27.JUNE.08

The children of St. Vincent & The Grenadines as well as the wider Caribbean are taking the spotlight this week and the coming week. Central to this focus will be the ongoing relationship and project of the Rotary Club of St. Vincent South, the International Hospital for Children (IHC), Virginia, USA and the Ministry of Health.{{more}}

The Rotary Club welcomed the third visiting medical team for this year from the International Hospital for Children (IHC). The team of five from USA arrived on Saturday 14th June and includes a Neurosurgeon – Dr. Garry Tye, an Anesthesiologist – Dr. Jay Shapiro, two Nurses – June Hill and Mary Clarke and IHC Administrative Officer – Becky Crowther. The team will join Dr. Justin La Rose from Grenada for the week long series of Neurosurgery Clinics and Surgical interventions. These Clinics will not only include children from St. Vincent & The Grenadines but also children from neighbouring Caribbean Islands. This is in keeping with developing St. Vincent & The Grenadines as a hub for the advancement of this project in preparation for the eventual construction of the Caribbean Hospital for Children in St. Vincent & The Grenadines for the children of the Caribbean.

Integral to this ongoing project is the ‘Million Dollar Walk’ which will see Vincentian walking legends Earl ‘Ole George’ Daniel and Joel Butcher attempt to walk their way into the Guinness Book of Records with an eight (8) day walk without sleep from New York to Toronto in July this year; this while raising EC$1M to purchase equipment to advance the current phase of the ongoing medical project, while preparing for the ultimate construction of the Children’s Hospital. The walking team completed their third Caribbean walk in Barbados last weekend and will walk in Canouan on June 28th before the send off walk in St. Vincent on July 5th.

The Rotary Club hosted a Fundraising Dinner at Government House on Saturday June 14 under the auspices of the Governor General Sir Frederick Ballantyne and Lady Ballantyne.

Proceeds will assist with the North America walk.