Photos of hospital in Beirut after the port explosion in 2020.
Rotarian Steve Rutledge spoke to the Rotary Club of Alliston on Monday, October 18 at 7pm to update us on a Rotary Global Grant Project in Beirut and to share the Adopt a Village Program in Laos.
Rotary Club of Alliston is one of 60 Rotary Clubs that have contributed money towards a Global Grant to replace operating theatre equipment in the pediatric hospital in Beirut.
Steve Rutledge spent his career as co-owner of a mid sized computer company in Toronto. Since retirement he has narrowed his focus on local and international community support. Steve has served on several boards and committees in Port Hope including the Municipal Culture Committee, Parks, Rec and Culture Committee, Skatepark committee, Capitol Theatre Board of Directors and others. He has received two civic awards, the latest for philanthropy and is a multiple Paul Harris award recipient for his efforts (Port Hope, Whitby Sunrise and Beirut Cosmopolitan) and awarded the Spirit of Rotary award in 2016. In 2018, he received the Family and Community Service award from the Rotary Club of Courtice. His most recent award was the Bob Scott Disease Prevention award from Rotary District 7070 in June 2020.
With his partner they created a number of large events including one they held in their home netting $61,000 for the Capitol theatre and another town event for 6000 people.
For the last 12 years Steve has ventured into Laos serving the rural villagers with the most basic of needs for sustained life. Since 2009, Adopt A Village in Laos has completed over 65 villages with filtered water one family at a time, serving over 32,000 rural villagers, constructed 24 permanent water supplies, repaired numerous others, built over 40 banks of toilets, 12 school construction projects and continues to sponsor a host of primary, secondary and university students.
After the Beirut port explosion in 2020, Mr. Rutledge chaired the international sponsoring partner club committee (Whitby Sunrise club) and raised approximately $240,000 from 60 clubs towards a global grant to replace operating theatre equipment for Beirut’s only public hospital. Steve is also co-Chair of the International Committee at Whitby Sunrise and sits on the District 7070 Water and Sanitation Committee.
For more information on the Water Filter program please click to get the brochure.