REMinder GOTOMEETING
Wednesday 14th December at 7.30pm ESDT (NSW & VIC time) If you have not received an email with the link to the Special General Meeting please email me requesting one at : johnroberson@bigpond.com
This is Disease Prevention and Treatment Month
The Rotary Foundation helps make health care available for hundreds of orphans in Uganda.
Rotary’s top priority is the eradication of polio, but our members take on far greater responsibilities to fight disease. They set up health camps and training facilities in undeveloped countries and in communities struggling with HIV/AIDS and malaria. They also design and build the infrastructure for doctors, nurses, governments, and partners to reach the one in six people in the world who can’t afford to pay for health care.
Disease prevention and treatment takes on many forms, from supporting studies to helping immunize people to improving drinking water and the sanitation infrastructure. The world relies on Rotary to tackle these global challenges, and to set an example for others to follow.
Join Rotary and work on projects to prevent and treat disease.
Give now to support a polio-free world.
READ NEWS ABOUT ROTARY’S EFFORTS TO FIGHT DISEASE
- Polio vaccinators make significant headway in Nigeria
- Giving voice to those who might otherwise live in a silent world
- Drug wars, financial setbacks no match for Mexico clinic
- Family health days help 250,000 in Africa
RESOURCES & REFERENCE
- Learn more about our efforts to end polio
- Browse Rotary Showcase for member projects helping to fight disease
- Find a project to sponsor on Rotary Ideas
- Contact our manager for disease prevention and treatment
DID YOU KNOW
The roots of Rotary’s representative network actually predate the formal chartering of the UN after World War II. In 1942, Rotary clubs from 21 nations organized a conference in London attended by ministers of education to develop ideas for advancing education, science, and culture across nations. This meeting was the impetus for what is known today as UNESCO — the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.
Delegations of Rotary members helped draft the UN Charter in San Francisco in 1945 and gave the organization strong support during its early years, until the Cold War turned it into an ideological battleground. Rotary’s participation decreased over the following decades in keeping with its policy against political involvement.
The spark that restored Rotary’s interest in the UN was the launch of the campaign to eradicate polio in 1985, and the ensuing partnership with the World Health Organization and UNICEF.
“With the advent of PolioPlus [Rotary’s campaign against polio], it became very important to re-establish our presence,” says Jenkins.
In 1945, representatives of 50 countries met in San Francisco at the United Nations Conference on International Organization to draw up the United Nations Charter. Those delegates deliberated on the basis of proposals worked out by the representatives of China, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States at Dumbarton Oaks, United States in August-October 1944. The Charter was signed on 26 June 1945 by the representatives of the 50 countries. Poland, which was not represented at the Conference, signed it later and became one of the original 51 Member States. The United Nations officially came into existence on 24 October 1945, when the Charter had been ratified by China, France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and by a majority of other signatories. United Nations Day is celebrated on 24 October each year.
ROTARY-UN CELEBRATION MIXES BUSINESS WITH DIPLOMACY
Outside the United Nations building in midtown Manhattan stands an imposing sculpture of a man wielding a sword in one hand and raising a hammer with the other. It reflects a shared goal that Rotary and the United Nations celebrated at the organizations’ annual meeting on Saturday, 12 November: to use our strengths and tools to build a more peaceful and just world.
The theme of this year’s Rotary Day at the United Nations, “Responsible Business, Resilient Societies,” emphasizes Rotary’s role as a global network of business leaders using the tools of their trades to build stronger, more prosperous communities.
In his introductory remarks, Rotary International President John F. Germ drew the crowd’s attention to the statue, “Let Us Beat Our Swords Into Ploughshares,” as he set the tone for the day, which included breakout sessions and keynote addresses on aspects of responsible business, or the philosophy that for-profit enterprise can contribute to positive social and economic development.
“Here is where the UN and Rotary International are working side by side, equipping communities with the tools they need, and empowering them with the will to use those tools far and wide,” he said.
Per Saxegaard, founder and chairman of the Oslo-based Business for Peace Foundation, gave a keynote address on the complex relationship between business and broader society, marked by both tension and opportunity. Despite the perception that profit alone motivates enterprise, he says, commercial success and social progress are closely intertwined.
