In Gear | Rotary in Southern New Zealand In Gear - Issue 3 | Page 28

Changing lives, one
mission at a time
A series of Rotary-sponsored missions to the Philippines has brought
profound, life-changing – and, in one case, career-deciding – moments for
the young North Otago people involved, according to trip organiser and
Rotary Club of Oamaru president-elect Robert Gonzales.
Robert and a 15-strong team, including 11 17-to-21
year olds from Impact Youth, which runs as part of
Weston Community Church’s outreach programme,
returned early in February from the latest three-week
humanitarian trip to the Philippines’
Cavite province.
While team members from the joint
Rotary-Impact Youth initiative covered
all of their own travel, accommodation
and food costs, District 9980 provided
$3000 under the dollar-for-dollar
district-matching grant scheme to
equal funds donated by the Rotary
clubs of Oamaru and Waimate.
300 youngsters and a children’s feeding programme to
another 340.
As important as the team’s contributions were, Robert,
who is Oamaru Hospital’s chief executive, says the
trip was as much about receiving: life
lessons.
“What we are trying to teach the kids
in the Impact Youth group is to think
outside of themselves and help where
they can – be that other people in the
community or other people in the world.
“We all had a great time and forged
wonderful relationships with the
orphans and other locals.”
Robert Gonzales
The Rotary donations paved the
At the children’s home, Impact Youth
way for three key projects at the Valley
leaders Nicki and Paul Botting, church member Susan
Cathedral Children’s Home in Cavite’s Naic municipality,
Moore, of Waimate, and their young Kiwi teammates
together with initiatives in the surrounding
communities that delivered medical and dental care to
worked side-by-side with the orphans repainting
Page 28 | In Gear - Rotary in southern New Zealand - District 9980 | www.rotarydistrict9980.org