Maui Needs Your Help
My original column was about how organizations work together in Orinda to do great things. Then Maui happened. Lahaina happened.
So I asked The Orinda News to scrap what I wrote and replace it with this appeal for funds to help with what is going to be a long, painful process for many, many displaced families.
The Rotary Club of Orinda offers everyone who wants to donate to Maui the opportunity to do so through a trusted organization, knowing that your funds will go directly to their greatest need.
Our Rotary Club has a 501(c)(3) endowment which funds public service projects in Orinda and around the world. We have connected with the Rotary Clubs on Maui, who established a Maui Fire Relief Fund through their own non-profit foundation, so we can get your donation where it is needed most.
How do you know your funds will be used wisely? Because Rotarians are volunteers. The Maui Rotarians live in the communities that are being directly affected by the fires and their aftermath. They are already helping and housing friends and neighbors who lost their homes. They know what is needed most, and where it is most needed. Your donation will not be used to purchase what some people, 3,000 miles from the disaster, think is necessary. It will go directly to fund what the people on the ground know is necessary.
There is no overhead. No executives to pay. No office rent. All money donated through Rotary goes directly to do the work that needs to be done, and help the people who need help.
You can donate through our endowment by writing a check for any amount to “Orinda Rotary Endowment.” In a cover letter or on the memo line, please write “Maui Fire” and mail it to Rotary Club of Orinda, P.O. Box 44, Orinda, CA 94563. Or bring it to one of our meetings, which are Wednesdays from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. at the Orinda Community Center. To donate with a credit card, visit www.orindarotary.org where there’s a link to the Maui Fire Relief Fund.
We ensure your donation reaches the fund, and you will receive a tax receipt and thank you letter.
To donate directly to fund via the Rotary District 5000 (Hawaii), visit www.rotaryd5000.org.
When a disaster like this happens, Service Above Self means stopping, changing course and doing whatever you can to help. Thank you.
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My original column included plugs for Dancing with the Cars and the Orinda Classic Car Show, Sept. 8 and 9, respectively. Please see the articles and ads for both in this paper. Both are fantastic, free events and we hope to see you there.
Clay Deanhardt can be reached at claydeanhardtrotary@gmail.com.
