Rotary Club of Saipan maps out new relief drive for Kagman recovery

The Rotary Club of Saipan held its first regular meeting following the devastation caused by Super Typhoon Sinlaku on May 26 at the Mari Bar of Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan, with club president Greg Borja outlining plans for another community distribution drive aimed at helping residents still struggling without full recovery services.

Borja said the club is now preparing around 200 hygiene and care packages for residents in Kagman, which remains among the areas hardest hit by prolonged outages and limited access to services after the typhoon.

“I’m proposing to you all, fellow Rotarians, that we start in Kagman,” Borja said. “Once we get these 200 packages together, we go down to the villages in Kagman 1, 2, and 3, and we see how we can get it out to as many people as we can.”

Borja said the club received 200 clear plastic bags from Island Training Solutions to assemble hygiene kits containing deodorant, shampoo, soap, toothbrushes, laundry detergent, and cleaning supplies. Rotary also still has about 200 Rotary bags available for distribution.

He added that while Susupe was initially identified as an area needing assistance, conditions there have improved faster than expected.

“Susupe, for example, the majority of the homes in that area are powered up. They have power now. They have access to stores. Kagman, though, is still off on its own island over there,” Borja said.

The Rotary president also disclosed that the club received donations from visiting Rotarians and outside Rotary groups to support relief operations. He thanked visiting Rotarian for donating $500 to the club’s recovery efforts and said another contribution from the Civic Basin Group was also forthcoming.

Borja said the club also received supplies from Hawaii through Rotarian Dr. Peter Gregor and the Rotary Club of Honolulu, including tarps, flashlights, and batteries intended for families with damaged homes.

“If you all know anyone that is missing a roof, needs a tarp or something like that, we have six of those, 16 by 20. Let’s get those out to those families who need it,” he said.

Aside from relief planning, the meeting also highlighted Rotary’s youth outreach programs. Rotaract Club Saipan president Richard Baleares gave members a recap of the club’s recent New Generations Day, which marked the 10th anniversary of the fellowship event involving Rotaract and Interact clubs on Saipan.

This year’s event featured a pickleball tournament instead of the traditional beach games.

“It was a great way for many of us to regain some sense of normalcy,” Baleares said. “For many of these guys it was the first time they’ve seen their fellow interactors or fellow Rotaractors since before the typhoon.”

Members also discussed recovery-related issues affecting residents and businesses across Saipan, including the growing interest in solar energy systems after weeks of power outages following the typhoon. Rotarian Curtis Dancoe shared his experience transitioning toward energy independence through a solar battery storage setup and encouraged others to explore alternatives to high utility costs.

The club likewise announced that its Las Vegas Night fundraiser originally scheduled for May 30 has been moved to Aug. 29, with all previously sold tickets to be honored.