On a regular basis, our resident photo pros Warren Smith and Jack Strange submit pictures of what is going on at the weekly meetings. You can always find the most recent pictures at the websites photo journal called "Meeting Sighting" Please note that all the meeting photos for the entire Rotary year are at this location with the most recent on the last page.
Thanks for all the great pictures Warren and Ross! Link to Meeting Sightings. The most recent are on the last page!
I joined Rotary as an engineer. There are almost as many classifications in the profession of engineering as there are in Rotary, but I happen to be a mechanical engineer. A mechanical engineer calculates the heating and cooling loads for a new building, makes sure the right lights are in the right places, and plans the plumbing so your hot water pipe doesn’t end in a drinking fountain.
Mechanical engineers don’t stand out in a crowd, and they don’t call attention to themselves with what they do. You probably haven’t thought much about the engineers who designed the buildings you use, the car you drive, or the traffic patterns you follow. But every time you get in an elevator, turn the key in your ignition, or cross the street when the light says go, you are entrusting your life to an engineer somewhere whom you’ve never met. You trust that your elevator will open at the floor you want it to. You trust that your car will start and stop as it should. You trust that the traffic light is going to turn red before the walk light goes on. Every day, you put your life in the hands of people whose names you do not know and whom you might never meet. You might not think about them at all – but they touch your lives every day.
I could draw the same parallel to any number of other vocations – ordinary occupations with the same kind of life-changing impact. In so many ways – some of which we see and some we don’t – our vocations allow us to help other people live better, safer, and healthier lives.
Just like the work we do in Rotary.
Through our vocations and in our clubs, in our communities, and across continents, we are touching the lives of people we don’t know and might never meet. And in every part of the world, every single day, whether they know it or not, people are living better, safer, and healthier lives because of the work of Rotary.
The people we help might not have met a single Rotarian. They might not even know that Rotary exists. But they are drinking clean water from a bore well that Rotary dug. They’re learning to read with books that Rotary gave them. They’re living lives that are better, happier, and healthier – because of Rotary Serving Humanity.
Rotarians frequently ask if The Rotary Foundation practices socially responsible investing by screening or restricting certain investments based on social, environmental, or political criteria. The answer is yes – and no.
Yes, the Foundation considers both financial and social returns when making an investment decision. Our Investment Committee encourages our investment consultant and its managers to invest in companies that comply with laws, regulations, ethical standards, and national or international norms and are aligned with Rotary values.
We also consider how each of our investment managers incorporates socially responsible investing as part of their process. Currently seven of these managers, responsible for about 36 percent of the Foundation's total assets, were signatories to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment. These principles offer possible actions for incorporating environmental, social, and governance issues – such as climate change, public and workplace safety, and shareholder rights – into investment practice. Following these principles could reduce risk, improve returns, and better align our portfolio with our mission.
Does this mean the Foundation will categorically exclude specific companies or industries from investment? That's where the "no" part of my answer comes in. Given Rotary's diverse membership and its various cultural beliefs, agreeing on such restrictions would be extremely difficult.
The Trustees of The Rotary Foundation and the Rotarian financial experts on our Investment Committee take their job very seriously. Rotarians have entrusted us with millions of dollars that they have designated to do good in the world. Our capacity to provide clean water and education, improve health care and economic development, and promote peace depends heavily on our investment income. So it is especially important that we invest your gifts wisely.
Because The Rotary Foundation belongs to all of us, we believe strongly in transparency. To that end, we have posted a wealth of information on www.rotary.org. You can find audited statements for the Foundation for the past three years and tax returns for the past six years, along with extensive material on investment practices, philosophy, and historical returns. I hope this detailed information will reinforce your confidence in our Foundation and inspire your continued generosity.
Arch Klumph’s hometown raises over $2 million through centennial celebration
Associate Conductor Brett Mitchell leads The Cleveland Orchestra at the benefit concert in Severance Hall, which was completed in 1931 and has been called one of the world’s most beautiful concert halls.
Rotary members in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, celebrated 100 years of The Rotary Foundation on 23 October with a banquet and a concert by The Cleveland Orchestra that have so far raised more than $2.1 million for the Foundation's next century of good work.
Arch Klumph, a Cleveland Rotarian, planted the seed for The Rotary Foundation in 1917, with his idea of having an endowment fund dedicated to "doing good in the world." Today's District 6630 leaders thought that a concert was a fitting way to honor Klumph and mark the centennial because of Klumph's love of music. Klumph performed in several predecessors of The Cleveland Orchestra.
"We felt very strongly that here in the home of Arch Klumph we needed to take stock of what the Foundation has accomplished this past 100 years. It's almost impossible to quantify," says Mike Johns, an event organizer and past RI director. "If you look at where we are and where we are going, we've just scratched the surface on what we can do."
The banquet inducted four couples into the Arch Klumph Society for giving $250,000 or more to the Foundation over their lifetimes: Geoff and Kim Goll, Rotary Club of Salem, Ohio; Frank H. and Nancy Lyon Porter, Rotary Club of Cleveland, Ohio; Edna and Martin Sutter, Rotary Club of Fort Bonifacio Global City, Makati City, Philippines; and Norman R. and Marjory A. Veliquette, Rotary Club of Elk Rapids, Michigan, USA.
The Porters, who were inducted posthumously, contributed $500,000 toward polio eradication, Rotary's top priority. The Golls have also directed $200,000 of their contributions to PolioPlus.
Johns says the event was designed to educate the community about The Rotary Foundation. Videos interspersed between musical pieces highlighted Rotary's work and the fight to end polio.
"We had a lot of people there who didn't know what Rotary was, and they made a great discovery," he says. "I think Rotary members around the world should really reach out to the public this year and show them what our Foundation does."