Windham, NH — Dec. 2, 2017 — As we all know, the island of Puerto Rico was devastated by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Recovery efforts are proceeding but a lot of work remains to be done with a significant period of time to go before things return to normal. Amateur radio has filled a vital need for communications, since the storm destroyed most of the island’s wired and wireless infrastructure.
Effective immediately, the WWROF will match the first $5000 of donations by clubs and individuals to the *KP4 Generator Project*. WWROF is an IRS-recognized 501(c)3 organization and donations are tax-deductible for U.S. taxpayers to the extent allowed by law.
Many of our fellow amateur radio operators and contesters are among the people who suffered significant damage, including NP4A, WP3R, NP4G, WP3C, and the contest station of WA3FET.
The contesting community in Puerto Rico has expressed continued need for electric generators, both to stay on the air and to power their homes for on-going communications needs. Even now, many weeks after the storm, a significant percentage of the island’s local hams are unable to send outbound health & welfare traffic because they have no power. As you can imagine, generators are in high demand and very short supply on the island.
Several contesters with connections to the island, including WA3FET, W1YW, K1VR, K1ZM, and others have appealed for funds to assist with the purchase and shipment of generators. Effective with today’s announcement, The World Wide Radio Operators Foundation (WWROF) has approved a program to accelerate and enhance these efforts by establishing the *KP4 Generator Project*. This project will raise funds to purchase Honda eu2000i generators for the amateurs of Puerto Rico. Well-known contester, Angel Vazquez, WP3R, will distribute these generators to local active hams for use in emergency-related communications and other applications based on “on the ground” needs.
For those fellow contesters that would like to financially support the program, funds can be donated in several different ways (please indicate that your donation is for the KP4 Generator Project, and include your mailing address for your receipt).
1. Use PayPal to send funds to donations@WWROF.org
2. Go to http://wwrof.org/supporting-wwrof/ and click the DONATE button. You can use most major credit cards to donate.
3. Mail a check to:
WWROF Inc.
P O Box 529
Fredericksburg, TX 78624-0529, USA
For information about WWROF, please visit www.wwrof.org, or contact WWROF Chairman, John Dorr, K1AR, via e-mail at: k1ar@wwrof.org.
About WWROF
The mission of the Worldwide Radio Operators Foundation is to improve the skills of amateur radio operators around the world, utilizing education, competition, advancement of technology and scientific research. The foundation is focused on promoting international friendship and goodwill, and preparing operators to better serve society in times of communications need. WWROF strives to serve the global radio-operating community by advancing of the state-of-the-art in operating techniques and through provision/support of high-value resources and information.
