Rotary Club builds homes for victims of Morakot

Rotary Districts 3480 and 3490 handed over 33 new homes they have constructed along with ovens and packages of daily necessities to the new occupants on June 9, 2010.

“The victims were very thankful because they felt that they were cared about,” Governor of Rotary District 3480 John Chen (陳中統) told The China Post.

Hundreds of Rotary Club members, also known as “Rotarians,” and Taitung County Magistrate Huang Chien-ting (黃健庭) attended the event.

The completed project was named “Taiwan Rotary Community of Hope.” A 30-table gathering at the event symbolized the end of suffering and the start of a new life according to Taiwan traditions.

Taiho Village in Taimali Township (太麻里) was one of the worst-affected places of Typhoon Morakot — a deadly storm that caused the worst flooding and landslides in over half a century.

“When we got there, we saw the roads were destroyed,” remembered Naomi Lin (林鑾鳳), charter president of Taipei Lily.

District 3480 and 3490 of the Rotary Club — an organization of professional men and women that provides humanitarian services — collaborated to rebuild the village, constructing houses for 33 displaced families, a park, and recreation facilities for the elderly and children.

“There are no districts when it comes to disaster relief,” Lin said. “We worked together.”

Hsieh Yen-sheng (謝炎盛), governor of Rotary District 3480 at the time, led about 3,000 Rotarians from the district to collect donations.

The park, named Rotary Brings Hope Park, contains a sculpture with a plaque bearing Rotary-related themes and slogans as a testimony to the efforts of the Rotarians that helped the victims.

The plaque is also a dedication to Rotary Clubs overseas that donated to the project and a model to encourage everyone to apply Rotary concept “Service above Self” in their daily lives. “We set a role model for other people and organizations to follow,” John Chen said.

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