What is New in Rotary District 5330 for ?

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Coral Williamson
5 years ago
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1 What is New in Rotary District 5330 for ? This is an exciting time to be a Rotarian in our District. Our District 5330 includes not only the Rotary Club of Lake Arrowhead and the other 3 Rotary clubs from Crestline to Big Bear, but also the 59 total clubs with over 2100 members in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. Each club can be described as consisting of ethical business leaders doing community service on a global scale. Our new Rotary International theme for is Engage Rotary, Change Lives. Members join Rotary to do meaningful service in their community and to make an impact to the world. So it also goes that the Job is not done when we bring in a new member but when that new member is engaged in Rotary, inspired by Rotary and uses the power of Rotary service to change lives. Eradicating Polio in 2014 Next year Rotary International (RI) will be writing its last pages in eradicating polio from the face of the earth, and beginning a new chapter as we roll out our Future Vision Plan. Yes, RI President Elect Ron Burton predicted at his International Assembly of District Governor Elects in San Diego on January 15 that after 26 years of Rotary commitment to eradicating Polio he stated that I stand in front of the class of District Governors that will finish the job. There are only 3 countries left with the endemic strain of Polio - Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria. And the number cases in the world has dropped from 1300 in 2010, to 650 in 2011, to 222 in 2012 and so far only one in March to End Polio In July, when the new Rotary year begins you will be hearing more of our District 5330 partnering with adjacent District 5300 in a campaign called March to End Polio. This fundraiser will be asking our local Rotary Clubs and communities in and around the Inland Empire to participate in a walk-a-thon to raise awareness and funds for our final push to end polio and prevent its reoccurrence. This will be held October during Polio Awareness month throughout our local communities and schools and will include not only our Rotary Clubs but also Rotary s school-wide service clubs Earlyact (ages 5-13), Interact (ages 12-18), and Rotaract (ages 18-30) to walk in their school and communities. The Little League Baseball Western Regional Headquarters in San Bernardino donated their baseball stadium to be the site of a final walk and Olympic torch type ceremony on October The Regional Director Jim Gerstenslager has a family member who is a polio survivor and wanted to do his part by donating the Baseball field to Rotary for the entire weekend. Page1 Future Vision Plan The Future Vision Plan is a new grant system where the Rotary Foundation takes everything wonderful about Rotary and makes it bigger and more sustainable in addressing the needs of the community being served. All the various types of grants, scholarship programs, youth and group study exchanges are now simplified to two types of grants - larger ($30,000 minimum) Global Grants and smaller(under $30,000) District Grants.

2 The Future Vision Plan will be responding to six areas of focus as organizational priorities to include a) Peace and conflict prevention/resolution, b)disease prevention and treatment, c) Water and sanitation, d) Maternal and child health, e) Basic education and literacy, and f) Economic and community development. The Lake Arrowhead Rotary Club is involved in programs affecting all these areas of focus in both international and community programs Global Grants Global grants enable matching RI World Funds for District and Club projects. We can essentially double the amount of money our district and clubs donate to projects. Now all the various types of grant categories are combined, this includes scholarships, Vocational Training Team exchanges, and of course projects. There will be more flexibility for Rotarians to participate with non-rotarians in Vocational Training Team grants designed to provide services to other countries having a need in one of the 6 areas of focus. Scholarships are essentially doubled in value when it fits in an area of focus. Also a new category of country exchanges called New Generation Service Exchange for those young adults begins July 1. They will participate in a service project, an internship or vocational training. Rotary s projects will be bigger and designed so that the benefiting country can operate and maintain the project well after the Rotarians leave. Under the Disease prevention and treatment area of focus for example, our Lake Arrowhead Rotary Club recently contributed to a District developed program to combat Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) for and again for SAM is inadequate intake of food, leading to critical illness and death, most commonly occurring between the ages of 1 and 3. SAM is a critical, global health problem where more children die of SAM each year than HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined. The program is called Project Peanut Butter lead by the District s Rotary Club of Palm Spring Sunup with a specially developed formula added to Peanut Butter. The funds go towards saving children in Malawi and the funds go towards saving children in Sierra Leonne. The added benefit of this project is that it also fulfills another area of focus Economic and community development by establishing an industry in that country by growing peanuts for the peanut butter base. Another program just being formulated in this District is a Dual Adopt a Village program. Most people do not realize that funds that go towards international projects can also come back to our local communities. This new program being led by the Rotary Club of Palm Desert for attempts to relieve a major poverty area problem in the Mecca area of Coachella Valley in our District. This Global Grant project addresses problems in all six areas of focus. It is being written so that Mexico s District 4100 partners with our District 5330 in a global grant whereby they adopt our Village in Mecca and we adopt an equivalent poverty area in their Village possibly Villa Zapata in Mexicali. As a result, local Rotarians can do an international project in our own district and just right across the border. Page2 District Grants Our district will continue to serve the community with projects that meet community needs such as scholarships, vocational development programs, programs to alleviate poverty, improve literacy, youth leadership development programs, disaster preparedness and relief, health and medical support projects, and various community enhancement projects. The big difference next year is that expenditure of Rotary

3 Foundation Funds is now delegated down to the club level where they have more control of the funds they contributed to the Rotary Foundation. Our Million Meals campaign last year contributed enough food to feed 750,000 meals for those in need in our District. Next year the program is continuing but reorganized so that it can effectively raise well over 1 million meals for our local communities. Scholarships Rotary is the leading organization in providing scholarships. Currently District 5330 has Ambassadorial Scholars. Mark Perko III sponsored by RC Lake Arrowhead Mt Sunrise is at the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom studying International Relations. Sarah Ally Fiske Phillips sponsored by RC Redlands is also an International Relations graduate student at Chapman in Orange County. For 2013/14 District 5330 awarded 2 scholarships on Feb 2: a $30,000 graduate-level scholarship to Christopher Howell sponsored by RC Murrietta to Andrews Univ in St Andrews Scotland studying Peace and Conflict Resolution. Plus a $15,000 undergraduate scholarship to Kristen Hook sponsored by RC Jurupa Valley as a freshman to the American University in Rome Studying intercultural Communications. A third student Taylor Hunt is an alternate for a probable third $15,000 scholarship. Contact Betty Folsom for more information. We are now also recruiting for one of 110 Rotary Peace Fellowship which have a value of over $110,000 for our next generation peace leaders. This program gives master s degrees or professional development certificates in peace and conflict resolution. Contact Karen Bradford for more information. Finally, also beginning July 1 our District Public Image Committee is planning on a new, more dynamic website and public image campaign where the public can identify needs in their communities and better observe the status of District Rotary projects being accomplished throughout the District and the world. As you see, Rotary is entering a very exciting new era. If you want to join and be part of this experience contact your local Rotary Club. You can visit our District Website at and my webpage by selecting District then Governor Elect. Joe Joseph Ramos III Governor Rotary District Page3

4 Photos for article Jeanne & Joe RIPE Ron Burton & Jetta with Theme Banner Photo 1 of Philippino children taking the Peanut Butter based medicine Photo 2 of Philippino children taking the Peanut Butter based medicine Page4

Garbage dump in Payatas Philippines where the kids

5 Garbage dump in Payatas Philippines where the kids and adults scavenge for food. DGE Joe & Jeanne & DGN Shab El Awar and Bricia feed over 600 families in Mecca, CA with 20,000 meals on 12/12/2012. Food Distribution to families in need in MECCA,CA (part of Dual Adapt a Village proposed grant Page5

The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International

The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International Mission Statement The mission of The Rotary Foundation is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of