Wisdom. We are all drawn to people who have wisdom. One of those people whose wisdom draws me in is our current Chair of The Rotary Foundation Trustees, K. R. Ravindran. I am drawn to his column in each issue of the Rotary magazine. In his most recent column he shared the wisdom of a 12th-century philosopher, Maimonides, who was known as Cairo’s greatest rabbi. He hit a homerun with this one. I was compelled to share it with you in case you missed it. Chair Ravindran states that the greatest gift Maimonides gave to humanity were his thoughts about giving. This is what he wrote about Maimonides:
“His Eight Levels of Charity is a masterpiece that teaches us about what giving means and what
motivates us to do it. The bottom rung of the giving ladder is giving out of pity or grudgingly. The next step up is giving less than one should, but doing so cheerfully. Climb up to the fifth rung and you are giving before being asked. Further up the ladder is giving in a way that the receiver does not know who the giver is. The eighth and highest level of charity is to anticipate distress and giving to avoid or prevent it.”
In my 35 years in professional fundraising, I have rarely seen the meaning and purpose of giving expressed so well. I love the visual of the giving ladder. We’ve all been asked many times to “step up and do our part.” As Rotarians, our gifts to immunize children, provide clean water, train leaders for peace and conflict resolution, and many others, lift Rotary to the highest step on the ladder of giving. Thanks for climbing!
Only One More Month for Rotary Rush!
February is the
last month you can take advantage of the Rotary Rush program in which you can easily reach your first or next Paul Harris Fellow level. It’s a terrific incentive to help you reach new levels in your giving!
The incentive continues through the end of February 2021. Be sure to check out all the details
here.
Want To Apply For a District Grant?
One of the first things you need to do is attend a Grant Management Seminar. This is required for your club to qualify for applying for a district grant. If someone from your club attended the training last year, you still need to attend again this year. Each club is required to renew their qualification each year. We have two seminars scheduled, but you only need to attend one of them. Both sessions are online and here are the dates:
Saturday, March 27 at 10:00 am
Saturday, May 1—time to be determined. This will be part of the District Conference.
Global Scholar Connor Roth Available for Speaking
Our 2019-20 Global Scholar, Connor Roth, has completed her studies at the University of Sussex in England and earned her Masters degree in the Gender, Violence and Conflict Course. In addition to her studies, Connor was one of the Project Leads for developing content and communications for a web app called “Your Story Matters” or YSM. YSM is a global web app supporting survivors of sexual violence and helps them with the emotional, mental, and legal aspects of recovery. It was launched in the UK on November 19
th. Connor will be sharing her Global Scholar experience at the upcoming District Conference. She is also willing to present to your club. You may contact her at
connoreroth@gmail.com.
Connor Roth
Our Monthly Update from 2020-21 Global Scholar Rebecca Draus
Rebecca shares more about her experience in Scotland where she is studying at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. Read her letter and see the photos
here.
Rebecca Draus
Yours in Rotary,
Don Meyer
District Foundation Chair
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