Thank you to everyone who participated in the Zoom Conference last Friday. With 48 participants on the conference, we had a great turnout, and we were joined by our District Governor Elect, Chip Ecks. (Don't tell Jane Hammoud, but I forgot all about the standing ovation. If DG Dave joins us tomorrow, we'll rectify our lax Rotary etiquette then.) We will continue meeting by Zoom every Friday at 12:15 p.m. until we can meet in large groups again. And when will that be...?
Coronavirus Update #2: Look, we don't know when this will end. What we know for now is that Governor Polis has extended the ban on group meetings through April 17, which would make April 24 the first meeting we could potentially hold in person. That may change. But we will continue to meet every week, even if the meetings are all online, and we will continue to do the work and to BE Rotarians. As our public officials start to relax restrictions on meeting, we may meet first in our small groups. We will certainly continue to offer Zoom as an option to those Rotarians who are not comfortable attending an in person meeting. We will do everything we can to make sure we take care of each other and keep our focus on "service above self."
Tomorrow's meeting via Zoom will feature an update from Larry Liston. You have been emailed instructions for how to join the conference, but Claudine will email the instructions out again tomorrow morning. If you have any questions or need help, call me at 719-359-3834 or Rodney at 305-619-8989. We will again have a time of sharing. Holly Flores and her small group have something fun for all of us. And I will share news from the District Governor if he's not there to give his own update.
But what does this mean for dues and meals? Answer: A separate email is going to go out concerning dues, meals, and the potential need for Leaves of Absence. Frankly, as many of you as there are who read this newsletter, I think an email on the subject has a better chance of reaching a large audience. If you don't get an email shortly after reading this (within the hour), please check your junkmail filter for the email about dues, etc.
Update on the Small Groups:
I have heard from the Small Group Leaders that everything is going well on that front. Again, if there are "friends" of Rotary that you'd like to add, please feel free. Here are some of the great suggestions for service I've received from our SGLs:
1) Thank you cards, sent to those in the medical field who are fighting the virus on the frontlines. They could use our support and encouragement;
2) Buy gift cards from a local bar or restaurant to support local business. If you don't need the gift card yourself, donate it to someone who is out of a job because of the quarantine or to someone unexpectedly on the front lines (e.g. a checker at a grocery store). The club will be looking into ways we can show our furloughed servers at the Antlers our love and appreciation;
3) Folks are going for walks with their families. You can decorate your driveway or sidewalk with messages of encouragement with sidewalk chalk. Some neighborhoods are participating in a "bear hunt" where residents put Teddy bears in windows for passers-by to "find;"
4) We will collectively continue to pick up and deliver groceries or pharmacy items for any Rotarians who are housebound, but we can extend that offer to others in our neighborhood who may be too elderly to safely leave home right now;
5) If we are out and about on walks or in parks (and responsible maintaining a social distance, of course), we can pick up trash (with gloves and a claw... NOT with our bare hands);
6) We can clean out our closets and put aside items to donate when the quarantine lifts;
7) We can donate to a local food bank (like Care and Share) or blood bank;
8) Sew face masks. There are instructions going around for how to sew a face mask, and I hear Joann's may be donating some supplies to this project. Our local health providers don't need the homemade masks at this time, but they would make a good gift for any Rotarians or neighbors who need to leave home and are feeling under the weather. The masks protect other people from getting our germs if we are feeling ill but need to go to the pharmacy, for example.
If you have more ideas to share, please do so. Share with your SGL first, and we'll coordinate suggestions at the club level. Rotary International and our District will be making a one-time exception and funding in the 2020-2021 grant cycle any approved community service project to address Rotary's COVID response incurring expenses on or after March 15, 2020. All ideas which require funding should go through Samantha Chapman and will be pre-approved at the District level by Dave Woods and Aaron Tice.
If any of you joined a Rotary Action Group or Rotary Fellowship this week, please email me and let me know.
What's it like to live on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota
Dr. Kidd and his wife moved and work on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. He will talk about their experience working and living on the reservation for the past 15 months. Dr Kidd remains a member of our club while living in South Dakota.
