Stand with Panama
Standing with Panama: Help Feed and House Families Sleeping in the Streets — in the Pouring Rain
Every family deserves a safe place to sleep. But on October 9, 2026, the most powerful earthquake ever recorded on Panamanian soil—a magnitude 7.7—tore through the heart of the country.
The devastation hit directly in an area our club knows well. In Azuero, the central region of Panamá situated just down the road from several of our close Rotary communities, one of the two historic towers of the San Juan Bautista Cathedral collapsed entirely while the bishop and several local priests were meeting inside. Along the Pan-American Highway, the entire back section of the three-story Hotel Dos Continentes crumpled into rubble, while the provincial government building stands open to the sky after an entire side wall fell away.
If major steel and stone structures could not withstand this force, imagine the toll on the modest homes of farmers and working families in the surrounding hills. More than 300 homes have been destroyed or heavily damaged in Coclé alone, and over 6,000 citizens across central Panama are directly affected. Terrified by continuous, violent aftershocks, thousands of families are too afraid to go back inside. They are sleeping in exposed public parks, yards, and streets- in the pouring rain.
Compounding this tragedy, this is the peak of the rainy season. October and November bring Panama's most unrelenting daily downpours. Families left without roofs are facing severe exposure, mud, and flooding right now.
Trusted Partners on the Ground
You do not have to watch this crisis unfold helplessly. The Rotary Club of Summit County is stepping up to help, and we are working through our trusted local partners on the ground: The Rotary Club of Playa Coronado (Rotary PC).
Rotary PC members live in these communities and are coordinating immediate, direct aid where the need is greatest. Our clubs have an established history together—in 2025, Rotary PC helped Summit Rotary set up a local Panama bank account to safely distribute funds for a major Rotary Global Grant project we support in Bocas del Toro, Panama. Now, we are utilizing that exact secure pipeline to send your relief funds straight to the front lines.
How You Can Help Today
Community members and supporters have agreed to take immediate action through a secure 3-step process to fund emergency items like shelter sets, water filters, and food parcels via the official SIR Giving page.
Step 1: Click here or the donate button below to open our official project page.
Step 2: Choose your donation amount to fund critical items like weather-proof tents, thermal blankets, water filters, and tools.
Step 3: The Rotary Club of Playa Coronado (Rotary PC) ensures your funds achieve maximum impact
What Your Gift Achieves
When you give, you prevent a family from spending another night exposed to the elements. Your generosity provides vulnerable families with emergency shelter, clean water, food and materials to make damaged homes safe again. Government aid is coming, but it is slow. These families need help today and a safe space to call home while they recover.
Please stand with us and with the people of Panama. Make your donation today and ensure these families get the shelter, safety, and stability they need to survive.
100% of these donations will be forwarded to The Rotary Club of Playa Coronado (Rotary PC) in support of its service to Panama's earthquake victims. At your discretion, an OPTIONAL donation can be made to Every Org, our nonprofit payment processor.
The donation link above is able to process Card, Venmo, Paypal, Stock, Crypto, ACH, Google/Apple Wallet, IRA/QCD, and Donor Advised Fund transactions. For checks, please include “Panama Disaster Relief” in the memo line and mail to:
Summit County Rotary Charitable Fund
PO Box 4401
Frisco, CO 80443
The Summit County Rotary Charitable Fund has been a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization since Aug. 1993. EIN: 84-1215233. 100% of your donation is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by US law.