, from the Rotary Club of Freeport, had received requests for wheelchairs for individuals and families impacted by the devastation wrought by Hurricane Dorian in September of 2019.

Efforts had been put forth to supply hundreds of wheelchairs, but the process, from funding to actually getting a container of wheelchairs to Grand Bahama, would take months - if not half the year.

Click HERE to read the full article in the Wheelchair Foundation newsletter. The article is on page 10 but we are including the complete newsletter because it is all worth reading!

VIDEO: OUR News reports on Sweeting's Cay home project

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VIDEO: ZNS News reports on RCF's road safety project

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VIDEO: ZNS News reports on Rotary Water Plant readiness for hurricane season

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Second phase of Sweeting’s Cay repairs underway

By: Denise Maycock/The Tribune

Phase two of the Sweeting’s Cay Home Repair Project is underway to repair 14 homes damaged during Hurricane Dorian two years ago. The project — which is being spearheaded by the Rotary Clubs on Grand Bahama, in partnership with TK Foundation — is expected to be completed over the next five to six weeks.

Phase one of the project was completed last week when nine newly built homes were turned over to residents on the cay. The first phase was funded at a cost of nearly $600,000 by the TK Foundation.

Rotarian Billy Jane Ferguson said Rotary is changing lives. “We still have persons living in tents (on Sweeting’s Cay), and the plan is to help them,” she said. “We are hoping the donors will also come on board with phase three.”

Click HERE to read more in the Tribune

Sweeting’s Cay Rotary project brings smiles to faces of nine homeowners

By: Jaimie Smith/The Freeport News

With Phase One of the project completed, the Sweeting’s Cay Home Project was a great success thanks to the partnerships of Rotary International, the TK (Torben Karlshoej) Foundation, Team Sea Grape and “countless” others who made the vision a reality. On Friday, May 21, nine Sweeting’s Cay residents and family members were handed the keys to brand-new homes on the quaint cay, the first phase of an ongoing project.

Minister of State for Disaster Preparedness, Management and Reconstruction Pakesia Parker-Edgecombe, Member of Parliament (MP) for West Grand Bahama and Bimini, spoke on behalf of MP for East Grand Bahama, K. Peter Turnquest, who was unable to attend the event. “Member of Parliament K. Peter Turnquest stated that he wishes to thank the TK Foundation, particularly Ms. Diane Pindling, who reached out to him as the MP for this area, offering your assistance in a time a need; subsequently, leading to the formation of a team that he considers to the best, led by Area Governor for Rotary District 6990 Billy Jane Ferguson and Rotarian Darren Cooper. He also mentioned Jimmy Smith and his team who made the day’s events possible."

Click HERE to read more in the Freeport News

Rotary donates coconut trees to Pelican Point

By: Freeport News Reporter Jaimie Smith

The coconut capital of Grand Bahama, the eastern community of Pelican Point, was severely impacted by the destructive Hurricane Dorian back in September 2019. As result, many of the beautiful coconut trees that lined the streets of the quaint settlement were destroyed and uprooted. To assist with the restoration of the coconut trees, this past Saturday, March 13, the Rotary Club of Freeport in partnership with the Rotary Club of Eleuthera made a special visit to the settlement, bearing gifts.

The donation was a number of fruit trees inclusive of coconut trees, to replant within the community.

Rotary Club of Freeport Past President, Mike Stafford, explained how the initiative came about. “We are here in the beautiful Pelican Point, which is the coconut capital of Grand Bahama. As you know, before Hurricane Dorian there was nothing but coconut trees out here; however, the storm really devastated the area. If you look down the beach now you can only see a few coconut trees, whereas there used to be hundreds of them."

Click HERE to read more in the Freeport News

MP Turnquest commends Rotarians for Sweeting’s Cay’s homes project

By: Jaimie Smith/The Freeport News

K. Peter Turnquest, member of Parliament for East Grand Bahama, recently got a first-hand look at the housing project in Sweeting’s Cay being funded by the Rotary Clubs on Grand Bahama and its international organization. In the first phase of the project, nine homes are being constructed for Sweeting’s Cay residents, who were displaced as a result of the historically devastating September 2019, Hurricane Dorian.

Many of the residents of Sweeting’s Cay, which lies off the coast of East Grand Bahama, were forced to relocate while others remained, living in makeshift tents on their properties. On Friday (February 5) Turnquest expressed how pleased he was to see the progress that the civic organization was making in assisting Sweeting’s Cay residents to return home.

Click HERE to read more in the Freeport News