Page 19 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 120

www.sportsenergynews.com Issue #120 January 2023 19

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on your skin, and your hands Warm Up Ukraine with the Rotary
become numb. Your breath can
become quick and shallow, and Club Initiative
you may feel tired and/or sick to
your stomach. This is called stage By Christine Ouellet
1 of hypothermia. You may also
experience a warm sensation, ave you been wondering what
which means your body is entering Hyou could do to help suffering
stage 2 of hypothermia. people in Ukraine as winter
approaches?
Your body temperature has
dropped by 2 - 4ºC (3.8 - 7.6ºF) Olga Lalovenko, District Member
and your shivering is strong. Committee Chair, Kharkiv Rotary
Muscles are uncoordinated and Club, and herself a refugee from
movements are slow and laboured. Ukraine, met with Peter Labelle,
president of the Rotary Club of
You may suffer mild confusion,
Cornwall Sunrise, earlier this fall.
become pale, and your lips, ears,
Along with other Canadian Rotary
fingers, and toes may turn blue.
Clubs, they agreed to partner with
An easy way to check for stage
the Rotary Club of Kharkiv, Ukraine,
2 hypothermia is to try touching
to provide warm waterproof blankets
your thumb to your little finger. for people who are living in bomb
If you can’t, your muscles are shelters, collective heating points,
not working properly and you’re or who are in any other difficult
experiencing stage 2 hypothermia. war situations. The blankets are
If your body temperature drops distributed through the humanitarian Photo Submitted
below 32ºC (89.6ºF), the shivering help hubs established in Ukraine to
will stop but you’ll have trouble support those who need them.
speaking, thinking, and walking. Peter Labelle says that the national
You may even develop amnesia. goal is to fund 10,000 blankets for
Your heart may be beating quickly Ukraine and so far, by mid-December,
but your pulse and breathing will funds for 2500 blankets has already
decrease. At this stage you are at been collected across Canada. At the
risk of dying. district level, which covers a huge
Severe cases of hypothermia territory from Arnprior to Montreal,
(such as stages 2 and 3) require the initiative will run through
January 2023. He says that they have blanket measures 2 x 1.5 meters.
immediate medical attention.
received generous donations from The total scope of this project is to
To prevent frostbite and
Cornwall, and the district will match manufacture 10,000 blankets.
hypothermia, dress in layers with
every dollar given.
a wind resistant outer layer. You To support the “Warm Up Ukraine”
can remove layers if you get too The blankets are being project, donations can be made to the
warm (before you start sweating) manufactured by the Kharkiv sewing Rotary Club of Cornwall Sunrise
enterprise, “Kentavr” in Ukraine, Foundation, a registered Canadian
or add a layer if you get cold.
which is in Mrs. Lalovenko’s charity able to issue charitable tax
You should also wear warm
hometown. This project is important receipts. Donations by cheque should
socks, gloves, a hat, and scarf —
for the local town as it provides be mailed to PO Box 562, Cornwall,
be sure to put a scarf over your Photo Submitted
employment for women and K6H 5T3; e-transfer foundation@
nose to protect it. If you get wet,
seamstresses so they can purchase cornwallsunriserotary.com (with
change into dry clothing as soon food, humanitarian kits, and other donor details in the message);
as possible. You lose heat faster necessities for their families. CDN each. These are 3-layer for more information contact
when you’re wet. zippered blankets (waterproof fabric rotaryclubofcornwallsunrise@
They cost approximately $40
Stay safe! + sintepon + coat fabric). Each gmail.com