In February this year, I travelled with a number of Rotarians from my own Club, the RC RDE to the Philippines to view the results of a cooperative effort of three Rotary Clubs to restore the water supply and distribution system, along with several other initiatives and ventures, for a village of indigenous peoples on the southern Philippine island of Mindoro. It seems almost regularly that typhoons visit their destruction on that part of the world and the Nov-16 typhoons had destroyed the water system for this village of seventy families.
Before this project, the villagers had to walk almost two kilometres up the mountain to fetch clean drinking water. Now there are taps bringing gravity- and spring-fed water almost to the doors of their simple homes. The total cost to change these people’s lives: a pretty nominal U$10k and we’ve changed lives!
Significantly (for me anyway) this was a cooperative effort of three Rotary Clubs (Red Deer East (Canada), Las Pinas Camino Real and Calaphan & West Najuan, (Philippines). You’ve heard me say this before and this was a living example: some of the best things we’ve done in Rotary and as Rotarians has been as a result of collaboration and cooperation with others, be they Rotarian or otherwise. Of course the best International example of this is the three-decade effort to eradicate polio. And every Club has their own examples in their respective communities. This twelve-year ‘sisterhood’ relationship has engendered a deep and significant relationship between our Clubs, our Districts and our nations.
The water part of this project is also significant in that March is Water and Sanitation month in the Rotary calendar. And there is a very good reason that one of Rotary’s Areas of Focus is water and sanitation. A person can survive for some time without food but not for very long without potable water. This issue of contaminated water is worldwide, including the first world (see the article on the water problems with Lake Eerie that Rotarians are collaborating to resolve in this month’s Rotarian magazine.
Every month is membership month. Have you brought a friend or business colleague or family member to your Rotary meeting or a project lately? The world needs more Rotary to continue to make our communities better and to do good in the world
Registrations continue to come in for the District Conference the first weekend in May in Red Deer. The organising group has done a fabulous job of making sure there will be plenty of Rotary fun and fellowship; and Rotary information and inspiration. We look forward to hosting you in Red Deer.
To qualify for the Presidential Citation, clubs must complete two mandatory activities and additional activities in several categories. Most activities will be verified automatically through RI’s data. But some will be verified only by the information you enter in Rotary Club Central.
To more accurately capture your club’s achievements, for the first time ever, clubs will have the entire Rotary year — from 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2017 — to achieve the Presidential Citation goals.
District governors will be able to track the progress of all of their clubs online, and I’m asking them to follow up with you regularly and support you in achieving these goals
DISTRICT CITATION
RI President John Germ will also offer a special citation to districts that:
Have at least 51 percent of clubs earn the Presidential Citation
Contribute at least 20 percent of their District Designated Fund to PolioPlus
Increase Annual Fund giving by 5 percent over last year’s total
Achieve a 3 percent increase in membership
Thank you in advance for your efforts this year to show Rotary Serving Humanity.
Rotary clubs often feel pressured to leap into the world of social media. Don't get me wrong. You need to be there. But, rather than start by writing a series of "how-to" posts about various platforms like FaceBook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Blogsites, Instagram, SlideShare, YouTube or various other relevant services, I want to help you be more effective and increase the potential for your social media success. When all is said and done, social media will help you to …
Increase the club's profile
Promote club activities
Build an online community through likes, follows and connections
Members of the Rotary Club of High River prepared their own meal
instead of paying a caterer at their Feb. 18 meeting. The Rotarians barbequed steaks, and members brought a variety of tasty food items for the pot-luck supper. This meant the savings could be donated to The Salvation Army for the local food bank.
This was a partners’ Valentine evening with many guests present. Consequently, the meal raised $2,000 for the food bank to help those less fortunate.
Lieutenant Kelly Fifield of The Salvation Army is a member of the Rotary Club of High River. She and her husband Lieutenant Cory Fifield were at the Valentine gathering. They, too, brought food for the pot-luck meal.
The Rotary Club of High River has helped to support The Salvation Army for many years. At Christmastime, its members are among volunteers for the kettles money-collection campaign at grocery stores in High River and Okotoks. For 2016, Kelly reported this campaign surpassed its goal of $100,000. It raised $116,630 for needy people in the Foothills district of southern Alberta.
