Rotary D6330 Foundation Newsletter - November 2022

Rotary International President for 2022 23, Jennifer Jones, wants Rotarians to imagine the possibilities in the change they can make to transform the world.

Rotary International President, Shekhar Mehta, India District 6330 Governor, Erin Shankie Club President, Joyce Nolin Capman (2021 22)

Jones, a member of the Rotary Club of Windsor Roseland, Ontario, Canada, urges us all to dream big and harness our connections and the power of Rotary to turn those dreams into reality.

Imagine, a world that deserves our best, where we get up each day knowing that we can make a difference.”

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Topic Page No.

FOLLOW UP ON POLIO 3 TRF TRUSTEE CHAIR’s November Message 4

NOVEMBER FOCUS The Rotary Foundation 5

A FOUNDATION MOMENT 6 Areas of Focus 7 Share 8

Giving Tuesday, November 29 9

ROTARY’S OWN CHARITY 10 SPECIAL KIND OF ROTARIAN 11 D6330 GRANT QUALIFICATION 12 District Grant Report for October 29 13

POLIO NOW 14 Giving Tuesday, November 29 15 Polio Facts 16 Paul Harris recognition 17 PAUL HARRIS SOCIETY 18

ROTARY’S BEGINNING 19 GETTING TO KNOW THE TRF TRUSTEES 19 WORTHWHILE VIDEOS 21 UKRAINE & ROTARY 22 What some clubs are doing 23 John Hewko “overwhelmed” 25 WAYS TO GIVE TO TRF 27 FOUNDATION GRANTS 27

DECEMBER THEME Disease Prevention and Treatment 28 ROTARY’S CORE VALUES 29 OBJECT OF ROTARY & FOUR WAY TEST 30 EREY Every Rotarian Every Year / Bequest Society 31

For

* Editor Kitty Bucsko

Follow up on Polio-

Global leaders commit US$ 2.6 billion at World Health Summit to end polio

More than 3000 scientists and health experts from 115 countries urge the world to fully fund eradication strategy following resurgence of disease.

On October 18, global leaders confirmed US$ 2.6 billion in funding toward the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s (GPEI) 2022 2026 Strategy to end polio at a pledging moment co hosted by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) at the World Health Summit in Berlin.

The funding will support global efforts to overcome the final hurdles to polio eradication, vaccinate 370 million children annually over the next five years and continue disease surveillance across 50 countries.

“No place is safe until polio has been eradicated everywhere. As long as the virus still exists somewhere in the world, it can spread including in our own country. We now have a realistic chance to eradicate polio completely, and we want to jointly seize that chance,” said Svenja Schulze, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany.

“Germany will remain a strong and committed partner in the global fight against polio. This year, it is providing EUR 35 million for this cause. And next year we plan to further strengthen our efforts and support GPEI with EUR 37 million pending parliamentary approval.

By supporting the GPEI, we are also strengthening national health systems. That leads to healthier societies, far beyond the polio response.”

Click here to read the full article.

From trees to a forest

Many of you will recall my challenge to Rotary clubs when I was RI president in 2017 18: to plant one tree per member to help the environment. Thanks to you, we estimate over 4 million trees went into the ground quite a forest indeed.

This month, as we celebrate The Rotary Foundation, let’s remember that each Roundation project is much like planting a tree. With each sapling of hope health, and peace, we make an inestment in the future that will one day grow into something even greater.

Such a tree was planted by Rotary in Sri Lanka, where more than 2000 children born annually with a congenital heart defect can now get corrective surgery allowing them to survive to adulthood. Local Rotarians saw a need to make the surgery more accessible, and rallied 17 Rotary districts to contribute District Designated Funds. After the Foundation matched those funds, a total global grant of $365,000 was used to create the first human heart valve tissue bank in Sri lanka, with the government providing the building staffing, and supplies to ensure its sustainabilityl

Visiting this life saving facility in 207 was an unforgettable experience for me. But I have seen countless other great “trees” planted across our seven areas of focus. We planted PolioPlus in 1985 and it has grown into one of the greatest public health initatives in history, helping reduce cases of wild poliovirus by 99.9 percent. Seven Rotary Peace Centers around the world have also taken root and are now bearing fruit as scores of peacebuilders and community leaders go forth with the skills to make the world more safe and secure.

