October 2017 - Economic and Community Development Month

2-8 October — Rotary Alumni Reconnect Week

24 October — Rotary's World Polio Day Livestream Event

30 October-5 November — World Interact Week

Women in the second chance literacy program.

By Manish Shroff, past president of the Rotary Club of Ankleshwar, India

Our Rotary club is surrounded by rural and tribal villages in the Bharuch District of Gujarat State, India. The literacy rate in these villages is low and dropout rates of students in primary schools are high, most particularly among girls. We wanted to do something about that.

We conducted a survey with the help of Pratham, an NGO working in the rural literacy field across India, to gauge the condition of education in several of these villages. The study found that many girls leave school after the primary level mainly because of the lack of secondary education nearby. Students have to travel further, and for various socio-economic reasons, this makes it more likely that girls will drop out after the primary level and not go on to grades 7 or 8.

Water is life, Rotary is good

The team visits with community leaders in Kolifianu village.

By Justice Lionel Eshun, Rotary Club of Tema, Ghana

Life is usually made up of special moments which make it worth living. I least expected that my Rotary special moment was going to fall on 30 August, 2016.

I joined Rotary barely three years ago, and by dint of my dedication and commitment to service and other Rotary activities, I got elected director of club service projects for the 2016-17 Rotary year. What exactly motivated me to join Rotary?

Visit to new ShelterBox HQ in Truro

Operations Coordinator Sam Hewett (left) briefs MP Sarah Newton on preparations to help people fleeing Mosul. Photo © Thom Axon

 

 

 

 

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Pictured are (from left) Thomas McMillan, Ralph Payne, Raj Patara, Mike Welte, Ron Kelly, and Sara Lawson. / SUBMITTED PHOTO

The three local Rotary Clubs have presented to three individuals the annual Don Funk Memorial Award, given to members who have demonstrated exceptional “service above self.”

The award was presented to Ron Kelly of the Abbotsford Rotary Club, Ralph Payne of the Abbotsford-Sumas club, and Raj Patara of Abbotsford-Matsqui.

A member since 1992, Kelly has been president, consistently supports club activities and programs, is a multiple Paul Harris Fellow recipient, and serves as the long-standing Rotary Foundation chair.

“Ron Kelly is one of the steadiest, quietest and most conscientious leaders of the Rotary Club of Abbotsford,” said president Sara Lawson.

Payne is a past president charter member of the Abbotsford-Sumas Rotary Club, a multiple Paul Harris Fellow recipient, and has helped the club to be a top achiever in donating to the Rotary Foundation.

“Ralph was always the go-to person when our club had a difficult decision to make, either financially or projects-based, and is definitely a committed Rotarian,” said president Thomas McMillan.

Patara is the current director of guest speakers and field trip planning for the Abbotsford-Matsqui club. “Raj continues to show a contagious enthusiasm for Rotary and goes out of her way to continually share the spirit of Rotary,” said president Mike Welte.

The award is named in memory of Don Funk, who was a member for many years of the Rotary Club of Abbotsford.

He was recognized for his dedication to the community and to overseas projects for Rotary International with the Service Above Self Award, the highest honour given to a Rotarian.

Funk was also instrumental in chartering the other two local Rotary Clubs.

The award to the three individuals was presented by Abbotsford Rotarian Ken Funk – brother of Don – and assistant governor Brad Whittaker of the Chilliwack Rotary Club.

• One of only 1,564 clubs out of 35,399 Rotary Clubs worldwide, to achieve Top Three Highest in Per Capita Annual Giving honours in their district.
• One of only 2,253 clubs worldwide to attain status as an 100% Rotary Foundation Sustaining Member Club (Every Rotarian, Every Year/Sustaining Club)
• One of only 4,609 clubs worldwide to become 100% Foundation Giving Club.

Mentor a young leader, and discover yet another reason to love Rotary.

 

By Programs for Young Leaders staff

You’re up at 5:30 a.m. for your sunrise meeting. You stay long after the sun goes down to clean up after your club’s event. And, last spring, you raced daylight across twelve time zones to join other Rotarians at a national immunization day. Rotary moments? You’ve got 20. You love everything, from polo shirts to Paul Harris Society pins, except for this mentoring stuff.

For you, youth service has the awkwardness of a school cafeteria, the uncertainty of a drama club trust fall, and the terror of a university quiz on German declension. It’s small wonder you’re first on the list for the highway cleanup, with its predictable neon vests, and last to host an exchange student, advise an Interact club, or mentor Rotaractors.

