Team Reports |
Six degrees of separationDuncan Macgregor -- Toronto, ON
It all starts with
As you consider the "six degrees of separation," you might also be interested to know that the whole process involved over 5,200 people. For a distribution of 4,000 bedkits, there are over 1,000 donors, approximately twenty SCAW office volunteers, six SCAW travelling team members, over two hundred overseas volunteers, and 4,000 children -- not to mention the parents and guardians who must get the children to each distribution site. The number of volunteer hours that are expended to give the gift of sleep and dreams to 4,000 children never ceases to amaze me. Our OVO, the Rotary Club of Belgaum, works in concert with other Rotarians in Athni, Chikodi, Bailongal, Ranebennur, Hubli, and Kundgol to help us distribute the 4,000 bedkits over a period of eight days. Without this dedicated and passionate group of volunteers who promote "Service Above Self," we would be unable to complete our task. It should be pointed out that they too spend their own funds on travelling to select the children, providing food for the children at the distribution site, storing and delivering the bedkit items, and hosting the SCAW travelling team. They are part of the SCAW promise that 100% of bedkit donations gets to a needy child.
As we wrap up the 2010 bedkit distribution for the Belgaum Team, on behalf of Judy D., Anne, Suzanne, David, Judy S., and myself, thank you for the opportunity of representing you, our donors, in this wonderful adventure to India. It is SCAW's 40th anniversary and you have helped us celebrate in the best way possible -- by donating a bedkit to a needy, smiling and grateful child. |
you
making a donation to Sleeping Children Around the World [SCAW]. Next, 
SCAW
office volunteers receive the donation, send out the charitable receipt, and
prepare the label that will eventually be used in the bedkit photo. Then, 
the
SCAW travelling team of six prepares for a trip to the place where the SCAW
distribution will be held – in our case, in the Karnataka State in the west-central
area of India. We always work with 
an
Overseas Volunteer Organization [OVO] -- in our case the Rotary Club of Belgaum
-- who buy all the bedkit items, oversee the selection of the children based
on SCAW guidelines, and arrange for storage and delivery of the bedkits to
the distribution site. At each distribution site, 
many
more overseas volunteers handle the bedkits items, check-in the children who
have been selected to receive a bedkit, help dress the children, and keep the
area secure for the actual distribution of the bedkits. Lastly, there is 
the
child who receives your "Gift of Love" presented on your behalf by a SCAW team
member. A picture taken by the SCAW travelling team of 