“Societal needs define markets,” he said. “I have met many entrepreneurs in my career, and they all have one thing in common: They see a problem, and they say ‘I can fix that, and I can do it cheaper and better.’ That is the engine of innovation in business. We need that energy to solve the problems at hand,” such as hunger or illiteracy. He pointed to the Sustainable Development Goals, the UN’s ambitious roadmap for eliminating poverty by 2030 and highlighted the opportunity for businesses to help achieve them.
Other speakers included UN Under Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Kim Won-soo and UNICEF polio chief Reza Houssaini, who provided an update on the polio eradication campaign.
John Hewko, general secretary of Rotary International, introduced eight Rotary Responsible Business honorees, six individuals and two corporate partners whose inclusive business practices are bringing employment, mentoring, education, and innovation to their communities.
The individuals honored were:
- Juan Silva Beauperthuy, Rotary Club of Chacao, Venezuela: For 25 years, Beauperthuy has helped keep disadvantaged youths on the right track through Queremos Graduarnos, an education program focused on mentoring and skill development, with support from his engineering firm. Today, the program serves more than 700 students in 18 schools.
- Jean-Paul Faure, Rotary Club of Cagnes-Grimaldi, France: To encourage young professionals and provide promising new businesses with training and funding, Faure launched a business contest called Le Trophée du Rotary. Now in its seventh year, the program has drawn support from a major bank and has kept past participants involved as mentors.
- Suresh Goklaney, Rotary Club of Bombay, India: Goklaney, executive vice chair of a large manufacturer of UV water purification systems, has led efforts to provide clean water in rural villages and impoverished urban areas throughout India. The project has also established centers where local women can sell clean water to generate income.
- Annemarie Mostert, Rotary Club of Southern Africa, South Africa: Mostert formed Sesego Cares, a Johannesburg-based nonprofit, in 2005 to offer education and job training, and to teach entrepreneurship and leadership development to women and children. She also worked with TOMS Shoes to provide 1.3 million pairs of its shoes to the country’s poor.
- Stephanie Woollard, Rotary Club of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia: After meeting seven illiterate craftspeople during a visit to Nepal, Woollard founded Seven Women to help Nepalese women make products to sell abroad. The program, which has trained and employed more than 1,000 women in the past decade, also teaches basic bookkeeping and computer skills.
- Larry Wright, Rotary Club of Taylor, Michigan, USA: A master gardener, Wright started his landscaping business with a bank loan in the 1970s. In 2013, he led an effort to adapt a microfinance model that had succeeded abroad to offer microloans, business classes, and mentorship to entrepreneurs in Detroit.
The business partners honored were:
- Coca-Cola Pakistan has supported the Rotary Pakistan National PolioPlus Charitable Trust since 2010 to promote polio prevention and awareness, particularly through publicity and projects to provide clean water, in one of the few countries where polio remains endemic.
- Mercantil Banco Universal supports a project that has trained 6,000 students in 40 universities across Venezuela in social responsibility and leadership, with the goal of encouraging students to use their academic knowledge to respond to the challenges of underserved communities.
In the afternoon, Rotary member Devin Thorpe spoke about the intersection of profit and purpose. Infusing a corporate program with a sense of social purpose pays off, he says, because it breeds loyalty and satisfaction among both customers and employees.
“When a purpose program is profitable, there is no limit to the good that can come from it,” he said. “Corporations are made up of people. We in this room bear the responsibility to shape corporate behavior, it is up to each one of us.”
Watch video coverage of the event on UN Web TV.
Rotary news
Next GoTOMEETING – Wednesday 14th December
7.30pm NSW & VIC Time
At this meeting we need to elect a President Elect for 2018-19 and Nominee for 2019-20. We also need to adopt a slightly changed Constitution & Bylaws to conform NSW Incorporation law and with RI requirements.
This article below is a reminder to all who conduct overseas projects to consult and work with the community they are assisting. Some very sound advice.
It’s not “your” project
By Dr. Francis “Tusu” Tusubira, a member of the Rotary Club of Kampala-North, Uganda
How many times do we hear Rotary members say, “we have our project in Kireberebe Kisunkaana?”