The Rotary Club of Grand Cayman’s project team to Guatemala.

 

By Gina McBryan, a member of the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands 

We all have our stories of how we were introduced to Rotary, and for the most part, those stories are positive. I could have been a Rotary member much sooner, had someone approached me.

I’m sure every club encourages their members to bring along guests and sponsor new members. For the past five years I have been a Rotary member, I’ve heard the same words of encouragement from my club leaders. And worldwide, our membership totals have remained stable. This makes me think of that line about the definition of insanity, “doing the same thing over and over again yet expecting different results.”

By Evan Burrell, a member of the Rotary Club of Turramurra, New South Wales, Australia

As a former member of Rotaract and now a young Rotarian, I get asked quite a lot, “where do we find more young members like you?”

It may seem like young members are as elusive to catch as Pokémon, but with the right strategy and awareness, it’s not that difficult at all. The truth is, they are really all around us. They may be in your work place, they may be in your neighborhood, or they may be in those other social gatherings you belong to. Others may be active in our youth programs like Rotaract and RYLA, readying themselves for the challenges that lie ahead.

Avenues of Service

The Avenues of Service are part of the guiding principles of Rotary and the foundation of club activity.

• Club Service focuses on making clubs strong. Club service promotes fellowship between members and creates a stronger relationship with the local community. Learn how a Ugandan club brought hope to local communities through health projects.
• Community Service encourages every Rotarian to find ways to improve the quality of life for people in their communities. Read how the Rotary Club of Bozeman Sunrise (USA) brought together their entire community.
• International Service exemplifies your global reach in promoting peace and understanding. Sponsor or volunteer on international projects, or attend a project fair to make a global impact.
• Vocational Service calls on every Rotarian to work with integrity and contribute their expertise to the problems and needs of society. Learn how you can bring vocational service to life through club projects.
• Youth Service recognizes the importance of empowering youth and young professionals. Read how Rotaract clubs are building stronger communities through sustainable service projects.

By Gordon Matthews, past governor of District 6920 (Georgia, USA), Rotary Club of Savannah East

A panel of three young members spelled out for us the issues that block young people from joining Rotary during our spring assembly a few years ago — scheduling, cost of dues, and rules.

I’ve been active in developing leaders in our community and have worked with our Group Study Exchange teams in the past, so I know the energy and potential in this “under 40” generation that we need to tap for Rotary. But I’ve also seen several Rotary clubs try to do this with limited results, because they stayed too close to the traditional model and dues structure.

Breaking the mold
To break that mold, I asked the son of a fellow member to gather a group of young people in the metro area of Savannah to explore the idea of starting a new club. I told them their are really just a few rules – to meet weekly, pay dues, and train a president-elect. The rest are just a lot of traditions. They were directed to develop a format that would meet theirneeds.

The team included young professionals with a Rotarian parent, past exchange participants, and others who were just interested in tackling the challenge. Several had taken part in our leadership development program and wanted to keep learning about the community. Others were in a social group that met monthly but craved more substance.

A recent service project.

After an initial meeting or two with district leaders, the team met on their own for six months to craft a plan and draw up a list of candidates. When they had 75, they invited them to a reception to introduce the concept and explain how to become a charter member. Applications came in quickly and they froze the group at 50 to submit their charter application, adding the remainder to a waiting list.

The Metro Savannah Rotary Club started with a bang and has never looked back. They are careful to add members who maintain their diversity and bring in unique perspectives.Their membership includes engineers, construction managers, attorneys, graphic designers, sales managers, librarians, and non-profit directors.

What works
Annual dues is $300. Members stay up to date on Facebook. They meet for lunch the first and third week of the month, calling in sandwich orders. Another week, they network at a pub over drinks. This in itself invites membership inquiries from others in the pub. And at least one meeting is a service project. The club has had at least 12 projects every year.

After a year, the board held a full day retreat to examine their format and make tweaks. Attending only as an observer and resource, I was impressed these busy young professional gave up most of their Saturday to evaluate and plan.

