Artist Margaret Leonard, left, chats with guests at The Gallery at Readfield during an event to raise funds for the Rotary Club’s Ukraine relief effort.
The Rotary Club of Brunswick, in conjunction with the Topsham Espresso Rotary and Brunswick Coastal Rotary clubs, raised $11,425 to provide relief to refugees or other victims of the war in Ukraine, including items such as water, food, shelter, medicine, and clothing.
“This is a wonderful example of how we can make a positive difference in the world as members of an international organization dedicated to peace, goodwill and effective action,” said Fred Horch, president of the Rotary Club of Brunswick.
The Rotary Foundation created a channel for humanitarian support in response to the crisis caused by the war in Ukraine. The three local Rotary Clubs joined forces to support Ukraine through club and individual donations to The Rotary Disaster Response Fund. Brunswick, Brunswick Coastal and Topsham Expresso invited community members to join in contributing and set an initial goal of raising $10,000 by April 30, 2022. The clubs exceeded that goal, raising $11,425.
The relief fund-raising effort was led by an ad hoc committee of Rotary Club of Brunswick members, Poppy Arford, Carolyn Bulliner, and Claudia Frost.
“Thank you to our ad hoc committee for pulling together this fundraising effort and working with local Rotarians in our sister clubs to achieve our goal,” Horch said.
For information on joining the Rotary Club of Brunswick, visit brunswickmainerorary.org.