LUDLOW, Vt. – Recently, Ludlow Rotarian Kim Benson Lampert and her husband Jon headed south to Elizabethtown, Ky. to deliver a trailer loaded with goods for Kentuckians who had lost everything to the recent tornado.
Kim Lampert said, “I am overwhelmed by the support of our club and community members as well as our Rotary district.”
Donations of $1000 were received from Henniker, N.H. and Poultney, Vt. Rotary Clubs. The Concord, N.H. Rotary Club donated $5000. The Brattleboro Sunrise Rotary Club donated the $210 proceeds from their trivia night to the cause. Several other District Rotarians also made personal donations.
Troy Caruso donated toys from his Assisting Children Today charity arm to assist with a Christmas in January Celebration for children who had lost theirs to the tornado. Numerous individuals and groups brought boxes and bags of clothing, toiletries, household supplies, and other needed items to Benson’s Chevrolet and Cota and Cota.
George Benson, Jr. donated the use of his trailer to the cause. Ultimately, the trailer was packed to the ceiling by a group of volunteers, including Jon Lampert, Ludlow Rotarians Brigid Sullivan and Barb LeMire with her husband, Doug LeMire; generous Mount Holly friends, Nancy McKeegan, Fern and Dennis Melvin were among those who spent more than two hours readying the trailer for the 15 hour road trip.
The Lamperts left on Friday, arriving at a storage unit rented by the Elizabethtown club on mid-day Saturday. There, Kaytlin Edwards of the Grayson County, Ky. Rotary Club, Assistant Governor Rotary District 6710, met them to unload almost 1,000 cubic feet of goods, which filled the storage unit.
Edwards will organize her fellow Kentucky Rotarians to sort items and deliver them to the many needy people who lost so much in the Dec. 10, 2021 storms. She was shocked at the amount of goods sent by the Ludlow Club. “We actually had a nice variety of items,” said Kim Lampert.
The Ludlow Club is continuing to collect cash for the Kentucky victims. Checks should be made payable to LARCF with “KY Tornado” written in the “For” line. They can be mailed to Ludlow Rotary, Box 216, Ludlow, VT 05149.
Anyone interested in learning more about joining Rotary is invited to contact Kevin Barnes, Membership Chairman at 802-228-8877, to receive an invitation to a meeting.