The 100th year of the Rotary Foundation has started with a bang. Clubs are already having birthday parties and raising monies for the Rotary Foundation. Don’t forget my personal challenge to make a personal donation to the Rotary Foundation of $100 more than you typically give each year. Please share your plans and results with me. Your club may be featured in a future newsletter. As taken from the July edition of the Rotarian Magazine here are a few ideas for your celebration:
Sponsor a centennial walk, run or bicycle race
Organize a centennial concert featuring local talent
At a local festival, sponsor a Taste of Rotary booth that features food from various Rotary countries and provides information about Rotary and its Foundation
Set up a Foundation alumni reunion, inviting past Rotary Scholars and Group Study Exchange members
Organize a seminar with local experts discussing one of rotary’s areas of focus
At a community event, distribute bottled water bearing a label promoting Rotary’s water and sanitation efforts
Organize a drive to collect 100 items related to Rotary’s areas of focus- books, water treatment kits, first aid kits- and donate them to local organizations at a centennial event
Plant 100 trees or create a community garden
Hold a 100-hour service marathon
Organize a Rotary Day cleanup in a local park and encourage community volunteers to join in
Join the District in our District Foundation Golf Outing and Birthday party on September 23rd in Dubuque! Details and registration available at Foundation Golf Outing and Birthday Party .
Foundation History 101
Soon after the Rotary Club of Kansas City, MO made the first donation of $26.50 the second contribution came from the Rotary Club of San Francisco for $10. After that the Endowment Fund lay dormant for many years. By the late 20’s the account had a balance of $5,739.07. They set a goal to reach $10 million in 10 years. In the 1930’s that was an incredible amount of money. In 1945 Trustee Clinton P. Anderson, US Secretary of Agriculture obtained tax-exempt status for the foundation from the IRS. It wasn’t until Paul Harris died 27 January 1947 and by a twist of fate this provided an opportunity for the Foundation. By July 1948 more than $1.3 million had been donated in Memorial for Paul Harris.
Service above self is the foundation of Rotary, and living their lives with this mindset for more than 100 years, Rotarians, and Rotary are on the doorstep of eradicating polio. It all began with a big idea about what could happen in the future.
Looking toward the future, Rotary has its sights set on doing good globally in six areas of focus: 1) peace and conflict prevention/resolution, 2) disease prevention and treatment, 3) water and sanitation, 4) maternal and child health, 5) basic education and literacy, or 6) economic and community development.
District 5970 is sending Kristina McLaughlin to Trinity College Dublin in Dublin, Ireland for the 2016-2017 academic year to do research on how to commemorate historical events while keeping the peace and not creating future issues between differing sectors. We are looking for leaders who have in mind a career in one of the six areas of focus, and are interested in studying internationally to earn a graduate-level degree that assists them in achieving their desired career.
Global scholarships are available to students who are not Rotarians, or related to Rotarians, for the 2017-2018 academic year. The scholarship is a minimum of $30,000 for one to four years of graduate study or research. If you know of a college graduate who wants to pursue a life supporting one of the six areas of focus, please go to www.district5970.org/SitePage/district-foundation/global-scholarships-1 for more information regarding the Global Scholarship process.
District Grants don’t have to be complicated or a lot of work. The Algona Rotary Club’s 2015-2016 Grant is a great example. They purchased a Teacup Merry-Go-Round, a Merry-Go-Cycle and two benches for Algona’s Veteran’s Park. The new benches, shown in this picture, proudly display their club name and the Rotary emblem! Hundreds of children and their parents will visit these benches annually.
Yours in Rotary service,
Michelle Bell
District 5970 Rotary Foundation Chair