Charity Navigator, an independent agency, has given The Rotary Foudation its highest ranking for more than a decade. Why? Our overhead expense level is much lower than most similar organizations 89 per cent of gifts to the Foundation went to programs and operations in Rotary year 20221 22. Not only are we efficient stewards, bu Rotary’s requirement of a community needs assessment for global grants helps ensure the sustainability of our projects. And the Foundation, run by your fellow Rotarians, is a charity you can trust.

However, only about 38 percent of members actively support our own organization’s great charity. We can and should do better. Just as I challenged you to plant trees as president, as Foundation trustee chair I would like to challenge each club to make a giving plan for our Rotary Foundation this year.

Imagine our impact Rotary’s great forest of hope and peace that will flourish and please give today.

IAN H. S. RISELEY Foundation Trustee Chair

Ian H. S. Riseley Foundation Trustee Chair

NOVEMBER FOCUS THE ROTARY FOUNDATION

The Rotary Foundation transforms your gifts into service projects that change lives both close to home and around the world.

Since it was founded more than 100 years ago, the Foundation has spent more than $4 billion on life changing, sustainable projects.

With your help, we can make lives better in your community and around the world.

Our mission

The Rotary Foundation helps Rotary members to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace by improving health, providing quality education, improving the environment, and alleviating poverty.

What impact can one donation have?

• For as little as 60 cents, a child can be protected from polio.

• $50 can provide clean water to help fight waterborne illness.

• $500 can launch an antibullying campaign and create a safe environment for children.

DONATE

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!

WHAT ARE ROTARY’S AREAS OF FOCUS?

We concentrate our efforts in order to maximize our local and global impact. Our most successful and sustainable projects and activities tend to address these causes, and all humanitarian projects, scholars, and vocational training teams funded by The Rotary Foundation’s global grants work toward specific goals in these areas of focus:

Peacebuilding and conflict prevention

Rotary encourages conversations to foster understanding within and across cultures. We train adults and young leaders to prevent and mediate conflict and help refugees who have fled dangerous areas.

Disease prevention and treatment

We educate and equip communities to stop the spread of life threatening diseases like polio, HIV/AIDS, and malaria. We improve and expand access to low cost and free health care in developing areas.

Water, sanitation, and hygiene

We support local solutions to bring clean water, sanitation, and hygiene to more people. We share our expertise and work alongside community leaders and educators to make sure our projects succeed in the long term.

Rotary is dedicated to causes that build international relationships, improve lives, and create a better world to support our peace efforts and end polio forever. In addition to the above, our other areas of focus are:

Maternal and child health

Nearly 6 million children under age five die each year because of malnutrition, poor health, care, and inadequate sanitation. We expand access to quality care, so mothers and their children can live and grow stronger.

Basic education and literacy

More than 775 million people over the age of 15 are illiterate. Our goal is to strengthen the capaityu of communities to support basic education and literacy, reduce gender disparity in education, and increase adult literacy.

Community economic development

We work with communities to create opportunities for decent and productive work for young and old. We strengthen local entrepreneurs and community leaders, particularly women.

Environment

We develop projecrts that conserve and protect natural resources, advance ecological sustainability, and foster harmony between commmunities and the environment. We empower communities and spur innovation to address the causes and effects of climate change and environmental degradationl

How do you want to get involved in the causes you’re most passionate about?

This information bears repeating… so it is being repeated!

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 support a global network of Rotary members who invest their time, money, and expertise in Foundation priorities, such as eradicating polio and promoting peace.

EREY (Every Rotarian, Every Year) asks every Rotary member to:

• Contribute to the Annual Fund every year

• Participate in a Foundation grant or Through Annual Fund SHARE, contributions are transformed into grants that change lives.

