The other Foundation is paid into and administered by The Rotary Foundation, an affiliate of Rotary International. That Foundation was started in 1917 and is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. RI President Arch C. Klumph proposed to set up an endowment “for the purpose of doing good in the world” with a donation of $26.50. In 1929, the Foundation made its first gift of $500 to the International Society for Crippled Children. That organization, created by Rotarian Edgar F. “Daddy” Allen, later grew into Easter Seals.

Evolution of Foundation programs

1947: The Foundation established its first program, Fellowships for Advance Study, later known as Ambassadorial Scholarships.

1965-66: Three programs were launched: Group Study Exchange, Awards for Technical Training, and Grants for Activities in Keeping with the Objective of The Rotary Foundation, which was later called Matching Grants.

1978: Rotary introduced the Health, Hunger and Humanity (3-H) Grants. The first 3-H Grant funded a project to immunize six million Philippine children against polio.

1985: The PolioPlus program was launched to eradicate polio worldwide.

1987-88: The first peace forums were held, leading to Rotary Peace Fellowships.

2013: New district, global, and packaged grants enable Rotarians around the world to respond to the world’s greatest needs.

The six areas of need are; Promoting Peace, Fighting Disease, Providing Clean Water, Saving Mothers and Children, Supporting Education and Growing Local Economies.

In the Rotary year of 2015-2016, the Foundation received $265.6 million for a cumulative giving amount of $4.1 billion. Our Club has been doing a fantastic job of supporting the Foundation in the last five years. The Club goal has been $100 average per member and last year we averaged $239 per member with a total giving for the year of $8,495. Our Rotary District 5050 gave a combined USD$567,357. Half of that money will come back in three years for the District to use as Matching Grants.

Rotary International's goal is $100 per Rotarian Every Year. Our Club goal is the same amount desired with at least $20 Minimum per Rotarian Every Year. When we send out the bi-annual dues invoice, an optional $50 is listed to make the donation payments easy. Rotary Direct is an automated deduction service that can deduct monthly, quarterly or yearly in any amount that fits your budget. If you would like to make a contribution, set up a Direct Deposit account or have any questions, please contact Jim and he would be glad to give any assistance. He thanked everyone for all of their past contributions and for all of the good they have done throughout the world by supporting the Rotary Foundation. “It’s the best bang for your buck in service value."