As the great country that we are, we are also deeply divided. The divisions play out in the media, in politics, schools, and our communities every day. I have asked myself countless times this Rotary year ~ how do people with diverse backgrounds and personal beliefs work together and rise above these divisions and make good things happen? How do I help people work together when sometimes we start from a place of separation and division?
There are basically 2 emotions in life ~ love, and fear. ”Love brings us together and fear divides us. Love is rooted in a deep sense of trust and trust is founded on a shared set of values and goals.”
A shared set of values is critical for bringing together diverse groups. Martin Luther King Jr was all about civil rights. He talked about the minority and majority coming together to support his mission of equal rights. Dr. King grouped those values together and they became a set of “American values.” This was not an issue of politics or borders. It was an American issue. He reminded people of their shared American values – values that both groups would agree are important.
We don’t have to agree on how to reach goals. Sometimes when people disagree, that’s where creativity starts. But from fear, people often believe their goals are different from the goals of others. In Rotary, we have shared goals without question. But there is also a lot of room for division. If we constantly focus on the shared goals, the differences can seem much less overarching. And no matter what our differences are, we do share the same organizational goals, which is my point.
I wouldn’t ask you to ignore our differences though. Acknowledge that we are very different but imagine if we were exactly the same. Imagine we were all blonde, hyper, and walked with a cane. (Completely hypothetical LOL) How creative would our group be? But seriously, the community we serve would see that robot sameness in all we do. But we ARE all different. When we serve in our community, we are seen as a group that is open to those with shared values. We want to help others and we want to make our community better.
We need to have visible reminders of our Rotarian sameness. We need that visual reminder that we are good people who do good. For me, it is the Rotary wheel. I have one in all the rooms I spend the most time in. I have a Rotary branded laptop bag. We have our Rotary pins. I have a sticker in my office that says, “Proud to be a Rotarian.” It reminds me that I am one cog in the Rotary wheel of others who work hard to make the world better. What are your visual reminders?
And still, there is divisiveness. Years ago, we could leave our beliefs outside but nowadays with social media showing the world everything we value, and the fact that many of us are connected on Facebook and Instagram, etc., we know a lot about each other. Are we afraid of someone challenging our beliefs? Do we fear being cornered for our opinions? Or are we staring down our noses at “those whose beliefs are wrong”? I challenge you (and myself) to look at the Rotary wheel differently. I want to recognize the Rotary wheel as the visual reminder that we are there for the good of the world and we are working side by side with people who grew up differently, believe in contrast to our own thoughts, and have completely dissimilar leanings. It is that team spirit yet such stark diverseness that I find to be the most beautiful and miraculous part of working with you all for that common goal to “be the change we want to see in the world.” And just like the hokey pokey, that IS what’s it’s all about.
This week’s Random Awesome Deed suggestion is to come to the meeting this week with the goal of sitting with Rotarians that you don’t know very well. Respectfully discover what is different in each of you but then find what unites you. I think you will be surprised at how similar some of us are but also how non-threatening we can be even when there are differences.
Now let's go forth, be great stewards of Rotary and Catalysts of Caring in our Community!
Please be well, be safe, and be kind. There are a lot of people needing just that.
In Rotary Service,
Kathleen Saltmarsh-Voss
President
Rotary of Colorado Springs
Topic: Weekly Rotary Meeting
Time: March 18, 2022 12:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)
Meeting ID: 852 1712 5280
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Every year at this time, we reach out to our District 11 high school counselors
and offer their graduating seniors an application for college, vocational, and trade school scholarships. As a committee, we read all submitted applications between May 1 and May 12 and determine which candidates we will award the scholarships to. And because we are a service organization, our 1500 word essay the student reflects on is about, "Service Above Self". All
applications are read online- there isn't a physical meeting. We confer on a "reply all" email basis.
If you are interested in being a part of this important committee or have further questions, please email or call to discuss.
Rotary District 2241 in Romania (This information came from the DG in Southern California. She is a Romanian immigrant).
You can wire funds directly to the Rotary District 2241 of Romania. They have established a Disaster Relief Fund.
Here is the bank info for a wire transfer.
Bank:
Transilvania
Address:
str. Gheorghe Barițiu, nr.8, Cluj Napoca
Cluj-Napoca, Cluj 400000 Roman ia
Account in USD:
RO22BTRL01302205M6501800
Swift: BTRLRO22
Beneficiary:
Asociația Rotary District 2241 Romania & Republica Moldova
Address:
Hotel Ibis.
Calea Grivitei nr.143, sector 1,
București 010741 Romania
Rotary International Disaster Relief Fund
As one of the world’s largest humanitarian organizations, Rotary has made peace the cornerstone of our global mission. We are deeply concerned about the Ukraine crisis and need your help.
Rotary is made up of people of action, especially in difficult times. In response to the deepening refugee crisis, The Rotary Foundation Trustees have decided to prioritize contributions made to the Disaster Response Fund until 30 April 2022 to support disaster response grants for districts affected by these events. These expedited disaster response grants can be used to supply water, food, medicine, shelter, and clothing.
Half a million people have fled Ukraine and are in dire need of emergency aid. The United Nations estimates that the number of refugees could grow to as many as 5 million people displaced. Rotary clubs in Europe and around the world have stepped up their relief work, some working on the ground to help displaced families.
With your donation to our Disaster Response Fund, we can support communities and help rebuild lives during this tragic time. Click HERE to donate now.
Sincerely,
John Germ Trustee Chair, 2021-22 The Rotary Foundation
And from Habitat For Humanity:
Dear Friend,
As we watch the distressing situation unfold across Ukraine, Habitat for Humanity Great Britain joins colleagues across our network in calling for an end to the deadly attacks.