World Fund. The Foundation uses the World Fund portion to pay for the worldwide grant and program opportunities available to all Rotary districts.

District Designated Fund (DDF). Your district uses the District Designated Fund (DDF) portion to fund the Foundation grants and programs of its choice.

The Rotary Foundation’s funding cycle makes district contributions available for use three years after they are received.

Three year cycle. The three year cycle gives districts time to plan projects and activities and allows the Foundation to invest the contributions. For instance, 47.5% of the contributions received during 2021 22 are available for spending in 2024 25.

Where to donate? Donation options include PolioPlus, peacebuilding programs, pooled endowed funds, the World Fund, the Disaster Response Fund, or another district.

Starting 1 July 2026, DDF that has not been used for five years will be directed to the World Fund, unless the district requests that it go to the PolioPlus Fund or to the Endowment to support the Rotary Peace Centers, an area of focus, or the World Fund (but not Endowment SHARE).

DDF empowers your district to undertake the projects that are most important to Rotary members in your area.

Contributions to Annual Fund-SHARE provide DDF for the future.

Therefore, clubs and districts should set and review fundraising goals in Rotary Club Central to track and increase the financial resources available to you for Rotary Foundation grants and activities.

In addition to SHARE, donors may direct their Annual Fund contributions to the World Fund or to any of the Foundation’s areas of focus.

Annual Fund contributions directed to the World Fund, or an area of focus, do not generate DDF.

All Annual Fund contributions count toward Every Rotarian, Every Year (EREY); Rotary Foundation Sustaining Member; Paul Harris Fellow; Paul Harris Society; Major Donor; and Arch Klumph Society recognition.

They also count toward club recognition opportunities.

Annual Fund-SHARE contributions are the primary source of funding for Foundation grants and are strongly encouraged.

DON’T FORGET

Giving Tuesday

29!

Giving Tuesday happens once a year, but your gift of Rotary will make a difference for a lifetime. This Giving Tuesday, consider making a special gift to The Rotary Foundation and together we can continue Doing Good in the World.

Click here to read more.

ROTARY FOUNDATION - ROTARY'S OWN CHARITY

The Rotary Foundation is a not for profit corporation enabling Rotarians and their partners to achieve sustainable solutions to global problems. Widely recognised as being in the top 5 for Best Value Charity Giving, it celebrated its 1st 100 years in 2017.

The Mission of the Rotary Foundation updated October 2021

The mission of the Rotary Foundation is to enable Rotary members to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty. The Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation supported solely by voluntary contributions from Rotary members and friends of the Foundation who share its vision of a better world. This support is essential to make possible projects, funded with Foundation grants, that bring sustainable improvement to communities in need.

Click here for more information and click the links below to learn more.

WHEN YOU DONATE TO TRF

Thank you to everyone in D6330 who has given to the Foundation, who has participated in a Foundation project, or has helped spread the word about the Foundation. Thank you!

Click here to view a short Rotary Foundation

here to view another short

are the

worth your time!

GRANT QUALIFICATION COURSE ONLINE - SURVEY

The District 6330 District Grant Qualification Course online has been in effect for 3 years.

Now is the time to evaluate it and the other resources available for District Grant qualified members before we commence the '23 '24 District Grant cycle in January.

Please click onto the link below to complete the survey by November 15, 2022 https://forms.gle/KigH6ZmQQj3Q9mmh7

This notice is being sent to all members who qualified for District Grants whether you worked on a grant or your Club has a grant. Everyone's feedback is important.

Thanks Myrna DISTRICT 6330 GRANT REPORT

OCTOBER 29, 2022

District Survey - A survey to all 85 members who are District Grant Qualified for 22 23 has been sent out by email. November 15 is the deadline for responses. Have you replied?

From the comments received to date, I want to address two items for all Club members.

First, where do you find the RI Exchange rate?

My go to place is Rotary.org login scroll to the bottom of My Profile and click on Exchange Rate and then open the appropriate month.

Or you can ask your Treasurer as she/he will be working with the exchange rate on a regular basis.

