Rotary shifts to house-to-house hygiene aid; Las Vegas Night postponed to Aug.

The Rotary Club of Saipan has pivoted to home-to-home distribution of hygiene and cleaning supplies in typhoon-hit communities, reaching residents directly instead of requiring them to line up for assistance.

Rotary Club of Saipan president Greg Borja said the group recently mobilized donations to fill gaps not covered by larger relief efforts, focusing on sanitation needs in storm-damaged neighborhoods in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Sinlaku.

“We pulled together donations of cleaning supplies and we handed out 157 care packages that contain hygiene and cleaning supplies, as well as giving out a case of milk to everyone,” Borja said.

He added that Rotary deliberately avoided duplicating ongoing food and water distribution by other organizations.

“We really wish we could provide food and water, but there’s other groups on island that are conducting those activities, so we want to try to meet the gaps like when it comes to things like sanitation and hygiene.”

The distribution, conducted in Koblerville, is expected to expand to other hard-hit areas including Susupe and Kagman, with teams going door-to-door.

“What we’ve been trying to do is we don’t want people to come to us and wait in lines. We’re going home to home offering these care packages to everyone,” he said.

At the same time, Rotary announced the postponement of its biggest annual fundraiser, Las Vegas Night, originally set for May 30.

“As a result of the typhoon, our venue sustained some damages, and so we’re not able to move forward with our planned date of May 30th,” Borja said.

The event has been rescheduled to Aug. 29, with previously purchased tickets still valid.

“We will just have the event postponed. In August is when we should be ready to rock and roll,” he said, noting that the delay also gives members and the community time to recover.

Borja acknowledged that the current situation makes fundraising difficult.

“This might be a difficult time to be asking people for donations and to buy tickets,” he said. “So we’re hoping that by postponing we will be able to generate enough funds that we need in order to conduct some of our projects.”

Proceeds from Las Vegas Night typically fund community initiatives such as playground construction, feeding programs for the elderly during Thanksgiving, and student exchange opportunities.

Rotary is also expecting additional support from its district network, including funds raised by clubs in Japan, to sustain ongoing relief and recovery work.