Marilyn Bedell, District 7850 Global Grants Chair, joined our club meeting with her husband Ronald as a representative of our district to discuss current vision, mission, grants (and how they work) and Foundation (and its importance).
For those not in Rotary (or those who appreciate a good refresher), this year's message from Rotary International is Creating Lasting Impact, which is meant to shift focus on temporary fixes to sustainable generational change. Our current mission statement Together, we see … is listed above and is a truly holistic focus on global, community and personal impact.
Regarding Grants, money donated to Rotary International (the parent org above the local club or district) can be sent to either an area of change such as polio, clean water, peacebuilding, disease prevention, maternal and child health, basic education and literacy, community economic development, and the evironment OR the World Share Fund. All support important areas important to Rotarians, but giving to the world shared fund actually triggers a quarter of all funds given to flow back to our local district in 3 years, which get redistributed as Grants. To date, our club received ONE $1000 grant in the last 2 years for the Richmond Food Shelf.
To see and hear Marilyn's talk with our club, go to: https://youtu.be/uA64fFkSmoE
To donate to Rotary International, visit: https://www.rotary.org/en/get-involved/ways-to-give