It is with great sadness that the Rotary Club of Freeport marks the passing of Past President and Past Area Governor Richard Bates on May 11 after a roughly year-long battle with pancreatic cancer.

Richard was involved with Rotary in nearly every aspect. He and his wife Monica attended numerous International Conventions and hosted countless exchange students from around the world. Richard's boat trips to Peterson's Cay were a highlight of every RYE student who was ever lucky enough to visit the island of Grand Bahama. He enjoyed introducing them to Bahamian food and culture.

Richard was also the keeper of the Rotary Wagon - a fixture at every Junkanoo parade. He loved to include Rotaract in manning the wagon and taught them the vital skill of cotton candy making. He also coordinated Rotary grilling burgers at the BASRA swim race, Humane Society dog show and many other community events. In addition, Richard spent many hours at the Rotary Water Plant and was always on-hand to assist after every hurricane with whatever needed done.

He will be greatly missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him. May he rest in peace.

From: The Freeport News

Fresh off a collaborative campaign with the Grand Bahama Port Authority (GBPA) which provided over 100 appliances to residents on the island, the Grand Bahama Disaster Relief Foundation (GBDRF) and local NGOs are continuing the work of completing repairs to homes damaged during Hurricane Dorian, in communities across the island.

During Dorian’s two-day rampage on Grand Bahama, as many as 2,000 structures on the island received varying degrees of damage, with 1,500 of these within the City of Freeport. Over the past several months the GBDRF undertook a phased approach to home repair efforts, working closely with GBPA and teams from Rotary International to execute repairs.

By LEANDRA ROLLE/The Tribune

A NATIONWIDE volunteer programme is to be launched by Governor General CA Smith on Monday in an effort to foster a culture of volunteerism in the country following Hurricane Dorian.

The initiative, “Volunteer Bahamas - A Call to Action”, was announced during a press conference held at Government House yesterday. Officials are hoping it will be “the largest movement of volunteerism” in the country. Speaking at yesterday’s event was Volunteer Bahamas chairman Barry Rassin, who noted the importance of having a national volunteer movement, especially in the wake of Hurricane Dorian. “The value of volunteerism of the power of volunteers cannot be overestimated as was evidenced in The Bahamas post-Dorian,” he said.

Click HERE to read more in the Tribune

By Freeport News reporter Abria Cooper

Members of the Rotaract Club of Freeport (RCOF) continue to serve the Grand Bahama community through school outreach initiatives. The club recently made toy donations to the Hugh W. Campbell Primary School and the Lewis Yard Primary School on their campuses.

The club adopted Hugh Campbell along with the Lewis Yard Primary School and therefore, decided to present the playful items to each school to confirm their commitment to the institutions. “We wanted to ensure that students at the school felt the love on Valentine’s Day and decided to donate toys to the school. At the Rotaract Club of Freeport, we understand that play is an important part of human learning and development,” said RCOF President Keturah Babb.

Click HERE to read more in the Freeport News

By Marina Gottlieb Sarles

The Storm

Waiting for a hurricane like Dorian—a Category 5 with winds gusting over 200 mph accompanied by a sea surge of some 22 ft—was, in and of itself, an anticipatory trauma. Stress levels erupted as my husband, Jamie and I thought about the future and the losses the storm might bring. Preparations and television reports showing the constant ‘cone of uncertainty’ disrupted our daily life creating high levels of anxiety. Did we have adequate water and food to sustain us? How long would we be without power? Did we have enough gas? What about our shutters and the generator?

And running under all this frenzied planning was a constant current of fear of the unknown. How would we survive this physically, financially? How would our community survive? Would it ever bounce back? Would we have to leave if our island became a war zone? Where would we go? There was no way to stop the distressing existential thoughts. Just keep moving. Finally, when the last towels were stacked near the windows and doors and our documents and valuables packed in a waterproof container—the preparations were complete.

However, nothing, and I mean nothing could have prepared us for the devastating impact of this particular storm.

Click HERE to read more in The Bahamas Weekly