Let us get one thing right when dealing with economic and community development. And I will call this lesson one: it is not YOUR project.
It is a community project that you are supporting. Along these lines, I thought sharing a few experiential lessons is not a bad idea.
Lesson two: A community where disease is a challenge will lose so much time being sick that they cannot focus usefully on any other initiative that will help them develop. You cannot address economic and community development if you have not addressed basic health.
Lesson three: A community that does not have clean water, and which does not understand the relationship between “dirty water” and disease will have resultant health challenges: diarrhea, eye diseases, cholera, etc. You might as well have a comprehensive Water, Health, and Sanitation component as part of your project.
Lesson four: We all know that illiteracy can be a major barrier, if not a full block, to any efforts related to development. This really means economic and community development must also look at the literacy and numeracy environment (along with the ability to interpret, create linkages, and apply what is read to personal empowerment and development).
Lesson five: Poverty is state of mind. If you do not address the mindset of those that have accepted poverty as their lot, all the rest is a waste of time. This is an intangible challenge and the solution must be in addressing the mind.
When the ground is fertile in terms of the elements above, enablers like skills development (chances are that these will relate to agriculture and other income generating opportunities in rural communities) can be introduced. Or all the elements can move simultaneously to create synergy. Microcredit, for example, is an enabler, not a solution. One realizes soon on in life (if one is lucky) that money is never a solution. Giving money to the poor does not make them rich: it makes them poor people with some transient cash.
What is clear is that in all the above, dedicated expertise will be required. So will partners with knowledge and experience in handling the different aspects. Cooperating organizations are now recognized as one of the key features of sustainable economic and community development. This does not mean Rotary members do nothing; they must also dig in and apply their skills. But being a Rotarian is not a full time job so we need a helping expert hand.
So you see, economic and community development is a totality approach, not a one-dimensional intervention. Which leads to one last lesson:
Lesson six: It is not the things we give to or put in communities that create sustainability. It is what the community does in response to what we do as Rotary members.
This is behavioral change. We are just catalysts, not part of the reaction. It is NOT our project. It is THEIR project. Lesson six is not so much a lesson, actually, as a truism.
Adapted with permission from the Rotary District 9211 bulletin, The Wave.
Annual General Meeting
Thank you to those who attended the Rotary E-club of District 9700-Serving Humanity AGM last Tuesday 15th November. The Minutes will be posted in the members section soon. The new Club Constitution and Bylaws will be adopted at the next meeting as they require amendment. The meeting decided that the current executive would remain in office for one more year as we are new to the concept of an E-club and need to develop the potential of our Club. We also need to attract more members to be a viable Club.
It was resolved to hold our Board Meetings by GoToMeeting on the first Wednesday each month at 7.30pm ESDT, however the next one will have to be the second week in December as I will be away on the first Wednesday.
Those elected for the 2017-18 year are: President 2017-18 John Roberson Vice President To be elected next meeting President Elect 2018-19 To be elected next meeting President Nominee 2019-20 To be elected next meeting Secretary Debbie Schache Treasurer Marilyn Roberts Directors: Admin Cameron McKern Foundation Ruth Barber Membership Malcolm Dunnett Public Relations Marilyn Roberts International Service Sharon Daishe Youth & Australian Service Lauren Slater Other member committee positions are: Membership Donna Vaughan International Service Kate Bowyer Youth & Australian Service Jemma Hayward
The positions for President Elect and Nominee must be filled by the end of December as Rotary International require the names for those positions by then. Please consider your commitment and let me know if you can see your way to accepting one of them. Our Club needs them filled to remain viable.
Remaining positions to be elected at Meeting, to be held Wednesday 14th December at 7.30pm NSW/VIC time.
Rotary Foundation named World’s Outstanding Foundation for 2016
The Association of Fundraising Professionals has recognized The Rotary Foundation with its annual Award for Outstanding Foundation.
The award honors organizations that show philanthropic commitment and leadership through financial support, innovation, encouragement of others, and involvement in public affairs. Some of the boldest names in American giving — Kellogg, Komen, and MacArthur, among others —are past honorees.