Second, multi-club projects

The second item is multi Club projects and projects on a larger scale that can be completed in the timeframe of a District Grant.

A Multi Club project needs only one grant proposal and one Grant Administrator with the other Clubs listed as Partners.

Each Club needs to be Grant qualified and submit an MOU. All Clubs in the multi Club project will receive a District Grant equivalent to 1/3 of their expenditure for the project to a maximum of $2,000 USD per Club per year. For more information, contact me.

Where do our District Grant projects stand for 22-23?

There are 15 Clubs that need to complete their application by December 31, 2022, so their projects can be approved and completed in this Rotary year.

Currently, 14 Clubs have had their projects approved and are working on them.

Three projects were cancelled with two re submitting a revised project. One proposal was rejected as it did not meet Rotary Foundation criteria.

Now is the time to start the conversation in your Club for projects in 23 24.

Respectfully submitted by Myrna Inglis

District Grant Chair, minglis65@hotmail.com

Myrna Inglis District Grants Chair Minglis65@hotmail.com or 519 881 0586

Click

WORLD GIVING DAY

Tuesday, November 29, 2022

Click here to view a short video re Giving Tuesday.

Click here for more information.

POLIO FACTS

• Polio mainly affects children under 5.

• There is no cure, but polio is preventable with a vaccine.

• Only two countries remain endemic

• We have reduced cases 99.9 per cent since 1988.

• Until we end polio forever, every child is at risk.

Paul Harris Fellow recognition is awarded to an individual who contributes $1,000 or more cumulatively to the Annual Fund, PolioPlus, or an approved Rotary Foundation grant. Recognition consists of a certificate and pin. If $100 of the contribution goes to the Annual Fund the individual automatically becomes a Sustaining Member of the Foundation for that fiscal year.

Multiple Paul Harris Fellow recognition is given in subsequent $1,000 levels. So called “Paul Harris Fellow Plus” awards consist of a pin with stones corresponding to the recognition amount.

• Plus One $2,000 to $2,999.99 one sapphire

• Plus Two $3,000 to $3,999.99 two sapphires

• Plus Three $4,000 to $4,999.99 three sapphire

• Plus Four $5,000 to $5,999.99 four sapphires

• Plus Five $6,000 to $6,999.99 five sapphires

• Plus Six $7,000 to $7,999.99 one ruby

• Plus Seven $8,000 to $8,999.99 two rubies

• Plus Eight $9,000 to $9,999.99 three rubies

Want to know where you stand? There are at least two ways to find out. The first is to register with RI on My Rotary and go to your Donor History Report. It has your contributions, points, and recognition levels. It is the most direct way to see your official information. Second, contact your Club TRF support person

PAUL HARRIS SOCIETY

The Paul Harris Society recognizes Rotary members and friends of The Rotary Foundation who elect to contribute $1,000 or more each year to the Annual Fund, PolioPlus Fund, or approved global grants.

The purpose of the Paul Harris Society is to honor and thank individuals for their generous, ongoing support of The Rotary Foundation.

What your giving supports

Supporting families and changing lives! By giving from your heart each and every year, you’ll support families and change lives. Paul Harris Society gifts have helped provide:

• Vocational training for teachers establishing an early childhood education center in South Africa

• Water filters, toilets, and hygiene training to prevent fluorosis, diarrhea, and other diseases in India

• A scholarship for a medical professional in Italy to research treatments that minimize mortality rates among premature babies

• Peace building seminars for 200 teachers and 1,300 students in Uganda

• Treated mosquito nets and medical services that prevent malaria in Mali

In District 6330, Rotarian Jamie Pole is the District Paul Harris Society Chair.

• In District 6330 we are proud to have over 116 members in our Paul Harris Society.

• We have over 32 of our clubs that now have members in the Paul Harris Society.

• For information please contact our District 6330 Co ordinator, Jamie Pole

The Beginnings of Rotary

On February 23, 1905, Paul Harris, Gustavus Loehr, Silvester Schiele, and Hiram Shorey gathered at Loehr’s office in Room 711 of the Unity Building in downtown Chicago. This was the first Rotary Club meeting. They decided to call the new club “Rotary” after the practice of rotating meeting locations.

