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If you would like to donate, you can send a check to Mountaintop Rotary at PO BOX 372, Highlands, NC 28741 or donate to the campaign on their Facebook page at Rotary Club of Highlands-Mountaintop.
With the Ukraine-Russia war entering its 37th day, many people are wondering how they can help from across the world.
The Highlands Mountaintop Rotary has put together a campaign to send money through other Rotary clubs closer to Ukraine.
Rotarian Robin Austin said she has worked with overseas Rotary Clubs before, so she reached out to Rotary Clubs in Poland and Hungary and developed a bond with the Hungarian group of Rotary Clubs, who are helping refugees that arrive in Hungary.
“When I reached out, I immediately had three different club presidents in Hungary respond to me,” Austin said. “There are about 33 different Rotary Clubs in that area, and they have all dropped everything and are doing nothing but helping those refugees.”
According to Austin, the president of the Budapest-Budavar Club met with Mountaintop Rotary via Zoom and described the refugee family of seven he helped transit that same day.
“They were a family of four adults, and three children who had traveled already seven days from Sunny in eastern Ukraine,” Austin said. “They were bone cold, very hungry, exhausted and literally shell-shocked at what was happening to their country and their lives. The children were listless and sad. They were given warm clothes and warm soup, warm liquids and sandwiches, and were offered some days rest with accommodations. But the family decided to press on to Vienna, where they had arranged a place to stay and left Rotary assistance comforted, a little warmer and grateful for the help they had received.”
As a Rotarian, Austin said she knew the best way to help out during a crisis was to reach out to other Rotarians.
“We are all ready to help when something like this happens,” Austin said. “I was haunted by what is happening to the refugees, especially the children. I keep thinking about the moms who are getting their parents and their children out and having to leave their husbands behind. What a tragedy. It’s been really upsetting to me.”
So far, the Mountaintop Rotary Club has raised more than $10,000 from its own members and the board of directors voted to use club funds to match all donations from club members.
“Club members want to do something, which is evident by the money we have already raised,” Austin said. “We want to do a lot more. We already sent the first payments.”
Other organizations the Mountaintop Rotary Club is partnering with to pitch in to help refugees with immediate impact include Shelterbox, Doctors without Borders and World Central Kitchen. World Central Kitchen is providing one million meals to families across Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Moldova, and Hungary, while Doctors Without Borders is providing medical assistance and Shelterbox raises awareness about global displacement to provide families with the tools to rebuild their homes.
Austin said donating to this campaign is a sure-fire way to make sure your donations are going directly to Ukraine support.
“If you donate to Rotary, you know your money is going to be 120 percent put in Ukraine,” Austin said. “You know when you’re dealing with Rotarians that something is getting done and that real actions are being taken. It will be happening on the ground.”
If you would like to donate, you can send a check to Mountaintop Rotary at PO BOX 372, Highlands, NC 28741 or donate to the campaign on their Facebook page at Rotary Club of Highlands-Mountaintop. For more information, contact Austin at 828-446-6789 or Bill Kirkman at 404-219-7498.
Rotary provides service to others, promotes integrity, and advances world understanding, goodwill, and peace through its fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders.
As a humanitarian organization, peace is a cornerstone of Rotary’s mission. It believes when people work to create peace in their communities, that change can have a global effect.
- By Christopher Lugo