Tsunami donations continue to flow in

Bacardi Limited and its subsidiary companies in Miami, South Asia and India contributed $350,000 to tsunami relief efforts this week.

The company, which has its headquarters in Hamilton, is also encouraging its employees to donate towards ongoing charity drives.

The $350,000 was earmarked for those in greatest need and for long-term projects in the affected region and were made to the United Nations? Children Fund (UNICEF), The Red Cross, The Chaipattana Foundation of Thailand and the Prime Minister?s Relief Fund of India.

Barcardi Chairman, Ruben Rodriguez said the disaster required help from organisations and individuals from around the world and to that end the company is supporting aid programs in South East Asia.

Generous and creative

There is no end to the generosity of Bermudians. In the three weeks since the devastating tsunami in South Asia, the Bermuda Red Cross continues to receive thousands of dollars in donations.

By 4 p.m. yesterday The Bermuda Red Cross had raised $655,567.80.

Red Cross Administrator, Helen Wicks said donations continued to pour in from companies in Bermuda and PricewaterhouseCoopers donated $10,000, Serge Bottelli from the Chefs Association donated $3,500 and the House of India donated $8,000.

The Red Cross hopes to raise $1-million by the end of January.

Ms. Wicks said some donation buckets also contained foreign currency and the Red Cross would be donating those to British Airways? tsunami drive to raise money for UNICEF.

Ms Wicks added that two people had brought their donations in person to the Red Cross offices this week.

?Two bags of coins which they?d collected after emptying containers they had around the house. The amount was close to $400 in coins,? she said.

Meanwhile the ingenious ways to raise money for the relief effort continue.

Kristi Carney Dunkley and her children have come up with a unique idea for fund-raising for Tsunami survivors.

They set up a table at the Farmers Market last Saturday morning and sold bottled water donated by Dunkley?s for $1 a bottle. In just four hours, $575.70 was raised from sales as well as from donations.

Donors received not only their bottle of water, but a purple felt heart pinned on their shirts to show that they are connected with global support.

Their fund-raising effort has been approved by the Red Cross and the money will go to the organisation for distribution.

The Dunkleys will be at this Saturday?s Farmers Market.

? Meanwhile Aggie?s cookie sale did very well with some $1,100 was raised in a week for children who were orphaned in India?s Tamil Nadu region.

Heavy collision

A Pembroke woman escaped serious injury but her car was extensively damaged after a towed cement mixer swerved into her side of the road at the junction of North Shore Road and Barker?s Hill, Devonshire on Tuesday.

Police report the driver of a heavy truck braked on approaching the junction and lost control of the cement mixer around 5.40 p.m. The 34-year-old woman was treated in hospital and released.

Police have reported a break and entering and theft of $500 and personal items from a Railway Trail, Paget residence on Tuesday night.

A Police spokesman said someone broke into the home between 7.10 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. Investigations into both these incidents are underway.