St. Peters:--- In response to a request from the Starlight Educational Center for assistance with their worn-out school furniture, The Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunrise contacted some school boards in the Netherlands if they could help out. The result was presented last Wednesday when 40 school desks and chairs for children age 4 to 6 were delivered at the school in St. Peters.
The Starlight Educational Center is one of the unfunded primary schools that relies mainly on volunteers and sponsors to survive. This school year some 130 children are expected to attend the school. Since the school's furniture is in dire need of repair or – even better – replacement, the director Mrs. Carmen Hodge asked the Sunrise Rotary to lend a hand.
The Club's president Hendrik-Jan van Ieperen found the director of the Prins Claus School in Tiel, the Netherlands, willing to make available the school's kindergarten furniture. The transport from Tiel to Sint Maarten was handled by moving company Voerman International. The company was so kind to cover a considerable amount of the expenses. Prof-Pac Moving Services N.V. offered to take care of the handling and transportation on Sint Maarten.
Mrs. Hodge and the staff of the Starlight Educational Center were very happy to finally receive the desks and chairs. As of Monday the children will be able to sit at their new desks and enjoy the rest of the school year. The Club expressed its gratitude to the Prins Claus School, Voerman International, Prof-Pac and the van Ieperen family in Holland who made this first delivery possible. Currently the Sunrise Rotary Club is trying to find desks for the older children as well.
Sunrise Rotary Club meets every Tuesday at the Restaurant Air Lekkerbek (near the Prince Bernhard Bridge) at 7:00AM to 8:00AM
