06/18/2026
Ludlow Rotary Receives Grant for Okemo Valley Swiftwater Rescue Team
Ludlow Rotary received a Global Grant to fund the Okemo Valley Swiftwater Rescue Team (OVSRT) in the amount of $62,922. The grant will fund training and equipment to outfit 15 emergency personnel in techniques for making rushing water and other technical rescues while remaining safe themselves. Safety for our local emergency personnel was a key factor in receiving the Global Grant from Rotary International(RI).
The grant is part of the emergency response recovery program of Rotary International. It was funded by a collaboration of Rotary Clubs from Ludlow, and surrounding area clubs; individual Rotarians in southern Vermont and Swellendam, South Africa; a club in Moinabad, Telangana, India; the Rotary District of Southern VT and NH; and the RI World Fund.
After the devastating flood in 2023, the Ludlow Rotary Club received numerous generous donations for flood recovery. As a Club they decided to keep $15,000 of those donations for a project that would benefit all four communities served by the Club. When the Technical Rescue team was selected to receive the funds, it was suggested that those funds could be enhanced by the new RI emergency response grants, if international partners could be found. The Club has spent the past year and a half securing the necessary partners and putting the funding together with Ben Whalen, vice president of the Technical Rescue Squad.
The Okemo Valley Swiftwater Rescue Team is composed of emergency personnel from Cavendish, Ludlow, Mount Holly and Plymouth. Whalen indicated the equipment and training will help protect the emergency personnel of all 4 communities, many of whom are volunteers, in addition to the public who face danger in the face of increasing weather and related hazards. Many of those trained recently said it was the best training they had ever had.
The LRC meets most Tuesdays for lunch in Ludlow. The LRC is small and is always looking to welcome new members. If you would like to attend a meeting and learn how you may 'Serve Humanity' while enjoying the fun and fellowship of others, please contact Kevin Barnes at 802 558-0479 or any Rotarian.