MAYBEE ESCORTS EQUIPMENT TO CHRISTMAS On August 31, the Commerce City Colorado Rotary Club’s World Community Service “Friends of Christmas Island” project began its journey to the Republic of Kiribati. Ultimately taking to the air from March Air Force Base in Riverside California, George Maybee accompanied the load filled with medical, water and school equipment and supplies plus a septic tank pumping truck to Christmas Island on the C-17, while Sharon and granddaughter Jessica left early to make pre-arrangements on the island prior to the September 9 landing. This 13 wooden crates and pumper truck cargo was 5,755 Cu Ft. and weighed 56,880 pounds.
PARTNERSHIPS WERE NUMEROUS
Many partnerships were critical in making this immense humanitarian effort successful. Earlier this year, Rotarians George and Sharon Maybee met with individuals from National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR); a Boulder Colorado based educational research non-profit organization. NCAR conducted an atmospheric research project on the island. NCAR contracted with the 302nd Air Lift Control Flight Unit at Peterson Air force Base in Colorado Springs and the 452nd Air Wing Division located at March Air Force Base in Riverside California to fly a C-17 Globe Master III providing project support. NCAR compassionately provided the “Friends of Christmas Island” a once in a life opportunity to fly a truck and cargo to the island.
Maybee states, “This project is a wonderful example of a combined effort by numerous individuals, clubs and companies in providing much needed humanitarian support to the residents’ of an island in the mid-pacific.”
Forty-five days prior to shipping, 50+ members of the Commerce City Rotary Club started working on this project by obtaining, cleaning, packing and crating each of the hand-made crates. Project CURE, GlobUS Relief, and Porter Adventist Hospital plus many other medical offices throughout the US were instrumental in providing medical items. The Arvada Rotary Club provided 524 pair of prescription and reading glasses. The LDS Church Humanitarian Center of Salt Lake City provided 560 hygiene kits and Tetra Tec Inc provided funds for purchase of toothbrushes and paste. This medical equipment and supplies will be use for the island’s hospital and village clinics; in addition to Rotary’s four future visiting doctor clinics.
PHASES II AND V SET IN MOTION
In support of the safe water phase, Commerce City Rotary Club purchased the septic tank pumping truck and water testing equipment and supplies. These items will be used to empty leaking holding tanks, repair existing water systems and the testing of over 400 residential wells.
The fifth phase of the project received a jump-start from the Westminster 7:10 Rotary Club which provided over 100 computers for the six schools and medical facilities on the island. In addition, the LDS church provided 420 school kits for pre and primary school children and the Colorado Rapids supplied soccer balls, shoes and used clothing for the youth soccer program.
JAPAN WILL HELP WITH X-RAY BUILDING
The hospital just received word that our X-ray machine and processor will soon have a home, according to Dr. John Tekanene on the island; the Japanese government will build an x-ray room onto the hospital since we supplied the equipment. We have received governmental approval for a visiting doctor clinic building; however, at this time facilities are unavailable and we will need to fund a new clinic building through “Friends of Christmas Island”.
Currently over 60 physicians await to volunteer to work on Christmas Island when the 4 visiting doctor clinics in the areas of dental, vision, pediatrics and OB/GYN general health are constructed. In the meantime, space will be available for visiting dentists and optometrists to see patients at the village clinics and hospital using portable equipment included in the current shipment.
While on the island Maybee distributed computers to the two high schools, the hospital and three village medical clinics. In addition to the computer distribution, medical supplies and books were delivered to the hospital and clinics. Pre-arrangements were made for the January 08 return visit when additional medical, school and sports equipment items will be distributed on the island and to the three outer islands of Fanning, Washington and Kanton.
FUTURE ROTARY WORK
On the trip in January a new Provisional Rotary Club will be started on Christmas Island which will be the first ever in the Republic of Kiribati.
After completion of the current work on the island, Maybee traveled to Suva, Fuji to coordinate extension of Rotary to; Kiribati with the Suva East sponsor club. While in Suva meetings were held with: the Japanese Embassy, the European Union and the US Embassy to discuss future assistance to Christmas Island and the Republic of Kiribati.
For more information on the project please contact George Maybee at gkmaybee@aol.com or 303-655-9831. If you would like to join in with a tax-deductible contribution it can be sent to our 501c (3) foundation care of: Friends of Christmas Island
Commerce City Rotary Foundation, Inc.
PO Box 1882
Commerce City, CO 80037
