The Torrington Rotary Club will have some special visitors at its weekly meeting Tuesday.
Students from the Torringford School have been raising money to assist with relief efforts in Haiti.
They are donating the money to Rotary International, which operates a hospital in the country.

Local resident and world traveler William Spear will discuss difficulties in getting aid to disaster victims in Haiti during an appearance Thursday [Feb. 18] at the Litchfield-Morris Rotary Club.

The club meets at noon at the Forman School in Litchfield. Members and their guests are welcome. For more information, contact Rotary Club President Cliff Cooper @ cliffordcooper@optonline.net or 860-567-9876.

Spear is president of the Fortunate Blessings Foundation in Litchfield. He recently wrote about his experiences delivering aid internationally at the Huffington Post.

Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-spear/trauma-in-haitian-assault_b_449481.html

Waterbury Hospital has donated two ultrasound machines and other hospital equipment valued at more than $200,000 to help bring medical relief to overburdened hospitals in developing countries such as Guatamala, the Dominican Republic and earthquake-ravaged Haiti.

The equipment, some of which is more than 20 years old and has been replaced at Waterbury Hospital with more modern technology, will prove to be highly useful and beneficial to the hospitals which will be receiving it, said Jean Assobmo, a biomedical engineer for the American Medical Resources Foundation, the Massachusetts-based organization which accepted the donated equipment from Waterbury Hospital this week.

“We are very grateful to Waterbury Hospital for making this donation possible,” he said.

Assobmo said the equipment will be part of a shipment being sent to hospitals in the Dominican Republic and Guatamala next week. It’s also possible the equipment could be sent to Haiti, which is recovering from a devastating earthquake that has led to an intense demand for medical relief.

Frank Vensel, the Director of Clinical Engineering for Waterbury Hospital, said the two donated ultrasound machines are highly functional and efficient in treating a wide variety of health issues, including heart problems and troubled pregnancies.

“We could not be more pleased that these pieces of equipment will continue to be put to good use,” Vensel said.

Mary Prybylo, RN, the Chief Operating Officer at Waterbury Hospital, said the donations reflect the hospital’s mission to serve and treat people in medical distress, no matter where they are.

“This is a wonderful way to make a difference in people’s lives,” she said.

When the Torrington Rotary Club gathers for its weekly lunch meeting tomorrow, it will be collecting money from members with the hope of raising at least $1,000 for the purchase of a "Shelter Box" that will be sent to Haiti.

Shelter Boxes include a heavy-duty 10-person tent, sleeping mats, sleeping bags, thermal blankets, water purification tablets, water carriers, a shovel, rope, mosquito netting, ponchos, tools, a cooking stove and even a children's activity set.

Any money raised above the amount that covers the Shelter Box will be donated to a hospital that Rotary International operates in Haiti.

For more information, visit www.torringtonrotary.org.