As an organization that passionately believe that homes should be safe havens for all, seeing people forced to flee from their homes is a tragedy.
In Ukraine, we work on energy efficiency in housing through a partner organization based in Odessa. The latest reports from our partner are that all their staff are safe, though attacks have killed people within the district.
Our colleagues on the ground in neighboring countries, together with partners from other charities and organizations in a united response, are helping assist those who have been forced to flee, as well as preparing longer-term plans to support families into more permanent homes.
Habitat for Humanity National Offices in the neighboring countries of Poland, Romania, Hungary, and Slovakia are responding by supporting refugees fleeing to find safety and shelter, as well as devising plans to support families into a longer-term shelter.
In Poland: Many of the families arriving at the border are single-headed, as many Ukrainian parents are choosing to have one parent remain in the country to join the resistance. Funds are being raised to lessen the burden of housing for the Ukrainian refugees.
In Romania: An assessment team from Habitat for Humanity Romania has traveled north to the Ukraine-Romania border. The temperature is currently below freezing, so the priority here is to source air heaters for people sheltering in tents on the border. The team is also working to secure hotel rooms as temporary shelters for refugees.
In Hungary: Our colleagues are pursuing how they can best provide support for refugees at the border.
In Slovakia: A team of staff have made their way to the border and are working on plans to support partner organizations.
More updates about our work in Ukraine’s neighboring countries supporting refugees will be provided as information comes in.
The United Nations Refugee Agency estimates up to 4 million Ukrainians could flee if the situation deteriorates further.
Without you, we simply can't do the work that we do.
In the short term, we will continue to assist governments and partners to meet the urgent needs of refugees at the Ukrainian border.
In keeping with our 'Pathways to Permanence' approach, our longer-term response will focus on supporting refugee families to reduce their vulnerability, helping move them along a path to permanent, durable shelter.
To support our continued efforts in helping those who have been forced to leave their homes, please make a donation today.
Seeing families have the most basic needs of safety and housing compromised is truly heart-breaking, but with you beside us, we'll do everything we can to be there, rebuilding shattered lives brick-by-brick - however long it takes.
With my heartfelt thanks for your continued support,
We are in the initial stage of forming a Veterans Group in the COS Downtown Rotary Club. This group will serve as a cohesive unit in community service projects (thanks, Samantha Chapman, for including us!), have its own space on the ClubRunner page (thanks, Mike McGrath!), and strengthen both Rotary and Veteran bonds. The first initiative for the Veterans Group is to honor World War II Veterans. (Thank you, Kerry Pearson, for your legwork on this project!)
If you are a Veteran, please contact Chip Frazer at carl.frazer@gmail.com or 202.595.4295 with name, branch of service, and (if desired) dates of service and/or military campaigns. If you know a Veteran in the club, please let Chip know, since we'd like to get the word out as far and wide as possible.
If you are interested in being part of the party that is FLIGHT 2022!, please come to the weekly Rotary meeting directly AFTER the club's weekly meeting on Friday or tune in to the following zoom link.
There is help needed with the fabrication part of FLIGHT 2022. If you are available or able to move butterfly/dragonfly parts around, please contact Tina Dewey, FLIGHT 2022 Chair at tinadhomes@gmail.com.
Meeting ID: 865 2228 1182 Passcode: 274601 One tap mobile +12532158782,,86522281182#,,,,*274601# US (Tacoma) +13462487799,,86522281182#,,,,*274601# US (Houston)
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This month we are collecting donations for One Nation Walking Together throughout the month of March and all donated goods will be delivered in April.
One Nation Walking Together was created to make a positive impact in the lives of Native Americans. They load 53-foot Semi Trucks and deliver up to $2 million worth of donated goods to reservations annually, ONWT provides hope and services to between 30,000 and 40,000 Native Americans in Colorado and eight other surrounding states.
We received a new service opportunity from Silver Key to support their March for Meals, Meals on Wheels program.
Volunteers are needed for the March for Meals campaign by helping to prepare, and/or deliver meals to their senior clients during Community Champions Week, March 21-25, 2022. In doing so, you can connect with seniors in our community and help Silver Key Senior Services gain much-needed visibility for this cause.
Currently, we are working on the following projects:
Practical Education Network (PEN) in Ghana
Hunger project in Niger
Trampled Rose In Ethiopia
Locally Haiti
Vision project in Bisceglie, Italy
If you are interested in participating in our International Committee, please email Jordan Davis at Jordan@sociallyexceptional.biz to be added to the notification list!
If you have bulletin announcements, please email the EXACT WORDING of your announcement to KSaltmarshVoss@yahoo.com by Wednesday at 5 pm. I don't write your announcements but I do make them nice 'n' fancy!
As you're doing your shopping online, did you know that you can support our Rotary Club with every Amazon purchase? Here’s how:
Go to smile.amazon.com (not amazon.com). Amazon Smile is the same company, same account, same password, but the Amazon Smile program gives one half of one percent of every purchase to charity. No, it’s not a lot, but it’s also not nuthin’ (to be exact: about $150 for the Club so far). So again, go to smile.amazon.com
Sign into your Amazon account as you normally would
On the very top left of the page, next to the AmazonSmile logo, are three horizontal bars. Click there for the drop-down menu.
Scroll ALL the way down to “Your AmazonSmile”; it should be the last option right before “Sign Out”; Click on “Your AmazonSmile”
On the right side of the page, click on the “change charity” box under Your current charity (Note: If you are currently supporting another charity, that’s awesome! These instructions are for those who are not doing so. Also, if you have not previously selected a charity, your default option will be St. Judge Children’s Research Hospital.)
Type in Community Service Fund of the Rotary Club of Colorado Springs; click Select
That’s it. You’re all set. Just remember to go to Smile.Amazon.com when you shop from now on.
