The Rotary Foundation

Top Five Reasons to Support The Rotary Foundation

There are as many reasons to support The Rotary Foundation as there are ways to do good in the world.

By contributing to the Foundation , you help support the Foundation's six areas of focus, which help to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty. By giving US$100 a year through theEvery Rotarian, Every Year (EREY) initiative, you become a Rotary Foundation Sustaining Member. Contributions to EREY are the primary source of funding for Foundation programs.

Here are a few ways your contributions are making change possible.

5. Fighting hunger

In Romania, orphans and sick children have eggs, milk, and meat because of a Foundation grant that benefits local farmers. The farmers are able to buy everything from animal feed to packaging materials. There is one stipulation: They must donate a portion of their products to children’s hospitals, schools, and orphanages.

In Alaska, USA, the Rotary Club of Anchorage East is alsofighting hunger by distributing food to low-income families through a mobile food pantry.

Projects such as these help address the areas of focus of maternal and child health as well as economic and community development.

4. Reducing child mortality

The Rotary clubs of Jaela-Kandana, Western Province, Sri Lanka, and Madras Northwest, Tamil Nadu, India, are helping to reduce child mortality by providing improved sanitation facilities for 15 families in a small community in Sri Lanka. With a Rotary Foundation Matching Grant , the clubs have built 14 toilets, helping to prevent diarrhea and other diseases related to poor sanitation.

According to the World Health Organization, 1.8 million children die of diarrhea every year, making it the second leading cause of death among children under five. Proper sanitation can reduce the rate of child mortality in many communities by up to a third. Water and sanitation is the third area of focus.

3. Promoting peace and conflict resolution

Watching civil war tear apart his homeland of Côte d'Ivoire instilled in Rotary Peace Fellow Kouame Remi Oussou a passion to resolve conflict.

He is now working for the United Nations Development Programme in the Central African Republic, a country that weathered periodic internal fighting before a comprehensive peace accord took effect in 2007.Read more about Oussou .

Rotary Peace Fellows are leaders in promoting national and international cooperation, peace, and conflict resolution. Help support the Rotary Peace Centers . Peace and conflict prevention/resolution is the first area of focus. Read about four Rotary Peace Fellows and their visions for peace .

2. Basic education and literacy

Education helps rebuild lives, whether it's in small rural towns or in war-torn countries. For example, a literacy project sponsored by U.S. Rotarians in conjunction with the International Reading Association (IRA) is helping Sudanese refugees rebuild their communities by equipping them to teach future generations.

The Southern Sudan Teacher Training Initiative provides refugees of the country's decades-long civil war, who are known as the Lost Boys and Girls of Sudan, with teacher training materials, guidance, and support to help them teach students in kindergarten through eighth grade. "People returning from refugee camps to rebuild their lives in Duk County are hungry for books and school supplies," says John Dau, a Lost Boy, humanitarian, and founder of the John Dau Foundation. Read more about the project .

1. Eradicating polio

Around the world, Rotarians are taking millions of steps in walkathons, diving into icy ocean waters, and participating in other fundraisers to help Rotary fulfill its promise to rid the world of polio. Si Burgher, of the Rotary Club of Bloomfield, Indiana, USA, raised almost $1,600 by having his shaggy eyebrows shaved.

Rotary launched its PolioPlus program in 1985. Since then, eradicating polio has been the organization's top priority. End Polio Now and help fulfill its promise.

Your contribution to Every Rotarian ,
Every Year helps make projects such as this possible.

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End Polio for Mother's Day

Rotary friends, My mother recently celebrated her 90th birthday and I wanted to do something extra special for her this Mother’s Day, to recognize all that she’s done for me. What better way to say thank you to mom, than to help the children of the world. This year, I’m making a gift in her name to PolioPlus, so that no mother or child will ever have to suffer the horrible effects of polio. Thinking about Mother’s Day I am reminded of a letter that I received from a non-Rotarian friend. It is easy to feel sympathy from afar since for most of us, polio doesn’t touch our daily lives. But my friend realized just how far we’ve come and how fortunate we are in our efforts towards polio eradication. Please read his letter below and consider making a gift to honor all mothers this Mother’s Day. Dear Ed, My son received his polio vaccination yesterday. I took him to the pediatrician for his two-month baby check-up, a most important one. Five vaccinations including the polio vaccine were administered so efficiently; effortlessly; so routinely. I held his hand, and calmed his cries, feeling bad for the pain he experienced, but knowing it was for his own good. These shots will protect him from diseases that we forgot even existed. I then began to think of my own son’s experience in the context of what you, as Rotarians, are doing. No political or geographic terrain to negotiate - just the sharp turns in the office parking garage. No little pinky being dipped in ink - just a Sesame Street band-aid over the injection site. No National Immunization Day - just a meager insurance co-pay. But he is now safe from a crippling, life-threatening disease. Boy, what I have taken for granted. My son received his polio vaccination yesterday. He is now safe - like millions of children around the world, thanks to you. I will never again take for granted what we have. And I will never be able to articulate with words how much your efforts mean to me. I am personally moved by your selfless gestures of generosity. It shows your thoughtfulness, compassion and commitment to our global community. You help ensure that kids less fortunate will lead healthier, happier and more rewarding lives. Please don't ever lose sight of what you, collectively, are doing. I sure won't. I wanted to share this letter with you as it captures the essence of our extraordinary efforts to eradicate polio. We’re “This Close” to a polio-free world and together we’ll get the job done. Please consider joining me by honoring your mother this coming Mother’s Day with a donation to Rotary’s global polio eradication effort. Sincerely, Ed Futa General Secretary www.rotary.org

OUR CLUB'S GOAL FOR THIS YEAR IS 100% SUSTAINING MEMBERS.

