A slow news week locally - so a few random news items mentioned on FaceBook recently for those that don't regularly use this medium.
Today is International Car-Free Day.
This weekend is a good time to break out all modes of transport other than the car - your legs, your bike, your eBike among others … maybe even your horse? Then head out to the local Rotary inspired walkway and enjoy the fresh air. There will be one in your community - discover it.
Young Professionals are throughout Rotary
They are keen to be active in Rotary in many ways and are.
An example is the recent Australia New Zealand Rotary Conference in Hobart attended by over 680 Rotarians and partners from throughout New Zealand and Australia and open to all Rotarians. The MC role was very capably performed by Courtney who is the Editor of a Tasmanian daily newspaper.
It is a myth that Rotary is for those people long in their vocations as with the right club environment where they are given the chance to participate meaningfully, young professionals are readily joining Rotary.
They are doing this because they ARE receiving the opportunities to mix with a wide group of people, they are gaining the mentoring they seek, it is helping them with their careers, it provides an effective way to volunteer and they are gaining considerable personal satisfaction as a result.
An example is the recent Australia New Zealand Rotary Conference in Hobart attended by over 680 Rotarians and partners from throughout New Zealand and Australia and open to all Rotarians. The MC role was very capably performed by Courtney who is the Editor of a Tasmanian daily newspaper.
It is a myth that Rotary is for those people long in their vocations as with the right club environment where they are given the chance to participate meaningfully, young professionals are readily joining Rotary.
They are doing this because they ARE receiving the opportunities to mix with a wide group of people, they are gaining the mentoring they seek, it is helping them with their careers, it provides an effective way to volunteer and they are gaining considerable personal satisfaction as a result.
Seven Women
Founder and CEO, Stephanie Woollard, recently spoke at the 2018 Australia New Zealand Rotary Conference held in Hobart, Tasmania. Stephanie received a Rotary Peace Scholarship to complete her Masters in Peace and Conflict Resolution at Uppsala University in Sweden. She spoke to a group of leading Rotarians from all over Australia about the story of Seven Women and the successful social enterprises that have developed. We are thrilled with the support from Rotary International and look forward to continuing to grow this great relationship!
If you're interested in learning more about Rotary or their amazing Peace Fellowship program, check out their website at: https://www.rotary.org/en/our-programs/peace-fellowships.
And if you're interested in the story of Seven Women then we hope to bring the documentary video to a future Rotary Tawa meeting, but for now the trailer can be viewed here on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSEKjQRyz_8.
The real power of The Rotary Foundation
Dear fellow Rotarians,
The work that Rotary does, with the support of The Rotary Foundation, is not abstract. It is real, and it changes the lives of real people, in ways that are so fundamental that it’s hard to explain. You have to see it for yourself. And when you understand the Foundation’s power to transform, you can’t help but become passionate about it.
When I became a district governor in 1987, Rotary’s largest-ever fundraising campaign at that time was underway. We were raising money to fight polio. In those days, poliovirus ran rampant. We had 350,000 cases in more than 125 countries in 1988. Also that year, Rotary and some partners founded the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. As we all got to work fighting polio, real progress began to happen. Thanks to our commitment, since then, cases of polio have been reduced by more than 99.9 percent. We’re witnessing history, and the Foundation is part of that real change.
There are countless other ways the Foundation changes real lives — families who enjoy clean water thanks to a global grant, or children who learned to read through a literacy project funded by a district grant. Today in Rotary, we have opportunities to change the world like never before, if we choose to rise to our own potential.
The Rotary Foundation is the way Rotary accomplishes amazing things on a global scale. The Foundation is there for us now, and will be there for the talented and dedicated Rotarians of the future. They will look back at our work today, if we do it right, and thank us for leaving them with a legacy to help fix the problems of their time.
Giving to the Foundation is the way we make all of these dreams — today’s and tomorrow’s — possible. For me, true philanthropy is not measured by the size of one’s gift but rather by the gift in relation to one’s financial ability. Imagine the impact we could make if each and every Rotarian gave whatever they could today.
We Rotarians care about service and giving back. We are also careful planners. Donating to The Rotary Foundation is, without a doubt, a wise investment. For 10 years straight, our Foundation has received the highest possible score from the independent evaluator Charity Navigator, for its strong financial health and its commitment to accountability and transparency.
Let’s reaffirm our commitment to tangible change in the world by mobilizing everyone in our clubs and districts to support The Rotary Foundation generously today. Though we may never know who our gift helped, we will be sure that our donation was invested well and the impact of our gifts was real.
Sincerely,
The work that Rotary does, with the support of The Rotary Foundation, is not abstract. It is real, and it changes the lives of real people, in ways that are so fundamental that it’s hard to explain. You have to see it for yourself. And when you understand the Foundation’s power to transform, you can’t help but become passionate about it.
When I became a district governor in 1987, Rotary’s largest-ever fundraising campaign at that time was underway. We were raising money to fight polio. In those days, poliovirus ran rampant. We had 350,000 cases in more than 125 countries in 1988. Also that year, Rotary and some partners founded the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. As we all got to work fighting polio, real progress began to happen. Thanks to our commitment, since then, cases of polio have been reduced by more than 99.9 percent. We’re witnessing history, and the Foundation is part of that real change.
There are countless other ways the Foundation changes real lives — families who enjoy clean water thanks to a global grant, or children who learned to read through a literacy project funded by a district grant. Today in Rotary, we have opportunities to change the world like never before, if we choose to rise to our own potential.
The Rotary Foundation is the way Rotary accomplishes amazing things on a global scale. The Foundation is there for us now, and will be there for the talented and dedicated Rotarians of the future. They will look back at our work today, if we do it right, and thank us for leaving them with a legacy to help fix the problems of their time.
Giving to the Foundation is the way we make all of these dreams — today’s and tomorrow’s — possible. For me, true philanthropy is not measured by the size of one’s gift but rather by the gift in relation to one’s financial ability. Imagine the impact we could make if each and every Rotarian gave whatever they could today.
We Rotarians care about service and giving back. We are also careful planners. Donating to The Rotary Foundation is, without a doubt, a wise investment. For 10 years straight, our Foundation has received the highest possible score from the independent evaluator Charity Navigator, for its strong financial health and its commitment to accountability and transparency.
Let’s reaffirm our commitment to tangible change in the world by mobilizing everyone in our clubs and districts to support The Rotary Foundation generously today. Though we may never know who our gift helped, we will be sure that our donation was invested well and the impact of our gifts was real.
Sincerely,
Ron D. Burton
Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair
22 September 2018
PS Please see Richard Herbert if you wish to learn more about donating directly to The Rotary Foundation or becoming a Centurion Club member, making your annual donations anonymously while still providing recognition for the contribution to your local club.