The Founder of Rotary Paul Harris

Paul P. Harris was born in Racine, Wisconsin. At age three, when his family fell on hard times, they moved to Vermont to live with Harris’ paternal grandparents. He attended Princeton University, the University of Vermont, and the University of Iowa. For the next five years, he worked odd jobs as a salesman and reporter for a newspaper, on fruit farms, as an actor, a cowboy, and on cattle ships that traveled to Europe. Harris eventually settled in the Beverly neighbourhood of Chicago, where he lived until his death in 1947.

He began his law practice in 1896 in Chicago. In 1905, Harris organized the first Rotary club “in fellowship and friendship” with three business associates, Silvester Schiele, Gustavus Loehr, and Hiram Shorey. His initial goal was to create a club of professional and businessmen for friendship and fellowship. Early on, Harris realized that Rotary needed a greater purpose. While Harris served as president of the Chicago Rotary Club in 1907, the club initiated its first public service project, the construction of public toilets in Chicago. This step transformed Rotary into the world’s first service club.

Harris had great ambitions for the growth of Rotary, and very early in the organization’s history, new clubs were started, first on the West Coast in San Francisco, and then all over the U.S. and in Europe.

Paul Harris died on January 27, 1947. More than 300,000 Rotarians mourned. An outpouring of contributions to The Rotary Foundation created the Paul Harris Memorial Fund, which continues to support The Rotary Foundation. Click here to view an interactive 360-degree view of the historic replica of the Room 711.

GETTING TO KNOW THE ROTARY FOUNDATION TRUSTEES

3 more featured this month

The Board of Trustees manages the business of The Rotary Foundation, the charitable arm of our organization that funds service activities. The RI president-elect nominates the trustees, who are elected by the RI Board to four year terms.

Larry A. Lunsford Trustee 2021-25

Rotary Club of Kansas City Plaza Missouri, USA

Larry A. Lunsford, a certified public accountant, is senior vice president and chief financial officer of Bernstein Rein Advertising, Inc. A recipient of bachelor’s and master's degrees in accounting from Truman State University, he has served his alma mater on its National Alumni Association Board and its Foundation Board. He also served as treasurer of the Epilepsy Foundation for the Heart of America.

His passion for Rotary and his invitation into the family of Rotary began during his college years, when in 1982, he was selected as a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholar to Australia.

Lunsford joined Rotary in 1991. He served RI as director, and aide to RI

President Mark Daniel Maloney. In addition, he has served as RI president’s representative, zone institute chair, Rotary Public Image Coordinator, Rotary Foundation alumni coordinator, regional Rotary Foundation coordinator, training leader, International Assembly leaders’ seminar trainer, RI committee chair and member, and chair of the Rotary Peace Centers Committee of The Rotary Foundation.

Lunsford and his wife, Jill are Major Donors, Benefactors, and Bequest Society members. He is a charter member of the District 6040 Paul Harris Society. He has been awarded the Rotary Foundation Citation for Meritorious Service and the RI Service Above Self Award.

Mark Daniel Maloney Trustee 2021-25 Rotary Club of Decatur Alabama, USA

Mark Daniel Maloney is a principal in the law firm of Blackburn, Maloney and Schuppert, LLC, with a focus on taxation, estate planning, and agricultural law. He represents large farming operations in the Southeastern and Midwestern United States and has chaired the American Bar Association’s Committee on Agriculture in the Section of Taxation. He is a member of the American Bar Association, Alabama State Bar Association, the Alabama Law Institute, and is a past president of the Morgan County Bar Association.

He has been active in Decatur’s religious community, chairing his church’s finance council and a local Catholic school board. He has also served as president of the Community Foundation of Greater Decatur, chair of Morgan County Meals on Wheels, and director of the United Way of Morgan County and the Decatur Morgan County Chamber of Commerce.

