13.7°C Cloudy 
- Kimberley answers call from East Africa
- Positive response for East Africa pleas
- Kimberley leading the way with ShelterBox
- Kimberley sends six Shelter Boxes to Japan
- Anxious weekend for exchange students
- Take a look at the new ShelterBox
- New film follows Dr. Cutler in Haiti
- Kimberley Christmas spirit supports Rotary ShelterBox
- Cranbrook Rotary follows Kimberley example
- Kimberley leads Canada in ShelterBox donations
- Kimberley comes through again
- A call for help
- How about that
- Hearts for Haiti event
- Kimberley Haiti relief fund
- Rotary pledges 1000 ShelterBoxes from Canada
- $6000 in one week
- How Kimberley can help Haiti
- Haiti earthquake
- A Rotary ShelterBox for Christmas
- Rotary Shelterbox returns to Fall Fair
Kimberley and Haiti seem worlds apart. Yet in the twelve months since a devastating earthquake rocked the island nation, Haitian families remain sheltered thanks in part to Kimberley donations made to ShelterBox, an international disaster relief organization.
ShelterBox provides shelter and other life saving essentials to survivors immediately following natural and other disasters.
The first ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) was mobilized 12 minutes after the earthquake struck on January 12, 2010. By the end of the first month, shelter for 70,000 people had been set up. Now, one year later, more than 28,000 ShelterBoxes, enough aid to support 280,000 people, have been distributed in Haiti.
The organization's response accounted for a quarter of all tented shelter in Haiti.
ShelterBox Canada Chairman Ron Noseworthy stated. "This has been the biggest, longest and most complex response that ShelterBox has undertaken in its 10-year history," Tens of thousands of Haitian families are now rebuilding their lives in our tents thanks to our supporters and volunteers."
Once such volunteer is Graham Mann of Kimberley Rotary. In the months after the earthquake, he helped to raise funds and rally support throughout the Kimberley area.
"By donating to ShelterBox, people are assured their donation were getting to disaster survivors in their greatest time of need," said Mann. "I am proud that our community really went above and beyond to help the people of Haiti by contributing $26,000 in just four weeks following news of the Jan 12, 2010 earthquake.
About ShelterBox
Kimberley Rotary has raised over $41,000 since September 2008 when the program was introduced at the Community Fall Fair, providing shelter, security, fresh water and hope to hundreds in dire need. To date Kimberley residents have sent Shelterboxes to Italy, Malawi, Haiti, Chile, Peru, Pakistan and China
A life-saving ShelterBox costs $1,000 (including transportation). It contains a ten-person tent, utensils, sleeping bags, groundsheet, tools, stove, water purification system, mosquito netting, children's colouring books and crayons. The tents are designed for all types of weather and can provide families with safe shelter for many years. For more information, go to www.shelterboxcanada.org, the official ShelterBox website or contact Graham Mann 250-427-5057 for information.