“We are honored to receive this recognition from the AFP, which gives us even more reason to celebrate during our Foundation’s centennial year,” says Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair Kalyan Banerjee. “The continued strong support of Rotary members will help us keep our promise of a polio-free world for all children and enable the Foundation to carry out its mission of advancing world understanding, goodwill, and peace. We look forward to another 100 years of Rotary members taking action to make communities better around the world.”
The announcement came on 15 November, known to industry professionals since the 1980s as National Philanthropy Day. The award will be presented in early 2017 at the AFP’s annual conference in San Francisco.
Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair-elect Paul Netzel is set to accept the award on Rotary’s behalf, and Eric Schmelling, director of fund development at Rotary, will speak at the conference. The event is expected to draw more than 3,400 senior-level fundraising professionals from 33 countries.
“While almost everyone is familiar with Rotary, not everyone may realize just how much of an impact Rotary and The Rotary Foundation have had on countless people and communities across the globe,” says Jason Lee, AFP president and CEO. “On behalf of the entire charitable sector and people around the world, all of us at AFP are honored to be able to recognize The Rotary Foundation as our 2016 Outstanding Foundation.”
AFP’s committee of judges cited Rotary’s comprehensive campaign to eradicate polio as a major driver of the selection. They also mentioned that Rotary applies a methodical, purposeful approach to support a wide variety of causes, from providing clean water to educating the next generation of peace professionals.
Rotary News
november is foundation Month
“We should not live for ourselves alone, but for the joy in doing good for others.” – Arch Klumph, founder of The Rotary Foundation
The mission of The Rotary Foundation is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty.
The Rotary Foundation helps fund our humanitarian activities, from local service projects to global initiatives. Your club or district can apply for grants from the Foundation to invest in projects and provide scholarships. The Foundation also leads the charge on worldwide Rotary campaigns such as eradicating polio and promoting peace. Rotarians and friends of Rotary support the Foundation’s work through voluntary contributions.
The Rotary Foundation transforms your gifts into projects that change lives both close to home and around the world. As the charitable arm of Rotary, we tap into a global network of Rotarians who invest their time, money, and expertise into our priorities, such as eradicating polio and promoting peace. Foundation grants empower Rotarians to approach challenges such as poverty, illiteracy, and malnutrition with sustainable solutions that leave a lasting impact.
Strong financial oversight, a stellar charity rating, and a unique funding model mean that we make the very most of your contribution. Give and become a part of Rotary’s life-changing work!
Since the first donation of $26.50 in 1917, the Foundation has received contributions totaling more than $1 billion.
All Rotarians are asked to contribute to our Foundation each year. You can rest assured that your donation will be used for a good purpose.
You can make your donation directly through My Rotary or on this website to our Club Service Account by direct deposit and our Treasurer Marilyn will forward it to the Rotary Foundation on your behalf. The account details are on the Treasurer’s Page under Members.
You will be issued with a tax deductible receipt from the Rotary Foundation.
REMINDEr – Next Tuesday 15th October is the AGM of our E-CLUB of D9700 serving Humanity at 7.00pm ESDT
An invitational email will be sent to all members today as well as Assistant Governor Michael Horth and our new member Kate Bowyer who has a RAWCS project operating in Tanzania.
return home after visit to the Solomon Islands
I apologise for the delay in my post this week as communications in the Solomon Islands is difficult due to the high number of users on Wifi and Global Roaming costs.
However PP Richard Pottie and I have returned home enthusiastic about the projects that we have organised for May next year. I will tell you more on this soon.
The pictures below are part of our welcome to Garanga Vocational Training Centre, Santa Isabel where we plan to build a mechanical engineering workshop.
Students dance for us
Student Pan Pipe Band
Solomon island RAWCS trip
This week PP Richard Pottie from the Rotary Club of Wagga Wagga Kooringal and I have travelled to Santa Isabel, Solomon Islands to plan for some hands on teams that will travel to here during 2017.
Anyone who is interest in working on a team should contact me and register their interest. We are still requiring more funding so that all the work can be completed. All donations welcome at RAWCS Project 9-2009-10 on this website under International.