A Project Partnership in True Form – Rotary and ShelterBox Respond in Sri Lanka
In May 2016, when the most concentrated rainfall in 25 years drenched the island nation of Sri Lanka, ShelterBox was there. The international disaster relief organization arrived in-country to assist those who were forced to flee as landslides and mudslides swept away their homes, livestock and livelihoods.
The massive landslides and heavy flooding buried hundreds of homes in Sri Lanka causing many deaths, displacement and damage to property, ultimately affecting the lives of thousands of people. The Island nation went into mourning for the unprecedented number of victims, dead and displaced, in one of the worst natural disasters to hit Sri Lanka since the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004.
Thanks to the incredible generosity of Rotarians and supporters around the world, ShelterBox was able to provide 126 families with ShelterBoxes packed full with a family tent, and all the supplies they needed to help them survive and recover. None of this would have been possible without the incredible support of Rotary International and the Rotary Club of Capital City in Sri Lanka.
Alex Youlten, the Rotary Partnership Manager at ShelterBox, said: “If ever there was a shining example of the [Rotary International and ShelterBox] Project Partnership working for the good of the community, this is it”.
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Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Capital City began assisting with the relief efforts as soon as the flooding occurred. From outsourcing boats to rescue people cut off by the floods, setting up medical treatment camps and general clean-up operations, the Capital City Club played an integral role in relief following the devastating landslides. All of this was accomplished while assisting the ShelterBox response to provide essential temporary shelter and supplies for families who were evacuated into temples and schools.
When asked about the overall benefit of Rotary International working in partnership with ShelterBox, Rotarian Supem de Silva, ShelterBox’s main in-country Rotary contact, has said: “The synergies of working together will undoubtedly help both organizations to provide a more efficient and effective response in the aftermath of a disaster.”
If you are interested reading the full story of ShelterBox and Rotary’s partnership in Sri Lanka, please visit the ShelterBox Canada blog at http://bit.ly/SriLankaPartnership.
ShelterBox is currently working in Iraq, Haiti, Cameroon, and Niger. ShelterBox is also monitoring wildfires in Chile, conflict and drought in Somililand, flooding in Peru and the refugee crisis in Chad.
ShelterBox Canada – 159 Jane St Office 2, Toronto, ON M6S 3Y8
Club Sponsorship and Adult Volunteer Opportunities Available
JOHN F. GERM
PRESIDENT 2016-17
ROTARY CLUB OF CHATTANOOGA
TENNESSEE, USA
Forty years ago, the Rotary Club of Duarte, Calif., admitted three women members, in violation of the Rotary International Constitution. As a result, the club's charter was terminated by RI.
Undeterred, the club's members continued to meet. They put an X over their Rotary insignia, made themselves new pins, and dubbed themselves the Ex-Rotary Club of Duarte as they continued to fight for the right of women to serve as Rotarians. Ten years later, a restored Rotary Club of Duarte sent Sylvia Whitlock, Rotary's first female club president, to a presidents-elect training seminar. Not long after that, in 1989, Rotary's Council on Legislation permanently ended Rotary's status as a men-only organization.
Today, with more than 240,000 women in our clubs, Rotary is stronger than ever. We are women and men from nearly every country of the world, serving our communities in more than 35,000 clubs. At the club level, we need men and women of all backgrounds, ages, cultures, and professions; internationally, we need clubs in every city, country, and region of the world. The better our clubs reflect their communities, the better we can serve them. Our diversity is our strength.
It is difficult for most of us to imagine today why anyone argued so strongly against the idea of women in Rotary. Looking back, I think that opposition came from a simple resistance to change. Rotarians loved Rotary the way it was and couldn't imagine it any other way.
We still love Rotary as much as we ever did. We love the friendships and connections we make there, and the ability Rotary provides us to serve humanity. We believe Rotary has tremendous value in our own lives and in the world at large. And we recognize, more than ever, that for Rotary to continue to grow, it needs to embrace the world it serves – in all of its diversity, all of its variety, and all of its evolving needs for service.
The Rotarians of today owe a debt of gratitude to the Rotarians of Duarte 40 years ago. Their determination, persistence, and enduring goodwill set the stage for the organization we have become: Rotary Serving Humanity.
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HOW TO QUALIFY
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