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During the past year, Dryden born and bred resident Kendra Saville accepted an invitation from Rotarian Susan Reany-Iskra, a co-worker at the Dryden Fire Management Centre, to attend the Rotary-sponsored Mudmen concert.
While there, Kendra became fascinated with a display set up by Kenora’s Ron and Claire Noseworthy on an emergency shelter program established by ShelterBox, a Rotary partner charity.
Saville had studied Archeology at Brock University and her work on fires for the past 20 years had taught her just how much damage can be caused by nature.
After the concert, Kendra took the opportunity to talk with Claire Noseworthy. The very next day, she went online and signed up to be an ambassador. Within two hours, there was an email reply asking her to contact the organisation.
Presentation of $2800 cheque to Kendra for ShelterBox by Rtn Jeannie McM - being net proceeds of Mudmen concert
Soon Kendra learned that you had to spend time being a ShelterBox ambassador before you can get training as a ShelterBox response team member, Kendra's ultimate goal.
Kendra described how, after writing her application, she had to progress through an interview panel and then take a five-day training program in Toronto or Texas. The final step required going to England where out of 300 attendees in training, only fifty passed.
Today there are about 85 million people around the world who have been made homeless by natural disaster and conflict.
Kendra believes in Muhammad Ali's quote “The Service you do for others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth.”