In mid-2004, the Rotary Club Bonaire decided to assist those less fortunate children within our school system with receiving a healthy, nutritious breakfast. By aiding with this, it is hoped the children will be better prepared to focus and retain more during their school hours. Thus, the Breakfast-in-Schools program was founded by Bonaire Rotary. Our motto is, "Feed the body and the mind!"

The Breakfast-in-Schools program was begun for the 2004-2005 school year and proved to be a resounding success. It was such a success, that Bonaire Rotary decided to continue the program for the 2005-2006 school year, and augment the program by adding Watapana School as a recipient. With this new school addition, more than 150 school-children are now receiving a free breakfast each school day morning at Kolegio Reina Beatrix, Kolegio Papa Cornes, Kolegio Kristu Bon Wardador, Luis Bertran, Watapana School, and Kolegio San Bernard. The meals were planned with the help of a nutritionist and a local caterer. Eddy’s Gourmet, prepares the food packages for daily distribution.

The current 2008-2009 school-year marks the completion of the fifth year of the successful Breakfast in Schools project sponsored by the Rotary Club of Bonaire. Since August 2004, the program has provided over 220,000 breakfasts in its five years of operation.

Over the years, several Bonaire entities have partnered with the Rotary Club of Bonaire and helped to raise funds for the program. Main sponsors over the years have been USONA, AMFO, Divi Flamingo Beach Resort & Casino, Buddy Dive Resort, and numerous private persons and businesses.

For its sixth year, which starts in August, 2009, the Rotary Club will be seeking to add more hotel partners as well as individual and business sponsors in support of this important and worthwhile project for kids.

Each meal costs less than 2 Nafl and you can help by sponsoring a meal for a child for one month for only 35 Nafl. For more information or to help with a donation, please contact Maricella Croes of the Rotary Club of Bonaire at 717-7360.

View the current brochure about the Breakfast in Schools program.

For Easter, 2008, extra baskets were handed out:

If you would like to make a donation for the Breakfast-in-Schools program, click here for bank information

In October, 2005, the skeleton of a Bryde's Whale, which was reconstructed by the Bonai Youth Group, was put on exhibit at the entrance of Washington Park. The reconstruction work was sponsored by Rotary Club Bonaire, along with other organizations.

If you have any questions about the Rotary Club of Bonaire, please e-mail us at info@RotaryBonaire.org.

In October, 2007, Eric Heres, Director Corporate Communication for Campina, received a plaque on behalf of the Rotary Club Bonaire as appreciation for their very generous donation to our Breakfast In Schools program for the school year 2007-2008. Ruud Vermeulen, president of Rotary Bonaire, traveled to Campina headquarters in Holland to give this recognition. The stuffed cow animal was a gift from the children on Bonaire!

As part of the Breakfast in Schools Program (BIS), the Rotary Club of Bonaire also donated school supplies to the qualifying children of the Primary Schools for this year. These school supplies consist of materials for writing and drawing, sport shoes, and school uniforms for the school year 2008-2009. The school supplies could be purchased through support by AMFO, by fundraising, and by generous donations from citizens of Bonaire concerned with the children’s BIS Program. The photo shows boxes with writing materials ready for shipping to the various schools on Bonaire.

In 2010, Rotary Bonaire assisted Magazina di Rei with the building of a playground on the open air museum's property. The new playground is already being utilized as a popular play area for the island's children.

View images of the opening of the playground by clicking here.