The Charlotte North Rotary Club will hold its second annual Wine-Tasting Event and Silent Auction on Thursday, March 17. The event will be held at The Map Shop at 1500 E Morehead Street from 5 to 7 p.m.  All proceeds and donations will help build a water treatment facility at the Rafiki Orthopedic Hospital in Kenya, and benefit other club charities.

Tickets are $10, and may be purchased by calling Ted Northrup at (704) 332-5557, or in-person at The Map Shop, or online at the club’s web site:  http://www.charlottenorthrotaryclub.org. Tax-deductible donations may also be made to the Charlotte North Rotary Club Foundation. via check or credit card.

According to UNICEF and the World Health Organization, Kenya faces considerable health problems attributable to poor nutrition, unsanitary drinking water, the lack of immunizations, and infectious diseases such as HIV and malaria. There is a serious lack of treatment facilities and doctors in the country. One deficiency is that there are only 35 orthopedic physicians in Kenya, and hospital space, equipment, and supplies needed to treat orthopedic patients are in very short supply.

To help remedy the shortages, concerned physicians and philanthropists established the Rafiki Orthopedic Foundation (ROF). ROF is now raising funds for the construction of a fully equipped and staffed, 60 bed hospital, rehabilitation center and guest house in Rafiki. The hospital will also provide care and beds for individuals suffering from infectious diseases.  The Rotary Club of North Charlotte is contributing to these efforts by raising funds to drill a well and build a water treatment facility to provide potable drinking water not only to the hospital but the Rafiki community as well.

For more information about the wine-tasting fundraiser and the Rafiki Orthopedic Hospital, contact Mr. Ted Northrup of The Map Shop at (704) 332-5557.