Maloney served as RI president during 2019 2020, when he presided over the first virtual RI Convention that was organized during the COVID 19 pandemic and emphasized strategies to grow Rotary. A Rotarian since 1980, he has also served as an RI director; Foundation trustee and vice chair; and aide to 2003 04 RI President Jonathan Majiyagbe. He also has participated in the Council on Legislation as chair, vice chair, parliamentarian, and trainer. He was an adviser to the 2004 Osaka Convention Committee, chaired the 2014 Sydney Convention Committee, and chaired RI’s Operations Review Committee for four terms. Prior to serving as a district governor, Maloney led a Group Study Exchange to Nigeria.

He also served as Future Vision Committee vice chair; Foundation training institute moderator; Foundation permanent fund national adviser; member and vice chair of the Peace Centers Committee; member of the International PolioPlus Committee; and adviser to the Foundation’s Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in Schools Target Challenge Committee.

Maloney’s wife, Gay, is an attorney in the same law firm and a member and past president of the Rotary Club of Decatur Daybreak, Alabama, USA. Both support The Rotary Foundation as Paul Harris Fellows, Major Donors, and Bequest Society members.

Geeta Manek Trustee, 2020 24 Rotary Club of Muthaiga, Kenya

Geeta Manek, a second generation Kenyan, graduated from business school in the United Kingdom before returning to Nairobi to join the family retail and property management business, which she still runs.

Manek joined Rotary in 1997. Her roles have included Rotary coordinator, chair of the Health Major Gifts Initiative and of the Joint Committee on Partnerships, member of the Major Gifts Initiative Oversight Team and the Rotary Institute Host Organizing Committee, RI training leader, lead facilitator at the Regional Leaders Training Institute, and RI president’s representative. She was also the only female governor of District 9200 before it was divided into Districts 9211 and 9212 in 2012 13. She also served as her district’s coordinator of the Kick Polio Out of Africa Campaign.

Manek is passionate about initiatives that help women and improve education. She was a charter member of Lohana Ladies Circle, a women’s club dedicated to community service, social welfare, and cultural heritage. She’s also helping lead a Rotary literacy initiative in Kenya and the region. Manek has volunteered as a first responder during national crises, including in post election violence and after terrorist attacks. She has led teams of Rotarians to collaborate and coordinate initiatives with organizations such as the Red Cross, the United Nations, and community based institutions. In recognition of her humanitarian work, Manek was awarded an honorary doctorate of humanities in 2019.

A few videos worth noting -

Click here to view our Rotary International President, Jennifer Jones, as she presents a TEDTalk in 2017 on our progress in eliminating Polio.

Click here to view a short CBC coverage of the recent polio resurgence in the U.S.

Click here to view a short PBS News Hour coverage of the recent return of Polio.

A short history of Polio Part 1. The Iron Lung and Polio.

ROTARY IN UKRAINE

Click here for a short video showing what Rotary clubs are doing to assist Ukraine.

Apply for a disaster response grant

Find out how Rotary districts can apply for a grant from the Disaster Response Fund.

Now through 31 December 2022, districts can apply for grants to provide relief such as water, food, shelter, medicine, and clothing to refugees or other people affected by the crisis. Districts should work closely with local officials and groups to ensure that the funding will meet a specific community need.

AS A EXAMPLE, WHAT SOME ROTARY CLUBS ARE DOING -

• Clubs in Rotary District 2231 (Poland) are using a $50,000 disaster response grant to provide transportation, accommodations, food, and medical assistance for refugees who crossed the border from Ukraine.

• Rotary District 2240 in the Czech Republic is purchasing $50,000 worth of sleeping bags, medicine, food, and defibrillators, EKGs, and oxygen concentrators to victims.

• District governors in Germany created a national task force to coordinate member initiatives and relief efforts on an online platform. A liaison office for government agencies and nongovernmental organizations has been established in Berlin.

• Rotary clubs throughout France have mobilized to collect and distribute necessities to refugees. District governors are coordinating donations from French clubs to help Rotary clubs in Ukraine as well as to assist refugees traveling through Poland and Romania or taking refuge in those countries. The needs are determined by the France Ukraine, France Poland, and France Romania Moldova intercountry committees.

