Single Column with Image Header (Dec 02, 2017)

December Foundation Greeting from Michelle Bell

It sure doesn't feel like December. Our mild weather
has me still thinking fall. As we close out the year and think about giving and helping the less fortunate, remember that the Rotary Foundation is your best
return on investment! The Polio Plus Fund is still being matched 2-1 from the Gates Foundation, and your gifts
to the Annual Fund are multiplied through the SHARE program. And the best part is you get to help decide where your gifts can do the most in the world. It's never too late to support our Foundation.

However you celebrate, I wish you and yours the
best this holiday season!

Paul Harris Fellow incentive ends Dec. 31

District 5970’s “Rotary Rush” ends Dec. 31. It provides an incentive for 200 Rotarians to become first-time or multiple Paul Harris Fellows (PHF).

Normally, a Rotarian must contribute $1,000 to The Rotary Foundation to become a first-time PHF and an additional $1,000 for every multiple PHF thereafter. Through Rotary Rush, Rotarians who contribute a minimum of $100 cash by
Dec. 31 can benefit from a 1-for-1 points-to-dollars match. A group of generous Rotarians have contributed their points to this effort.

For example, you may have accumulated $500 in contributions to The Rotary Foundation. Then, if you add $250 in cash in November or December, our donors will match 250 points to your giving account, which allows you to receive your first or multiple PHF award.

How to apply—If a member of your club wishes to participate in Rotary Rush, the club will need to fill out Form 123-EN, available at the Foundation tab on the District website. Please email the completed form to rotaryclubofcv@gmail.com or mail the completed form to District 5970 Foundation Committee, C/O John Last, 324 29th St. SW, Mason City, IA 50401. Follow the directions on the form for payment options.

If you have additional questions, email Michelle Bell, District Rotary Foundation Chair, at mlbelldg2019@gmail .com. Or call Jessica Rucker, president of the Rotary Club of the Cedar Valley at 913-219-0201.

Dubuque Rotarians use District Grant funds
to provide vehicle for Veterans Bluebird Project

The Dubuque Rotary Club used a $5,000 grant from District 5970 and $5,000 from its annual golf outing to support a local project benefitting wildlife conservation and local veterans.

The Dubuque Club provided a four-seat crossover utility vehicle for use by the Veterans Bluebird Project, launched this year by the Dubuque Veterans Freedom Center and Dubuque County Conservation. The unique project is designed to help bolster the area’s dwindling population of bluebirds and to provide military veterans served by the Veterans Freedom Center with a therapeutic recreational and service program.

Through the project, veterans will monitor the reproductive patterns of bluebirds at Whitewater Canyon Wildlife Area, located just north of Cascade, and ensure bluebird habitats remain off-limits to other species, Veterans also have constructed and installed a number of bluebird houses in the area.

In return, county conservation officials have granted the veterans increased access to Whitewater Canyon Wildlife Area, including permission to use the Rotary-donated utility vehicle to reach the area.

Dubuque Rotary Club President Teri Fairchild said many of the veterans have multiple physical limitations and also suffer from PTSD, depression and anxiety. The utility vehicle will help them participate in the bluebird project, clear brush and prune trees as well as enjoy the therapeutic benefits of a peaceful outdoor retreat and the opportunity to fish in the Maquoketa River.