WE HAVE ONLY ACHIEVED 64% OF THAT TOTAL.
WE HAVE SIX WEEKS TO ACCOMPLISH OUR GOALS FOR THIS YEAR.
PLEASE MAKE YOUR $100 CONTRIBUTION NOW?
IT'S SO LITTLE FOR US AND MEANS SO MUCH TO PEOPLE IN NEED THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.

FOR LESS THAN $2 A WEEK YOU CAN CHANGE LIVES.

























DON'T BE STINGY ... GIVE NOW!

Foundation One Minute Message

Since January 1, 2011, thru April 12, 2011 there has only been one (1) case of Polio reported In India and one (1) case in Afghanistan. Five (5) cases reported in Nigeria. Pakistan reports Twenty Six (26) cases. Remember the acronym “P.A.I.N.” for the Four (4) endemic countries; “Pakistan, Afghanistan, India & Nigeria.”

ROTARY thru PolioPlus is so close to the goal set in 2009 of eliminating the wild Polio virus from at least two of these endemic countries before the end of 2011. Rotary’s gift to the world will be Polio Eradication! “BUILDING COMMUNITIES - BRIDGING CONTINENTS”

A Rotary Foundation Minute

GROUP STUDY EXCHANGE
BUILDS GOODWILL AND BETTER FRIENDSHIPS.

This week’s The Rotary Foundation “One Minute Message” is about Group Study Exchange (GSE). A GSE team from Holland spent four weeks in California, USA. During their time in California, the Dutch GSE team raised $2,913 for the Inca Educa charity based in Cusco, Peru to build a school library for underprivileged young adults. The team, led by retired firefighter, Bob Boersma, was composed of people from diverse professions: working in public service, administrative law, public broadcasting and financial services. The team participated in vocational and cultural days and returned home, having made new friends and business contacts, ready to share new ideas with their Dutch countrymen. Has your club sponsored a GSE? This week the GES Team from Sweden & Lativa will visit with Clubs in the Miami area. They will be at our Halloween Party on Friday, October 29. Please make an effort to visit with them at one of their published club visits during their time here. They will also be with us at the District 6990 Conference Cruise in November. It’s a great way to create Service through Acquaintance. Contributions to our Foundation are the oil that makes the Rotary Wheel of service turn. “BUILDING COMMUNITIES - BRIDGING CONTINENTS”

A Rotary Foundation Minute

This week’s The Rotary Foundation “One Minute Message” is about the Rotary Peace and Conflict Studies Program (RPCS) – strengthening the leaders of today for peace.

Mid-career professionals from around the world, representing a wide variety of fields, participate in an intensive three month course at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand. RPCS Program alumnus Richelieu Allison, Regional Director of the West African Youth Network, says, “This course has been the missing link in my [ability] to contribute to the resolution of the numerous problems confronting my region. If I had had the knowledge I am gaining now I would have been in a better position to adequately analyze the conflicts, map out the various actors, go the extra mile, and play a major role in helping to restore peace.” This sentiment has stuck with him, as he wrote in a recent email, “The changes [the program] made in my life cannot be overemphasized.” Take action. Make your annual EREY gift today! “BUILDING COMMUNITIES - BRIDGING CONTINENTS”

A Rotary Foundation Minute

This week’s Rotary Foundation “One Minute Message” is about being a Rotary Foundation Sustaining Member.

What can you get for $100 dollars these days? A pair of shoes, a nice dinner for two or a stove for a needy family in rural Guatemala. A contribution of $100 to the Annual Programs Fund will make you a Sustaining Member of The Rotary Foundation. It also provides life-changing opportunities for those in need. When you support The Rotary Foundation you are making a difference in two ways: you are changing lives and you are literally saving lives. What an amazing thing to be able to say! And all for only $2 a week. “BUILDING COMMUNITIES - BRIDGING CONTINENTS”

A Rotary Foundation Minute

The Rotary Foundation matches people with money for positive results.

In the words of Arch Klumph (founder of TRF): “Money alone does little good. Individual service is helpless without money. The two together can be a godsend to civilization.” Your financial resources combined with your time, energy and talent is critical to Rotary’s mission. It is worth noting that one hundred percent of our Annual Programs Fund (APF) contributions are spent on Foundation programs. These contributions are invested for a period of three years, with a portion of the investment earnings paying for the Foundation’s administrative and fund development expenses.

This unique funding cycle keeps the engine of The Rotary Foundation running throughout the world - “BUILDING COMMUNITIES - BRIDGING CONTINENTS”

A Rotary Foundation Minute

THE ANNUAL PROGRAMS FUND OF THE ROTARY FOUNDATION

The Annual Programs Fund is the primary source of unrestricted support for the programs of the Rotary Foundation. It funds programs in more than 160 countries on seven continents. From digging clean water wells for villages in Africa to teaching basic literacy skill to children in Latin America, during any given moment in a day, thousands of Rotarians volunteer their time and expertise ensure that all contributions given to The Annual Programs Fund are spent wisely on quality Rotary projects. Only if Every Rotarian makes a gift to the Annual Programs Fund Every Year, will we will be able to continue to do the great work of our Rotary Foundation. Make your EREY contribution early this year to help in “BUILDING COMMUNITIES - BRIDGING CONTINENTS”