Rotary International Donates iPad Minis to Children of Sandy

A past district governor of the Suffolk County District Rotary Club helped brighten the holiday season for a group of Lindenhurst children affected by Hurricane Sandy last year.

Past district governor Irving Toliver, along with Lindenhurst Rotary President Jackie Milton, helped distribute 25 iPad mini devices to children impacted by the storm last year at Lindenhurst Memorial Library on December 18.

"With the Rotary Foundation, we can do matching grants," said Toliver. "Normally, we do grants all over the world... I thought it would be a good idea to do something for here on Long Island."

The iPads, each with a bright 7.9-inch display and powered by Apple's iOS 7, also came with a $25 gift card to the App Store to purchase anything from apps, games, books, music or movies.

A $30,000 Rotary International grant helped kickstart the donations, with Lindenhurst being the first stop for the iPad donations.

To qualify for the early Christmas presents, each child had to write an essay detailing their experiences through Sandy and its aftermath. Many recalled the feeling of loss at seeing their homes damaged or destroyed and many of their possessions lost.

"It was really scary for an eight-year-old," said one of the children in reference to seeing floodwaters rising up to their front door.

The iPads will also come equipped with access to "Livebrary," a free access app available to all Suffolk County Library card holders. The app allows users to "take out" various media items hosted online, including eBooks, audiobooks and even some movies and TV shows.

"We really wanted to give to the kids," Toliver said. "We just hope that this will help them out."