As we leave October, which is Vocational month on the Rotary calendar, let’s recall other ways our club supports the vocations in our community.
Under the lead of our member Shirly Nelson, we support the work of elementary school teachers in ASD by reading to kindergarten, first and second grade students. Emphasis may be on students who are at risk of falling behind in the critical skill of reading and understanding. We need more members to participate, so please check in with Shirley.
Our vocational committee over the years has reviewed scholarship applications of numerous seniors at East High and Bartlett High, and has chosen to award scholarships to some of these folks to further their education. Last year we disbursed $24,000 to 8 students. Jeff Blake has the idea that later we could invite these recipients to visit our club so we can check in on their lives (and remind them that Rotary can also be a part of their lives if they pursue membership). These recipients are exceptional students and many have overcome significant hardship. I bet the vocations they choose will be enriched by their participation! Mike Zahare heads up our vocational committee, so talk to him about ideas you might have related to vocational matters. Perhaps you’d like to give a “vocational minute” to our club during a meeting about your vocation?
Our community service committee has a lot of money to distribute. Applications for grant money could propose to support vocational training. Please think of some worthy local cause that could use grant money and talk to Christian Deykes or Rebecca Sentner. This year the community service committee has already given one grant to assist YWCA Alaska in covering the staff time necessary to implement Diversity & Inclusion Dialogues which fosters inclusion among our diverse community.
Our larger Rotary structure provides matching funds for projects. One such District Grant our club secured this year supports the work of people who fight human trafficking by giving them the tools to be more effective. See Adam Sikorski for more information on this matter.
It seems to me our imagination is the limit to what we can do to support the vocations that people enter.