Can one person make a significant difference in this world? The answer of course is a resounding “yes”. That’s what Hidden Heroes do all the time and sometimes, through what we call the ripple affect, that difference can affect an entire country or even the entire world.

At the turn of the century, Tom Henderson had an idea to launch a special centennial project for his Helston-Lizard Rotary Club in England. A few years later that idea is having a world-wide affect and it has given Alan Lomax, a Ladysmith Rotarian, the chance to be a Hidden Hero himself. Alan is promoting the program from coast to coast in Canada.

The program started when Henderson approached his Rotary Club with a simple but powerful idea.

“Hey guys,” he enthused, “I've had an idea that could bring shelter and beds to people who have become homeless in disasters around the world...and all in a single box.”

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea',” his club agreed. “Why don't you look into it?”

The first box was delivered the next year and thousands of these “Shelterboxes” have been delivered since then at the cost of $1,050 Canadian per box. Each $1,050 gift provides basic but comfortable life-saving shelter for disaster victims around the world. Each box contains a light source, heat, cooking aids, tools and beds for 10 people as well as a large tent divided into three compartments.

Most recently Canadian Shelterboxes, provided through Alan Lomax’s fundraising efforts, have gone to Indonesia after the Tsunami and to Pakistan after the earthquake.

So how did the Shelterbox program get started in Canada? There’s a one word answer to that question, Rotary.

Rotary is an international organization with 1.2 million members who belong to more than 32,000 clubs in more than 200 countries. Good ideas spread quickly through this organization.

In 2004 Dick Drew, then District Governor of Rotary District 5020 (Vancouver Island and a large part of Washington State) attended a Rotary International Convention in Brisbane Australia. That’s where he first heard about the project.On his return he asked Alan Lomax, one of his Assistant District Governors, if he would find a Rotarian who would be willing to launch the program not only on Vancouver Island and Washington State but across Canada as well.

As you already know, Alan took on the challenge himself and he’s been spending countless hours on the project ever since.

Alan’s first step was to study how Rotarians in other countries organized themselves so he could develop his own model.His next step was to drop by the Helston-Lizard Rotary Club when he and his wife were on holiday in Briton. After that he rolled up his sleeves and started visiting individual Rotary Clubs and arranging presentation opportunities at various Rotary conferences from coast to coast.

He’s done a lot of travelling in the past two years but when someone like Alan finds something he’s passionate about, nothing is going to stop him. Hidden Heroes are like that.

To date Canadians have raised enough money to pay for seventy six Shelterboxes. Sixty six of them have come from Vancouver Island and twenty five percent of the boxes have been provided by corporations and/or individuals. In another three years, the goal is for Canada to provide hundreds of boxes each year.

Although the program is organized by Rotarians around the world, a high percentage of the Shelterboxes are paid for through donations made by individuals, groups of individuals, or corporations.

Individuals need not contribute the entire $1,050 cost of a box. Go to www.shelterbox.ca/ for more information or to make your donation on line.