A few weeks ago, Rotarian Martin Cook gave a talk about his experience teaching at Ashesi University in the West African country of Ghana. He in particular stressed Ashesi’s very innovative approach to education and its vision of “educating ethical, entrepreneurial leaders for Africa.” The university’s website is www.ashesi.edu.gh
In 2017, the founder and president of Ashesi, Mr. Patrick Awuah, won the prestigious World Innovation in Education Summit (WISE Prize) and the university was awarded $500,000 from this prize. Awuah’s acceptance speech eloquently articulated his vision for the university and for the future of Africa. That speech can be located here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gohmI3s1C9g
Martin also mentioned that a number of Rotarians expressed some interest in joining the Ashesi Foundation’s annual trip to Ashesi. Besides seeing the University in depth, the trip includes some other features such as the sobering tour of the Slave Forts at Cape Coast. The details of the trip can be found here: https://www.ashesi.org/get-involved/annual-trip/ Martin asks that if any of you are seriously considering going to Ghana in October, you let him know and the will coordinate with the Ashesi University Foundation in Seattle. You can contact him at martinleocook@gmail.com if you are interested or considering the trip.
Clean water is a basic human right that many are often denied. There are 2.5 billion people in the world that lack access to improved sanitation and 748 million people that don’t have clean drinking water. Nearly 1400 children die each day from diseases caused by lack of sanitation and unsafe water. When people have access to clean water, they live healthier and more productive lives.
In 2015, the United Nations introduced their new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty and promote prosperity while protecting the environment and addressing climate change. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 on water and sanitation encourages us to address universal access to drinking water and sanitation along with improved water management to protect ecosystems and build resiliency.
Rotary members are committed to reaching the water and sanitation SDG through projects like building wells, installing rainwater harvesting systems, and teaching community members how to maintain new infrastructure.
During March, Rotary Water and Sanitation Month, we’re celebrating our commitment to create healthier communities by supplying clean water and sanitation facilities to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Here are just a few examples of club service projects that are creating a lasting impact:
The Rotary Club of Bangalore Metro in India installed a water purification plant in the village of Ramanahalli. Due to extensive mining, the ground water in this rural community is completely contaminated with fluorides and other contaminants. The new water purification plant provides reliable access to potable water.
In the rural community of Bharat Pokhari in Nepal, villagers walk 25 km to fetch buckets of water every day. Oftentimes girls spend two hours a day bringing home water before and after school. In partnership with the Rotary Club of Williamson (USA), the Rotary Club of Pokhara installed a water tank in the village giving more than 500 families access to safe drinking water closer to home.
The Rotary Club of Suna Migori in Kenya provided a source of clean rainwater to students at four schools and a clinic. At each location, Rotarians provided new latrines and hand washing stations. The project has impacted more than 1500 students and their families, hundreds of patients at the clinic, and increased school attendance especially among girls.
In rural Ghana, seven million people are at risk from waterborne diseases. Rotarians are working with partners to address community water and sanitation needs. Watch the video below about this project.
Thank you for your patience as we navigate through community changes due to COVID-19. We will reconvene with a potential committee meeting in April, if possible. The Jared Box Project scheduled to take place on April 7th has been postponed for a later date to be determined for either May or June. Thank you for your understanding.
Rotary and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced on 22 January that their long-term fundraising partnership, which generates up to $150 million annually for polio eradication, will continue. Under the agreement, Rotary is committed to raising $50 million a year over the next three years, and each dollar will be matched with an additional two dollars by the Gates Foundation.
In a video address at the 2020 Rotary International Assembly in San Diego, California, USA, Bill Gates told incoming district governors that the partnership with Rotary needs to continue.
“The Gates Foundation’s longstanding partnership with Rotary has been vital to fighting polio,” Gates said. “That’s why we’re extending our funding match, so every dollar that Rotary raises is met with two more.”
He added, “I believe that together, we can make eradication a reality.”
The funding will support polio eradication efforts such as disease surveillance, technical assistance, and operational support for immunization activities.
The partnership between Rotary and the Gates Foundation has yielded $2 billion, and Rotarians have given countless volunteer hours to fight polio since Rotary started its PolioPlus program in 1985.
Be a part of the fight to end polio and have your donation matched 2-to-1 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Visit endpolio.org to learn more and donate.
I prescribed an inhaler for a patient’s cat allergy. He came back a week later saying he was none the better. Turns out, he was spraying the inhaler on the cat.—Source: sunnyskyz.com
—Source: sunnyskyz.com
