This picture could reflect almost any Rotary club project...until you first watch the heart-rending video, Brothers In Service, which depicts Afghan families building new new lives in the United States. Then you will truly appreciate the Team Rubicon and Minnesota Veterans Rotarians who abruptly mounted a disaster response mission.

 

Afghan refugees were arriving by bus loads at Ft McCoy in September 2021. They remained in the same clothing they wore when they fled Kabul two weeks earlier. Huge tents bearing the logo of American Red Cross Disaster Response were set up on the post.  

 

With only four days of preparation, Team Rubicon and several charter members of the Rotary Club of Minnesota Veterans organized a clothing drive that filled an SUV and cargo carrier. There were enough funds to purchase another car load of clothes locally in WI. The Minnesota Veterans Club was instrumental in the success of this impromptu mission project. Thanks to club members, including charter members Bob Keller (left) and Shah and Sayed (center), it was an amazing response that inspired Team Rubicon to set up a clothing drive at Target Field several weeks later.