The club continues to thrive with more than 60 members, most under the age of 40. It’s a great model for other districts who want to launch dynamic clubs of young professionals. And with the recent action by Rotary’s Council on Legislation, it’s easier than ever to step out and try new things. For more information how we got this idea off the ground, contact me at Gordon.matthews@earthlink.net

CONVENTION: CULTURAL INSIGHTS

Photo Credit: National Museum of Korea

From the April 2016 issue of The Rotarian

Do you need some context for all you’re experiencing while you’re in Korea for the Rotary International Convention from 28 May to 1 June? Check out one or more of these museums:

1. National Museum of Korea: If you have time for only one, this museum, the sixth largest in the world, has something for everyone: relics from prehistoric times, calligraphy, paintings, sculpture, and even a children’s museum, all housed in a six-story building in the wooded Yongsan Family Park.

2. Korea Furniture Museum: To see how Koreans of the past lived, walk through the 10 restored hanok homes that make up this museum. See how its 500 pieces of furniture on display were used in daily life. Reservations required.

3. Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art: The three buildings housing this museum’s exhibits are themselves works of art, designed by renowned architects Mario Botta, Jean Nouvel, and Rem Koolhaas.

4. War Memorial of Korea: Learn about the history of the Korean War, re-enact a night battle in the combat experience room, and climb inside restored tanks and aircraft.

5. Museum Kimchikan: If you’re shopping in Insa-dong, stop at this museum that pays homage to kimchee, the pickled cabbage that’s part of Korea’s national identity. The three-story museum moved into new quarters in 2015.

Register today for the convention at www.riconvention.org. Early registration savings end 31 March.

By Susie Ma

SUCCESSFUL WOMEN MENTOR YOUTH THROUGH ROTARY

Clara Montanez attends a reception in 2013 for the Champions of Change honorees at the White House in Washington D.C.

Photo Credit: Rotary Images

When Clara Montanez was a student, she never heard the word mentoring. The idea of having a role model help you pursue your ambitions was unfamiliar to her.

"You basically chose your career based on personal interest and hoped you could find a job," says Montanez, senior director of investment for Oppenheimer & Co., Inc. "I went the route of getting married and having children first, and started my career later in life. I had no model for how to do that."

That changed for Montanez the day a friend invited her to join Rotary.

"Frankly, I was dragged into Rotary. I didn't see a connection at first," says Montanez, who's been a member of the Rotary Club of Washington, D.C., since 2003. "But then I met several women, including Doris Margolis, who took me under her wing and started mentoring me on how to get more involved. I began seeing the value in having someone I could count on as a mentor, and I have become more of a leader in our club, in my community, and at work."

Rotary's mentoring opportunities motivated Montanez, Rotary's alternate representative to the Organization of American States, to help organize an event for International Women's Day, 8 March. The event, to be held at the World Bank Group headquarters in Washington, will feature Deepa Willingham and Marion Bunch, both previously honored as Rotary Women of Action. Rotary International Director Jennifer Jones will moderate the event, which will be streamed on World Bank Live.

Montanez says Rotary has given her a platform to mentor young women as they balance career and family, as well as manage the challenge of repaying student loans. According to a recent study by the American Association of University Women, the student loan debt burden weighs more heavily on women because of the persistent gap in pay between women and men.

"I think Rotary has given me access to young people, like Rotaractors, and they are ready to accept guidance because Rotary is a safe place to reach out and get advice," says Montanez.

Similarly, Jackie Huie, a member of the Rotary Club of St. Joseph & Benton Harbor, Michigan, USA, recognizes Rotary's mentoring power. In 2007, Huie's club created a program that matches high school juniors and seniors with a mentor in the field they'd like to enter. The program started with 40 students at one high school and has now expanded into schools across the area.

"I got a letter from a girl who came from a poor background, and through the program, she got a chance to meet with an attorney in town," says Huie, president of JohnsonRauhoff, a multimedia company that fosters creative thinking for artists. "It inspired her and gave her confidence to go to school and study law. She got accepted into four law schools and is on her way to becoming an attorney."

Besides the investment in young people's futures, mentoring brings clubs important community recognition. For example, Huie's club has 150 members, a large number for a club that doesn't hold membership drives, she says.

"Everyone in southwest Michigan knows about Rotary," says Huie. "We had a student who wanted to be a CEO for a large corporation. After we arranged for him to meet with the CEO of Whirlpool, his father was so impressed with the whole program that he joined Rotary."

Many of the program's early participants went on to form an Interact club, and there are now more than 200 Interact members at four area schools. Forty of them will travel to the Dominican Republic this summer to install water filters and take part in a medical mission.

"It's important for Rotary to make an investment in young people," says Huie. "My own daughter is in Interact because of my membership in Rotary. I think her world is broader, and she looks at the world differently. We all do, because of what we've learned through Rotary."