Nine Faith communities of the Northbrook Clergy Assoc invite everyone to join them on Wednesday, November 23rd at 7 pm at the Islamic Cultural Center of Greater Chicago located at 1800 Pfingsten Rd, Northbrook, IL 60062. Attendees are encouraged to bring canned goods for area food pantries or a monetary donation.
Like other places in the Dominican Republic, Los Cocos de Jacagua faces shortages of suitable housing and sanitation infrastructure. For 15 years, the Rotary Club of Santiago Monumental has addressed community needs there in tandem with a Rotary Community Corps, creating a library, a community center, playgrounds, and a financial cooperative. They installed hundreds of latrines and provided medical care, among other contributions, many accomplished with the help of international partners in District 7710 (North Carolina).
The Santiago Monumental club has begun building homes for families, completing nine as of February at a cost of about $10,000 each, says club member David Crow. “Our international partners spend a week at a time with us, providing labor for the construction effort,” Crow says. “This alliance is a powerful way to promote peace and offer Rotarians the opportunity to live and work together with local Rotarians and the communities served.”
Australia
Reveling in a uniquely Australian art form, the Rotary Club of Gloucester stages readings of bush poetry, which celebrates life in the less populated hinterlands. “Bush poetry is principally stories from the bush,” the tales suitable for “shearing sheds, cattle yards, pubs, etc.,” says club member Grahame Stelzer. “Normally very funny, sometimes rude, and occasionally serious.”
In February, three poets and a country band headlined the Bush Poetry at the Saleyard event, held, fittingly, in a livestock arena. “The idea was born at a private dinner when one of the guests just happened to be a current Australian bush poet champion,” says Stelzer. “My club was looking for a fundraiser for a nursing home, so it all came together that night.” The festivities raised about $3,900 for local projects.
Germany
The Rotary Club of Göttingen-Sternwarte teamed up with the Production School Göttingen, a trades-oriented institution for teens, to harvest about 2 tons of apples and turn them into nearly 400 gallons of juice. The Apfelfest project culminated in October 2021 with the juice being donated to elementary schools or sold, raising more than $3,300 for End Polio Now.
“The juice is amazing — a sweet-sour note, pure apple flavors,” reports club member Sönke Jaek. “And the dry apple mash was used to feed game such as deer and boar. They loved it.” Club members also serve as tutors and assist the students in writing resumes, finding internships, and applying for jobs.
>This story originally appeared in the November 2022 issue of Rotary magazine where you can find more.
Addressing conflict through a grassroots process that puts people at the center and involves the whole community is a way to create lasting change — and the approach that’s the basis of the partnership between Rotary and Mediators Beyond Borders International.
MBBI collaborates with Rotary clubs and districts around the world on peacebuilding efforts. The group brings its expertise in a mediation process defined by community collaboration and empowerment, and Rotary lends its credibility, trust, and deeply rooted local knowledge.
In partnership, the organizations create opportunities for difficult dialogues and train local facilitators, with a special focus on increasing women leadership in mediation and peacebuilding.
“It’s a multiplier effect,” says Scott Martin, a founding member of MBBI and Rotary Peace Fellow. “Together, we ask, ‘Who else needs to be included,’ help affected parties connect to the humanity in each other and themselves and facilitate conversations that can be lifesaving.”
MBBI also works regularly with clubs to focus inwards, a program called ‘Peace Conversation Facilitation’ (PCF) that helps members discuss challenging topics, and builds consensus around issues that affect their respective communities.
“We can each hear about a problem and each have a different understanding of it,” Martin says. MBBI can help clubs move beyond talking about an issue to creating the kinds of engagement that are healthy and productive for everyone involved.
Conflict is “an essential part of the human experience,” Martin says. The key, however, is to not ignore or sidestep it, but to address it, keep it from escalating into violence, and learn from it. This can transform the energy that drives conflict into more inclusive, constructive interactions, and ultimately safer, more connected, and more prosperous communities.
Martin says Rotary’s focus on working alongside affected people, business leaders, and coalescing with communities as a whole is very much in keeping with this ethos. “The new vision for Rotary is inspiring,” he says. “It’s bringing about change among ourselves and in the community, and measuring that impact.”
Larry joined Rotary January 28, 1986, sponsored by Rotarian Ron Bernardi. He served in a wide variety of leadership positions including club president and district assistant governor, and was an instrumental and inspirational leader of many club and district trips to Guatemala and, in his honor, the library at Ak' Tenamit is named Biblioteca Kanar. Larry also joined us in 2013 to immunize children in Nigeria against polio. His daughter Jodi, is the secretary of the newly formed Satellite Club.
November 22nd Lunch Meeting with Rick Rosenfeld, Glenview Sunrise Club
Tuesday, November 22nd 12:15-1:15 PM
You are encouraged to invite guests to attend.
Advance Notice regarding Guests:
When you invite guests, let Helen know so she has a member lead, and Mike know with the lunch order. Guests can pay online in advance using out donate link.
Notify Mike for their lunch/food choice the Sunday prior to the meeting.
Meeting dates and times may change, always check our website for updates.
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