• District 1910 in Austria is using a $25,000 disaster response grant to provide accommodations, baby supplies, medicine, hygiene materials, psychological care, food, and appliances to Ukrainian refugees in Austria.

Rotaract Europe

The European Rotaract Information Centre, a multidistrict information organization that serves Rotaractors all over Europe, created a United for Peace site that compiles information for refugees and volunteers.

• The site offers information about free rail, bus, and air transportation available to refugees and lists details about what’s needed and how to help at specific national borders.

• It also has fundraising details for hospitals in the western Ukraine city of Lviv, as well as for clubs that are helping in various places and for other organizations in the region.

• The site lets Rotaractors coordinate shelter for refugees stranded at the border. Volunteer hosts can sign up through an online form and specify how many people they can house and for how long. Begun as an initiative to help fellow Rotary members leaving Ukraine, it’s now being used by Rotaract and Rotary members all over Europe to offer help.

• A tool on the site links a demand for goods with available supplies. It was created within 48 hours after a team of 60 members from 10 countries met by videoconference about how to meet the most urgent needs.

Poland

Poland has taken in more than a million refugees, and Rotary clubs all over the country created a central account for contributions.

• The Rotary Club of Olsztyn is collecting and managing donations for more than 150 Ukrainians who are staying at Ostróda Camp, a conference and recreation center. Most of the occupants are unaccompanied children whose parents stayed in Ukraine. Four cars full of supplies including food, clothes, toiletries, and toys were donated hours after the center began accepting refugees.

• Members of the Rotary Club of Zamosc worked with a member of the Rotary Club of Wolsztyn, who owns a medical supply distribution company, to coordinate a partnership with other organizations to collect supplies and equipment.

• The Rotary Club of Gdansk Centrum is providing accommodations for four refugee families, and members who own businesses are offering them work.

Other countries that border Ukraine

• The Rotary Club of Kisvárda, Hungary, is coordinating contributions and mobilizing members to donate necessities and deliver the items to where they’re needed.

• Rotary members in Romania and Moldova have created a central fund for contributions and set up WhatsApp groups that organize food donations and coordinate shelter for refugees.

• In Slovakia and the Czech Republic, clubs have partnered with a railway and cargo company to offer transportation to nearly 2,300 refugees.

Kim Widlicki and Claudia Brunner contributed to this article. Click here to read more.

Ukraine has 62 Rotary clubs and six satellite clubs with about 1,100 members, and 24 Rotaract clubs with more than 300 members. District 2232 (Ukraine and Belarus) formed a committee to help people affected by the crisis

One of Rotary’s vital focus areas peacebuilding and conflict resolution came into sharp focus at the Houston convention, in the background of the war raging in Ukraine. RI general secretary and CEO John Hewko’s address to the 11,000 plus participants on how Rotary had helped the oppressed Ukrainians under siege, gained even more poignancy as his parents originally hailed from Ukraine.

He said he was happy at the kind of help the people of Ukraine had got from across the world, especially the young. The Fortnite (an online video game) players decided to support Ukraine refugees by donating funds. “Based on their normal sales (of their video games) they expected to raise somewhere between $15 to 20 million.

The average age of a Fortnite player is 19; these players blew those projected numbers out of the water and ended up donating $155 million to the Ukraine relief efforts. That is an astonishing number, and it all came from young people wanting to belong to just more than a video game community. They wanted to show they cared about something that is happening right now, something important and wanted to make a difference.”

This is exactly what Rotary and Rotarians plan and do, said Hewko. “When we were formulating our new Rotary Action Plan a few years ago, our research consistently found that young people are hungry for just these kind of engaging, meaningful connections. It also found that all generations want to connect and belong and take action that makes a meaningful difference in the lives of others. That’s why our vision statement says:

“Together we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change across the globe, in our communities and in ourselves.”

Rotary does this “by taking action and through meaningful personal engagement, which improves personal wellbeing much more than getting financial rewards. Doing good makes people feel good and also improves physical health.”

