Team Reports |
The Sleeping Children team in actionSuzanne Andrew -- Lucknow, ON
Until I was actually on site for my first distribution, I did not fully understand the scope of this project. Duncan, our team leader, was in charge of all the pictures as well as having the responsibility of overseeing and directing the setup and flow of children at each site. Every day brought a different venue, which had to be set up as a safe and secure area. Rotarians were always on hand to assist, as well as other volunteers, both old and young. At one site we had about twenty male and female cadets helping, at another a class of college girls. The Rotarians had their own system of numbering and checking each child and we also had a system of cross-checking label codes with numbers. The picture of a child with the bedkit is our guarantee to each donor that your $35 bedkit was personally delivered. On arrival at a site the first duty was to decide on the best place to photograph the children and bedkit, being mindful of a pleasing backdrop and access to the different counting stations. The bedkit was arranged in a manner to display the items and to add balance to the picture. After all, the picture of a child with a bedkit would be our guarantee to each donor that their $35 bedkit had been personally delivered.
One team member was responsible for getting the correct number of children into groups, according to the donor's request. The children had been previously dressed in their new clothes by volunteers. They would come to us clutching a plastic bag with their old clothes in it. This bag was numbered to make sure it didn't become mislaid. If time allowed, we would blow bubbles, show puppets, and generally have fun with the kids and try to put them at ease. A second team member led the children to the seats behind the displayed bedkit and checked that they looked their very best.
Then Duncan took over and he sure worked hard to get the most smiles possible. "Hassna" (smile) and "Nagu"(smile) rang in our ears as he interacted with each child. We saw several handicapped children, and I know that we had some misty eyes as Duncan carried them over to the next checkpoint. What a moving moment. Your gift of a bedkit does make a difference. After the picture was taken, one of us would pull the label containing the message from the donor and direct the children to the next station, always keeping a keen eye for anyone darting out of line. The next team member was the "counter" who checked the code on the labels against the master sheet. Finally, the children were directed to the last station where they were counted by the Rotarians and then they receive their treasured bedkit – handed out by one of us. This is a humbling experience as they shake our hand and say, "Thank you," then walk away with a parent and a huge smile lighting up their faces. Each day has been a new town and a new venue. We rotated jobs at each new distribution site. Thank you donors – we have witnessed that each bedkit has gone to a needy child. |
