Our in-house expert and the speaker today, Rick Grass, introduced the newer Club members to the Rotary Foundation, and challenged the rest of the Club to use the funds that are made available by the Foundation for the benefit of our Airdrie community and other international worthy causes. Clubs across the globe use Foundation grants to carry out sustainable service projects. Foundation monies wiped out 99.9 percent of all polio cases worldwide, and approved Foundation Projects train future peacemakers, support clean water, and strengthen local economies, even helped business communities in Canada after major floods.
DG Rick Istead, who visited the Club today, added: ‘During the past 100 years, the Foundation has spent $3 billion on life-changing, sustainable projects.’ He thanked our club, with handing Past-President Bev Chinnery a citation and banner, for 100% of the club membership contributing to the Foundation during the 2016/2017 Rotary year.
The Rotary Foundation expressed their appreciation, on behalf of all those receiving help with some of the world’s toughest challenges in our community and across the world, for our members’ generosity in support of the annual fund. The trustees thank each member for making The Rotary Foundation one of the continued priorities in our club and the citation ranks our sharing (out of 35 000 clubs worldwide) as follows:
- The Rotary Club of Airdrie is one of the top-three-clubs in District 5360, for the highest average giving per member (Part of the top 4,5% of clubs in worldwide recognized for this achievement in their District)
- 100% of the members of the Rotary Club of Airdrie contribute personally (Part of the 12% of clubs worldwide, with such personal commitment)
- In the top 14% of clubs where each Rotarian contributes $100, or more, every year.
Each and every member deserves this appreciation for their personal contributions, not for the sake of the well appreciated recognition, but for the reason of a personal commitment to service.
