Our program featured a presentation by Club Foundation Chair Mike Dowd who encouraged all Rotarians to shout "we're number I!" The foundation of Rotary International continues to be the premier charitable Foundation in the world, achieving perfect 4-star ratings from watchdog groups for over a decade.
From humble beginnings with a $26.50 donation in 1917, the Foundation has now funded over $4 billion dollars’ worth of projects. The quest to eradicate polio continues as cases have dropped from 350.000 per ear to a mere handful. Over 3 billion children have been immunized. Unfortunately, the volunteers face great danger travelling in the remote areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan where the disease is still endemic.
Rotary continues the quest for world peace by actively training Peace Fellows at various Universities. There is much conflict in the world and Rotary is one of the few entities engaged in peace building. ShelterBox is our partner in disaster relief. The Rotary logo appears on ShelterBox tents all over the world in response to natural disasters or refugees displaced by war. The Rotaplast missions provide cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries for children who would otherwise have no hope of receiving such medical treatment. Contributing to the Rotary Foundation gives every Rotarian an opportunity to be a part of this amazing positive movement.
The Rotary Direct system allows Rotarians to have a monthly contribution charged to their credit card. Our Club also has a local complement to the International Foundation called the Easton Rotary Service Foundation. Our local Foundation has funded grants in excess of $750,000 over the last two decades. Highlights include major grants to the Miracle League and the Kellyn Foundation.
So, as a Foundation supporter, what have you done? In recent months you have: restored the African American Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky; refurbished a transitional housing facility associated with a rehabilitation center in Jamaica; created a sensory room for children with autism spectrum disorders or Down syndrome in Portugal; drilled a well and provided free dental care in Guatemala; created a series of financial literacy workshops in Barbados; supplied 17,000 meals for a school in Zimbabwe; and much more. Even a small donation helps us to Create Hope in the World.
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