May Foundation Greeting from Michelle Bell

With the arrival of May, I think of new beginnings, even though our Rotary year is winding down to a close.

Although we operate on a June through May year, the work of Rotary and The Rotary Foundation is continuous. The Rotary Foundation Foundation’s circle of life allows your donation, in three years, to become District and Global Grants. Throughout the past five-plus years of the Foundation First Newsletters, I have tried to highlight the GREAT work accomplished through this circle of life.

Have you made your donation to the Rotary Foundation for the 2017-2018 Rotary year? If not, I urge you to do so soon. District Awards will be determined by donations made by
May 1. (I will pull the data on May 11, so you have a few extra days.)

From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for your support of the Rotary Foundation. It is my charity of choice, and I hope it is one of yours.

Yours in Service,
Michelle Bell

Members of the Downtown Cedar Rapids Rotary Club work on landscaping for a sculpture in Noelridge Park.

Cedar Rapids club uses District Grant to install park sculptures 

The Downtown Cedar Rapids Rotary Club combined $5,000 of its own funds with a matching grant from District 5970 to install public art projects in four Cedar Rapids parks—one in each quadrant of the city.

Created by Cedar Rapids artist Tom Newport, the sculptures were installed last fall in Bever, Cherry Hill, Jones and Noelridge parks. Rotarians landscaped each site with flowers, shrubs and mulch.

The club funded the sculptures, sculpture pedestals with a Rotary emblem and landscaping. The City of Cedar Rapids provided the land, foundation and a rock marker with the name of the sculpture and artist. The city will also maintain the sites.

“Our parks are well-attended and beautiful. They are an integral part of family life in the city. Through this project we will have a beautiful piece of art in each quadrant of the community,” said Rotarian Barbara Green, project coordinator.

Incoming club presidents in District 5970 celebrated Rotary’s dedication to the worldwide eradication of polio with a $2,000 gift to The Rotary Foundation’s End Polio Now campaign.

The presidents-elect contributed the funds during the recent NCPETS training seminar in Rochester, Minnesota. Their contribution will be matched 2 for 1 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for a total of $6,000 toward the eradication of polio.

“While every Rotary Club can select ways to serve its community, ending polio is Rotary’s common goal,” said Lisa Pritchard, president-elect of the Cedar Rapids Daybreak Rotary Club. “Thanks to efforts big and small — even a roomful of Rotarians at a training seminar — we will end polio.”

Neil Fell of Garner, District Governor-Elect, said the $6,000 raised by the 2018-19 Rotary Club presidents and the Gates Foundation match will insure that 2,000 children will never suffer from polio.

“When you can be part of a project that is a real game changer like polio eradication, it inspires and motivates us to do more and think bigger,” added Kathy Getting, president-elect of the Webster City Rotary Club.

Brenda Cressey, vice chair of the Rotary Foundation Trustees, left, accepts $2,000 for the eradication of polio from Lisa Pritchard, Cedar Rapids Daybreak Rotary Club, and Kathy Getting, Webster City Rotary Club, representing the presidents-elect who attended this years NCPETS training seminar. Don Meyer of Waverly, right, is the district's 2018 Foundation Team leader.