A few years ago the club acquired about 25,000 small solar powered calculators from past District Governor John Ockenfelds.  These calculators were destined to be trashed if Gary Welch had not said our club would take them.   For the past 3 years, we have been giving a calculator with each dictionary that we distributed annually to 4th graders.  A few of the calculators found there way to Cozumel with Dean Lange and others some have been donated to churches for mission trips to Africa but we still have over 14,000 in storage in a warehouse being provided by CJM Financial.  
 
The club has now been contacted by a representative of Samaritan's Purse about our club donating some or all of the remaining calculators to their organization.  Samaritan's Purse is a nondenominational Christian organization that provides spiritual and physical aid to victims of war, natural disasters, disease, famine, poverty, and persecution in more than 100 countries.  They are headquartered in Boone North Carolina with affiliate offices in Canada, the United kingdom, Germany, and Australia as well as field offices in 16 developing countries.  Their President and CEO is Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham.  
 
Samaritan's Purse has a project, Operation Christmas Child, that collects gift wrapped shoeboxes filled with gifts such as school supplies, hygiene items, and fun toys and delivers them to children in need around the world.  For many of these children the gift filled shoebox is the first gift they have ever received.  We believe a small solar powered calculator will make a great addition to the gifts in the shoeboxes.  At their September meeting, the Board for the Rotary Club of Ankeny agreed to donate all remaining calculators to this project.  A local volunteer from Operation Christmas Child will be the speaker at our noon meeting on September 25th to provide us with more information regarding this project.
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