After a very successful distribution of 1,000 bedkits, the SCAW travelling team was invited by the Belgaum Rotary Club to attend their Friday evening meeting. The club President, Sharad Pai, gave us a warm welcome and dedicated a major portion of the meeting to talk about SCAW and the 27-year relationship that the club has enjoyed with the Canadian charity. The Belgaum SCAW Trust President, Dilip Chitnis, and its Secretary, Sanjay Kulkarni, spoke in glowing terms about all that SCAW has done for the children of India and challenged the Rotarians to 'open their hands' to donate bedkits. President Sharad stated that his club was passionate and dedicated in its support of SCAW and would continue to 'reach out to the unreached'. Many of Rotarians stated that they are more than willing to donate, so Secretary Sanjay stated that he is willing to work with SCAW Canada to find a way that they can donated and still get a tax break in India. This would be a major step forward in SCAW's relationship with its OVPs (Overseas Volunteer Partners) in India.
This year's Belgaum Distribution Chairman, Basavaraj (Basu) Vibhuti, then thanked the many volunteers who helped make today's distribution the success that it was. Basu had been working since November to organize the distribution. In comparison, our jobs are relatively easy and enjoyable when we arrive to take pictures of the children and hand out the bedkits.
The Rotary Club's President Sharad Pai then made a special announcement to the SCAW team and Rotary members. He and his wife, Padmaja, invited all of us to celebrate and bless the marriage of his son Chetin to Pooja Potnis by attending it on the 28th of February. A couple of the SCAW team members were pleased to tell President Sharad that they were going to change their plans in order to attend the wedding, which pleased him greatly.
After the meeting, the Rotary Club hosted the SCAW team to a delicious buffet dinner. It gave them an opportunity to say farewell and thank you to Bill Sergeant for his leadership of the SCAW team for the past few years. They also asked that he and Duncan Macgregor come back to Belgaum at some point in the future. Bill said that he will miss the friends that he has made in Belgaum, but would love to see them at some point in the future, either in Canada or back here in Belgaum.
Team Belgaum 2015
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