Our Club Shoebox operation of 2020 finally was completed on Friday 27th November.
As you can see from the photograph, my handy van was loaded with 271
Shoeboxes and the delivery was made to the new distribution point in Oldham
at around lunchtime.

Our collection will be added to those in the Shoebox warehouse and along with many others, will soon be heading out to Eastern Europe- Romania, Moldova, Belarus and Ukraine.
Of those 271 Shoeboxes, 60 were provided by Sylvia Morgan and her team of
family and friends-and 40 boxes provided by Julie Hickman with her family
and friends helping too.
Sylvia and Julie would have put in a lot of effort to make such wonderful
contributions and deserve our special thanks and congratulations.
My friend Peter Kay and the members of the Bethel Christian Fellowship in
West Bromwich produced an also amazing 33 boxes so many thanks to them also.
They are a busy Church but always find time to help those in need.
This left 138 boxes being provided by our Club members who donated between just a touch over £800   to spend during my 5 visits to Poundland. I’m not sure if I was in the
running for ‘Customer or the Month’ but it must have been close! I was
almost on first name terms with some of the staff there….
So thank you most sincerely to everyone who contributed for once again
embracing the scheme and allowing our club to make such a significant
contribution to this wonderful scheme.
Mike Boyce.

The Rotary Club of The City of Wolverhampton has been awarded a certificate of recognition for its latest donation-

(£1,750 – $2,240) to the Rotary Foundation campaign to end polio.
Donation made possible (along with numerous others to many causes at home and abroad) by the hard work put into the club’s fund raisers –  including Best Foot Forward, Dragon Boats and Tree of Remembrance. The Tree (‘The Memories Live On’) is going ahead this year, and normal service will be resumed after Covid, with all the other fund raisers.

PDG Richard Green

Well done Rotarian Susan Husband in the City

of Wolverhampton club for running the Pudsey raffle. Big Bear and Little Bear raised

£900 for Children In Need.
Big Bear will be travelling to see Peter Williams’ family in Australia!

Following a suggestion from our member Julie Hickman, the City of Wolverhampton Rotary club has started a scheme to donate the ‘spare coats we’ve all got in our wardrobes but never wear,’ to the Good Shepherd refuge for Wolverhampton’s homeless and rough sleepers.

So far we’re up to about 30 coats and other items of warm clothing.

After a minimum of 72 hours ‘in quarantine,’ they will be delivered to The Good Shepherd centre.

Well done Rotarians -Keep ’em coming!

Richard Green.

Whilst there are many things we cannot do in the community during this very difficult time, the things we can do to help others are very fulfilling. Our club is renowned for making a difference where ever and when ever we can. Every year we have the Shoebox scheme where we fill Shoeboxes for children and adults in very poor homes who may not have any money to spend on little presents for Christmas. During lockdown it has helped us to spread a little happiness . In our house alone we were able to provide 30 Shoeboxes as a family! It helped us to give something back. We asked family and friends to donate toys, toiletries, gloves, scarves and small gifts for others who may not have anything for Christmas. My granddaughter decorated the boxes and wrote caring messages to put inside. I think she learned the important lesson that not everyone is as lucky as she is . Please consider Rotary when you are looking for a new outlet for your family . To make friends, enjoy a lovely social life and give something back to society . There’s never been a better time to do something positive. We’re all in this together.

Rotarian and Past President Sylvia Morgan

A very different crocus planting in Bantock Park this year in support of Rotary International’s campaign to eliminate polio.

With Wolverhampton in tier 2 Covid19 status, the City of Wolverhampton club was restricted to just 6 stalwarts – PDG Brian Reilly, Pres. Brian Bailey, IP. Pres. Richard Horrell and Rotarians John Bloxham, David Cheadle and Charles Cox -thanks guys!

 We missed having the Mayor and the children from Merridale Primary School along to help, shown here in last year’s photo. That takes us to 55,000 crocus planted over the years. Let’s hope it’s back to normal service soon!!

Some months ago, I found an envelope in my post box with five crisp £20 notes inside.

On reading the envelope, I saw that the money was not for me of course but was ‘to do something good in Africa’ and was from a member of our Club.

This is the second time that I have found such a gift in my post box and the generosity of our fellow member is most remarkable.

We support in the main, three projects in Africa- two in Zambia and one in

the Democratic Republic of Congo.It was decided on this occasion that the funds donated would be sent to the Kanyama Free Baptist School in Kanyama, Zambia and would provide enough for an end of term School Fun Day.

The intention was that this would give approximately 270 youngsters the chance to have a fun packed day with games, music and simple party food, the likes of which they would not ordinarily receive.

What we here think of as normal, and in most cases take for granted, that is the ability of children to just be children for a day as a relief from the poverty and deprivation that simply put, is daily life in this part of Zambia is something that they would appreciate and remember fondly.

The very fact that someone, and someone that they don’t know, is thinking of them means so much to them and also, to their families.With Covid-19 school restrictions the July end of term ‘do’ became a September start of term ‘do’ and I received the following thanks just recently from the school principle- Beston Chilimalema.

My message of thanks to the person who sent the money for our children;

We have been working with you and the Rotary Club of Wolverhampton for a long time and what I have come to know and understand about you is that, for you to help these children or support the school at large is because:

– You know the importance of education.

– You know that education is basic human rights for all children.

– You know that children who have access to quality primary schooling have a better chance in life.

– You know that a child who knows how to read, write and do basic arithmetic has a solid foundation for continued learning throughout life.

– You also know that education is critically important to children’s social integration and psychosocial well – being.

– you believe that school attendance and having some fun or celebrations at school from time to time, helps children affected by trauma to regain a sense of normalcy and recover from psychosocial impacts of their experiences and disrupted lives.

– You know that health children learn better because good nutrition is linked to better behaviour and academic performance.

Having said that, I want to tell you that, you are game changers.

You are saints everyday and what you do is not in vain.

You stand up and help others and live for others and do things for others just to make them better. You believe that, there is nothing more beautiful than someone who goes out of their way to make life beautiful for others. May God bless you for being available for others. This kind of support only comes from people who have large hearts and kind intentions to make donations such as yours. Thank you for your most generous, continued and vital support. We can’t do it without you and we greatly appreciate your willingness to be a helping hand. You will see from the photographs what a special day the youngsters had- and all because of the anonymous generosity of a member of our club, alongside the support that the club gives the school throughout the year

I have visited the Kanyama Township several times. It really is difficult to describe. That this member gave all those youngsters such joy, though only on one day, their memory will last for quite some time.

On behalf of everyone- thank you.

Mike Boyce