Rotary Club of South Miami Outstanding Service Project Nomination:

Caribbean Charity for Children

Rotary Foundation of South Miami, Inc

With South Miami Hospital

Great Beginnings

South Miami Hospital's Caribbean Charity for Children (CCC) program began in 2004 as an Employee Activity Committee hurricane relief effort. With generous donations from South Miami Hospital employees and the fundraising efforts of our Employee Activity Committee, we were able to donate over 50 boxes of food and clothing to residents of some of the areas affected by Hurricane Ivan.  Backpacks with school supplies and a toy were also sent to children at a primary school in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica .  The recipients of the donations were so grateful that the employees decided to adopt this as one of our annual charitable projects.  The program was formalized, named the Caribbean Charity for Children and set out on a mission to assist the underprivileged children in the Caribbean islands of the Bahamas and Jamaica , and to spread the word that South Miami Hospital cares.

Humble Past

In 2005, South Miami Hospital began a great new journey, a journey that would allow us to touch the lives of over 300 children living in the Bahamas and Jamaica . We started assisting children who are orphaned, removed from homes with drug-addicted or abusive parents or children whose parents decided to give up their parental responsibilities and rights and left their children in the hands of the government.   

Our first Caribbean Charity for Children program benefited 124 children residing at Bahamas Emergency Hostel, Elizabeth Estates Children's Home, and Ranfurly Home for Children.  Each department at South Miami Hospital “adopted” at least one child by purchasing a casual outfit, an outfit for church, a pair of church shoes, sneakers, and one pair of sandals.  They also

purchased undergarments, socks and a wish list item, which ranged from costume jewelry and dolls to toy cars and bicycles.  The items were shipped to Nassau, Bahamas and distributed at a beach picnic co-sponsored by Doctors Hospital, Nassau.  South Miami Hospital and Doctors Hospital volunteers also worked side by side on a service project to refurbish the library at one of the homes.  We painted the walls and the bookshelves, installed new blinds and ceiling tiles and donated new books. 

 From 2006 to 2009 the program continued, following pretty much the same path.  The SOS Village in Barrett Town, Jamaica was added as one of our beneficiaries.  We continued to donate the aforementioned items each year and we also continued our annual service projects.  We've purchased trunks for the homes with older children so that they will have a storage container when they're ready to transition out.  We've also purchased food for one of the homes that provide temporary shelter and purchased school supplies for all the homes.  Because of an annual donation by one of physicians we were able to do additional service projects such as a dining room upgrade at Elizabeth Estates Children's home and a donation of refrigerators, stoves, washing machines and furniture to SOS Village in Jamaica .  For SOS Village, we were also able to purchase large water storage tanks, which provide them with clean water whenever the pressure is extremely low or the service is interrupted by public works. 

July 20, 2010 picnic /service event

SOS Village in Jamaica

On July 20, 2010, we will reach out to the children of SOS Village in Jamaica and provide them with the usual items – clothing, shoes and school supplies.  For our service project, we've reached out to the homes in Jamaica and Bahamas for their suggestions and they all have one common need…toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, deodorant, washcloths, towels and other basic hygiene needs.  We plan to provide each child with a care package containing the needed hygienic items plus more.  Our hope is that the new clothing, school supplies and care packages will boost the children's self-esteem and give them a great start to the new school year. If possible we would also like to provide books and toys to the children.   All of these items will be given to the children at the Fun Day Picnic which will start at 10:30 am. Games and activities will be held both in the morning and the afternoon. There will be a picnic lunch at noon and the clothes, shoes, school supplies and care package distributions are scheduled for 2:30 pm. There are currently 105 children residing at the SOS Village in Jamaica .

New Partnership with the Rotary Club of South Miami

South Miami Hospital recently partnered with the Rotary Club of South Miami for this Service project which will now be coordinated and run by the Rotary Foundation of South Miami, Inc with the assistance of South Miami Hospital.   The Rotary Club of South Miami has agreed to help with the coordination, contribute funds and reach out to the Rotary Clubs in Jamaica and Bahamas so that they too can support our events by making donations and provide us with additional ideas and volunteers.  This partnership will be beneficial for all involved, especially the children residing at the homes.  They will now be cared for not only by South Miami Hospital. They will also receive assistance from Rotary.  The Rotary club will benefit from being a part of our service project and we will have the satisfaction of knowing that we are touching the lives of these children who so desperately need our help. 

Invitation to the Rotary Clubs in Montego Bay

 Karen Vassell, Special Projects and Community Relations Manager of South Miami Hospital and Linda M Kaplan, the Service Committee chair of the Rotary Club of South Miami Hospital will be coordinating this and attending the picnic on July 20 th. We invite all of the Rotary Clubs in Montego Bay to attend the picnic and participate in this continuing service project. 

                  Please contact Linda M Kaplan to let us know how your club would like to participate. Contact info: email lk@lindakaplan.com , office phone – 305-670-7665, fax 305-670-7668 or cell phone 305-978-6256