Of course, the members also have to feel that the club they belong to is relevant and fun. “For the first time in seven years, Rotary will gain net members; this is good news, but it is up to us now to keep these new members,” he said.

WAYS TO GIVE TO THE ROTARY FOUNDATION

Your donation changes lives! and this information bears repeating…

There are numerous ways to support The Rotary Foundation.

Every amount contributed to The Rotary Foundation is spent in support of humanitarian, educational, and cultural programs and their operations. Clubs and districts apply for and receive Foundation grants to carry out worthy projects worldwide.

Here are a few of the ways that your contribution can make a difference:

• $100 can buy textbooks for one elementary school in Zambia

• $5,000 can buy vaccine to immunize 10,000 children against polio

• $24,000 can buy an academic year Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarship

• $100,000 can buy funding for two to complete a two year graduate program for a Rotary World Peace Fellow

Donate Online

When you donate online, you get to choose where your donations go. Support thousands of service projects our people of action are tackling around the world. Outright gifts can be made easily with The Rotary Foundation online contribution form.

This method expedites processing your tax receipt and Paul Harris Fellow recognition points. For online donations please visit https://www.rotary.org/en/donate.

• Memorial or Tribute Donations: A gift to The Rotary Foundation is a meaningful way to honour a loved one.

• Recurring Donations: Rotary Direct allows you to help year round by automatically giving each month, quarter, or year

The Rotary Foundation the Engine that runs Rotary!

FOUNDATION GRANTS must fall into one of Rotary’s 7 Areas of Focus

COMING IN DECEMBER DISEASE PREVENTION AND TREATMENT Month

December is Rotary International family month with a focus on disease prevention and treatment. Globally, Rotary is recognized for its signature project, the eradication of polio in the world. It has been a long and hard battle but with the support of many governments, NGOs, and volunteers throughout the world, we are close to seeing the end of this dreaded disease.

Despite this progress there are many other problems facing our planet and populations around the world. One of the greatest causes of death and disability in developing countries today is from water borne diseases resulting from a lack of adequate water supplies and improper sanitation. Rotary in its Water, Sanitation and Health or WASH program is committed to becoming a leader along with other organizations in finding practical and sustainable solutions to these major problems. In addition, each year malaria, despite awareness and advancement in medicine, continues to be a major killer of hundreds of thousands of people.

Rotary can celebrate its successes in the field of health and disease prevention but we, as Rotarians, cannot rest on our laurels. There is still much to be done. We can set an example for the rest of the world to follow. (Source)

ROTARY’S CORE VALUES

WHAT IS ROTARY?

Rotary International is an international service organization whose stated purpose is to bring business and professional leaders in order to provide humanitarian service and to advance goodwill and peace around the world. It is a non-political and non-religious organization.

THE ROTARY FOUNDATION EREY – Every Rotarian Every Year

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Our Every Rotarian, Every Year (EREY) initiative encourages all Rotary club members to contribute something each year to The Rotary Foundation. We hope that you can consider at least $100 USD every year to help us reach our goal to support the Rotary Foundation financially each year.

Sustaining member. One who contributes $100 USD every year is a Sustaining Member. With EREY, we encourage you to contribute an amount you can afford every year.

ROTARY BEQUEST SOCIETY

What is a Rotary Foundation Bequest Society Member?

Those who have made commitments for future gifts of $10,000 or more to The Rotary Foundation are invited to join the Bequest Society.

Donors may elect to receive various benefits and recognition pieces commemorating their commitment at each new recognition level, including pins, crystals, named funds, and special seating at the Rotary International Convention.

A bequest gift of at least $10,000 in your name to The Rotary Foundation creates a legacy of your generosity and compassion as you are helping many people live better lives around the world.

Today there are over 18,000 Bequest Society Members worldwide.

Will you join them by leaving a gift to Rotary in your estate? Contact the Rotary Foundation’s Planned Giving team

But no -

When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever. In its place is something that you have left behind. Let it be something good.