December included an early New Year for 84 staff members employed by Royal Islander at Maho. The workers received personalised bags of useful items, including clothing, deodorants, hair-dryers, sports coats and other needed items for them and their families.
Nearly 500 pounds of clothing and materials were shipped from Johnstown, Pennsylvania, through Miami, Florida, to Tony’s Air-Conditioning, where they were handled by members of Rotary Club of St. Maarten-Mid Isle and Jerry Zahorchak, a member of the Johnstown Rotary Club. Johnstown Rotary Club President Donna Christopher offered her State Farm office building as a place to store the items collected by her club members and University of Pittsburgh Rotaract members. Christopher said she and Zahorchak had agreed soon after reports of the terrible aftermath of Hurricane Irma were making the news that they wanted to help somehow. Zahorchak said, “St. Maarten is a second home. I made personal financial donations and I was pleased when the Johnstown Club saw fit to gather clothing and sponsor the cost to ship the materials to Miami.”