When I give to Rotary, I get so much more back
By Stephanie Witkowski, Rotary Club of Honolulu Pau Hana
At 28 years old, I decided to become a Rotarian, because Rotary changed my life.
I grew up in a small town in Oregon, USA, and was a young leader in my school. When I was 15 years old, I applied to attend a Rotary Youth Leadership Awards event in Rotary’s District 5110 to learn more about myself and what leadership meant to me. During that amazing week-long experience, I learned not only about how to be a better leader for my school and community, but about Rotary itself.
One of the things I learned about Rotary was the organization’s commitment to international service through the Rotary Youth Exchange program. I had always dreamed of learning about another culture through an international experience with students my age. So when I was 17 years old, I applied to be a Rotary Youth Exchange student. In District 5110, they have a wonderful tradition of selecting the student’s host country for them, and then SURPRISE! In 2005, I was off for a life-changing year in Slovakia.
Most students who have the incredible opportunity to study abroad speak of the experience as a pivotal moment in their life. That was certainly the case for me. While living with a host family, and studying at the local high school, I learned so much more about what it meant to be a global citizen and what my goals for my life were.
During this year, I began to appreciate different cultures and languages and what they offer to our world as a whole. This path over time led to a BA in cross-cultural communication, a Fulbright Teaching Assistant in Slovakia at age 23, followed by three years of graduate study in linguistics. My Rotary Youth Exchange experience set me on a path toward my current career (as a revitalization linguist for a Native American Tribe.)
During my educational and professional pursuits, I always kept my connection to Rotary. In summers during college, I served as a RYLA camp counselor. I wanted to give back to the next generation of young leaders and inspire them. But the truth is, I always came away as inspired by the youth and their commitment to Service Above Self.
Finally, this May, I joined Rotary to once again give back to an organization that gave so much to me. But again, I find that when I give to Rotary, I end up receiving so much more.
MEETING DAY/TIME SURVEY
We have only received four members surveys at this time. Can those who have not completed it yet do so soon please? We will be making a decision on these items at the AGM to be held Tuesday 15th November at 7.00pm ESDT
World Polio Day – 24 Oct
Join in on 24 October for World Polio Day and share your voice that we are closer than ever to creating a polio-free world. Rotary will host its fourth annual World Polio Day: Making History live stream event at 18:00 EDT (UTC-4) from the headquarters of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The event brings together the biggest names in the global fight to eradicate polio. Watch live on Endpolio.org.
I thought I’d never walk again
Nancy Wright Beasley, who wrote The Little Lion, sits on one of the motorcycles used in the stage adaptation of her book during rehearsal at Swift Creek Mill Theatre. Photo by Clement Britt
By Nancy Wright Beasley, a polio survivor and member of the Rotary Club of Brandermill, Virginia, USA
I thought I’d never walk again, but I did.
I thought I’d never talk about polio either, but I’ve regularly shared my childhood memories of the disease since joining the Rotary Club of Brandermill in 2005. I had been invited to speak about my first book, Izzy’s Fire. That’s where I first learned about PolioPlus, and decided — that day — to join Rotary International’s fight to eradicate the disease. I often say that I’m the only speaker who gave a speech then never left.
I contracted polio in the summer of 1952, in the middle of one of the worst epidemics in U.S. history.
Nancy Wright Beasley with her favorite Muppet, Miss Piggy, spreading the word about polio eradication.
Some 60,000 people nationwide were infected, killing 3,000 and paralyzing 21,000 others. My brother still remembers the summer day when he found me, the youngest of four children, unconscious under a snowball bush just beside our farm house in Christiansburg, Virginia.
A spinal tap at Roanoke’s Memorial and Crippled Children’s Hospital confirmed a diagnosis of polio. At 6, I had never spent a night away from my family, but I was isolated in a sterile room, seen only by medical personnel swathed in gowns and masks. I cried with joy the first time a nurse wheeled me into the sunroom where my mother placed her hand on a glass partition opposite mine. A prisoner of polio —I talked to her by telephone.
