Businessman Gary Sword, who was a guest speaker in yesterday’s Rotary Club meeting at the Hyatt, said a lot of individuals from the CNMI have already sent donations to the victims of tsunami in the Samoas.
“The donations of clothing and other essentials have filled one half of a container but we would be glad to receive more donations from the community to help the tsunami victims pick up whatever is left and start again,” Sword said.
He said on Oct. 24, a whole-day radio-thon will be conducted all over the islands through the participation of Magic 101.1 and KMZI 103.9.
“Through the radio-thon, we hope to reach out to the people and we will be accepting calls for pledges and donations from the community throughout the whole day,” Sword said.
He added that IT&E, the island’s biggest communication network, has allotted a line so that the community can call in to give their donations.
“Donors can phone in their donations by calling 235-HELP (4357),” Sword said.
He said anybody can volunteer in any way they can to help.
“We need donations to pay for the shipping costs of the donated items. We need volunteers to render services like answering telephones and other services,” he said.
Sword said he is confident the $50,000 target will be reached if everybody will pitch in to help.
“All the donations will be evenly split between American and Western Samoas,” he said.
He added that they will be working with the Rotary Clubs in Apia and Pago Pago to see to it that all the donations will go to the individuals who need them the most.
Fundraising drive chairman Jerome I. Ierome yesterday said they are knocking on the hearts of the CNMI community.
“The needs of the victims are great, and we are thankful that a lot of residents in the CNMI have already responded to our call,” Ierome said.
He added that to date, 60 families have already sent in clothing, kitchen utensils and essential items to help rebuild the lives of the victims.
An 8.3 magnitude earthquake hit the Samoan islands early morning on Sept. 29, claiming 186 lives and displacing over 20,000 families. For more information, visit www.2009tsunami.com.