When I was released months later, my parents were told I’d never walk again. Mama refused to accept that. She chopped wood to heat the water she lugged uphill from the springhouse, lowering me into a steaming tub and exercising my body beyond exhaustion. I’m fairly sure a home health nurse demonstrated the exercises, trying to stave off muscular atrophy in my legs. For months, Mama followed this routine twice a day, while acting as my substitute teacher; caring for my siblings, my father and grandfather; and helping with farm chores. With tears in his eyes, Daddy used to tell how Mama was so worried about me that he found her one day sitting on the bucket beside a cow and milking onto the stool.
Her hard work paid off — I eventually began to walk again, and though I had missed most of second grade except the last two months, I passed with flying colors.
My brother still remembers the summer day when he found me, the youngest of four children, unconscious under a snowball bush just beside our farm house in Christiansburg, Virginia.
I gleaned two important lessons from that experience: I never take walking for granted, and I approach difficult tasks as challenges to be overcome. When my third book, The Little Lion, was adapted for the stage by playwright Irene Ziegler, the world premiere was held at Swift Creek Mill Theatre in South Chesterfield, Virginia, in January. I approached Tom Width, director of the Mill, as well as the play’s artistic director, and he agreed to assist in a fundraiser for PolioPlus. Brandermill Rotarians joined with me to “Fill the Mill for PolioPlus” on 20 February 2016. Students, friends and Rotarians purchased tickets, some coming from as far away as New Jersey to help support the project, raising $4,512 for PolioPlus.
DeJa View, a Richmond, Virginia, club whose members are polio survivors, was one of the welcoming audiences. The vast majority of members are physically compromised, and some have been stricken with post-polio syndrome. That didn’t’ dampen their spirits, and one member managed to sell 13 tickets for the show. Several sent donations, even though they couldn’t attend.
They, and the many individuals who helped, have inspired me to help carry RI’s task to the finish line. After all, “We’re this close.”
Beasley is available to speak to Rotary Clubs about her experience with polio and the books that she has written. She donates a portion of proceeds from her books to PolioPlus. She can be reached at nancy@nancywrightbeasley.com
Greetings to all
Members please completed your online attendance regularly and the survey by November 10th. The article below shows the ability of Rotary to respond to disasters and serve humanity.
Rotary and ShelterBox on the ground in Haiti
Even as parts of Haiti were still recovering from a catastrophic 2010 earthquake, Hurricane Matthew tore through the impoverished island country 4 October, leaving hundreds dead and many more homeless.
The Category 4 storm affected an estimated 330,000 people in Haiti, including 6,400 who were moved to temporary shelters. Extensive damage to main bridges and other transportation networks have left some areas cut off and vulnerable. Torrential rains have resulted in flooding and landslides. And contaminated water supplies threaten to lead to a surge in cholera cases and other waterborne illnesses.
A ShelterBox response team of volunteers from Canada, England, New Zealand, and the United States traveled to Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital, last week to assess the damage and decide how best to help people. ShelterBox, an independent charity, is Rotary’s project partner for disaster relief.
Working with Rotary members, government authorities, and other relief agencies, ShelterBox is focusing on the cholera outbreak in the southern region of the island and emergency shelter. A shipment of ShelterBox supplies arrived in Les Cayes, in the south of Haiti, on Wednesday, which likely will be used to help health professionals screen and treat cholera victims.
“We hope to provide ShelterKits along with other crucial supplies like solar lights, mosquito nets, water purification units, and water carriers. All of which will help in the fight against cholera,” says Chris Warham, chief executive of ShelterBox.
With wind speeds reaching 155 miles per hour, Hurricane Matthew is considered the worst storm to make landfall in Haiti in more than 50 years.
Storm’s path hits United States and Canada
The destructive path of the hurricane cut through communities in Florida, Georgia, and South and North Carolina, USA, and as far northeast as Nova Scotia, Canada, causing flooding, severe damage, injury, and death. Rotary members are working together to provide emergency supplies and help families find shelter.
“Rivers are still rising and expected to crest on Sunday,” says Rusine Mitchell Sinclair, governor of District 7710 in North Carolina. “We’ll work with our neighboring districts to provide relief once the flooding has peaked and we can get in to assess what’s needed.”
How you can help
The Disaster Network Assistance Rotarian Action Group and Rotary District 7020 are collecting donations for relief in Haiti and the Bahamas. The initial funds will be used to replace the roofs of 1,000 homes and provide Sawyer water filtration systems. Please visit their website to learn about ways to give.
If you would like to help those affected in North Carolina, send donations to District 7710.
Rotary staff are in touch with district leaders in other areas affected by hurricanes Matthew and Nicole and are also monitoring storms in the Pacific. Contact relief@rotary.org for information about how to contribute to other districts.
Learn how you can help at ShelterBox.
Last Week’s District Governor Visit
Thank you to all who attended last Tuesday to hear District Governor Michael Milston and his wife Ann Dib give their presentation to our E-Club. Thank you Michael and Ann for a wonderful presentation that has stimulated our thoughts about how our Club might develop. For all that missed the presentation it is recorded and on this website to view here – DG’s Presentation
CHANGES TO ATTENDANCE ON OUR WEBSITE
The recording of your attendance has been refined and improved by Cameron to allow YOU to record meetings of our Club by browsing our website, attendance at other Rotary meetings or service that you have performed with another service organisation or the community generally. You can even download a copy to Excel of all your attendance for the year to see what you have done.
You also need to be aware that your President, Secretary and Admin Director can see all attendance, all comments and download it to Excel. Please all try it out and keep attending!!
SURVEY OF MEMBERS TO FIND PREFERRED DAY/TIME OF MEETINGS
Can all members complete the survey under the Members menu by the 10th November please?
This is good advice:
7 features of a highly effective service project
Rotary members in Virginia, USA, deliver mobility equipment for a local hospital.
By Richard Cunningham, Rotary Club of James River, Richmond, Virginia, USA
We cannot expect to grow membership without engaging our members in service. RI President John Germ has stated this unequivocally and our club is taking that to heart.
Selecting the right project, therefore, is critical to the health of your club. Here’s a few basic principles we’ve found to be true about service projects:
- Sweat equity is the single most vital aspect of our mission and one of our greatest strengths.
- Club leaders are responsible for both success and failure.
- Engaged Rotarians take responsibility for their own learning.
- Technology is important.
- Members should expect to serve.
- We need to recognize the volunteer resource represented by retirees, the self-employed, and non-working parents with time to spare.
- One-off walk-away projects do little to cultivate longer term engagement with Rotary.
- Hands-on projects provide opportunities for members to develop their leadership skills.
- Fund raisers are an important part of what we do, but there is much more to being engaged in Rotary.
- Rotary is more than being a member of a single club.
- Our Rotary Foundation is one of the finest vehicles for giving in the world.
- Club 501(C)(3)s are important to capture individual tax free donations in the USA. Setting one up is not expensive, and within the ability of club leaders.
- Rotaract, Interact, RYLA, and Rotary Leadership Institutes are important to our present and future.
- Most of us learn by doing.
- We need to watch out for the threat of status quo and board inertia.
- We need to say “yes” to good projects promoted by one or more of our members.
- Our ability to serve is proportional to the number of available volunteer hours.
With this in mind, we suggest any great project should have these seven attributes:
- Involve several of the six Areas of Focus. Our most recent project dealing with eye care for underprivileged children relates to basic education and literacy; maternal and child health, and disease prevention.
- Be interesting to as many professions as possible. For example, our latest project is of particular interest to medical professionals, educators, and community and political leaders
- Benefit as many people in the community as possible. The bigger the better, as larger efforts will attract more media interest. By collaborating, you can engage small clubs in bigger issues.
- Be affordable and grant eligible and pursue international partners. Collaborating with other clubs on district or global grants opens up opportunities for members to step into leadership roles and experience Rotary on an international scale.
- Involve multiple age groups, including Interact, Rotaract, RYLA participants, and all generations from Baby Boomers on.
- Address a major community issue and include a public image component that will stimulate local media interest and build relationships with media outlets.
- Involve a long range vision for sustainability and focus on long-term relationships. A series of related projects is a great way to develop ongoing relationships and retain membership interest. Small projects grow into larger efforts this way.
We believe doing all these things develops a “Service Centered Leadership” culture which results in a sustained and sustainable membership growth environment.
Give to support the work of our Rotary Foundation, and learn how you can celebrate 100 years of doing good in the world.