President’s Pen 16 Aug 2016
This last meeting was a scheduled planning meeting to discuss upcoming potential Community Service projects.
Don outlined that, unlike previous years where members were allocated to the various service committees, this year members would be allocated to committees based on projects that members volunteered to lead or participate in.
The entire meeting was focused on discussing the following projects and appointing the following volunteers as leaders of those projects:
Donations in Kind Terry Rodoni
Rotary Donations In Kind (DIK) is a major recycling operation, run by volunteers, that delivers requested goods to people in need, for free, via Rotary Clubs in the vicinity of the recipients.
A Donations In Kind project is often the most practical and cost effective way to help people in developing countries and it also provides excellent opportunities to help local communities in Australia.
It provides Rotarians with opportunities to use all of their resources; their intellect, skills and contacts, their labour and their ability to raise funds.
Catherine House Julie Campbell
This is an organisation that offers recovery-oriented support that works with the women accessing our emergency accommodation and services, helping them to achieve greater personal well-being, social and economic participation and a meaningful and satisfying life.
Cows for Cambodia Rob McLennan
This is essentially a “COW BANK”. Families are loaned a pregnant cow, they must look after and when it has a calf they get to keep the baby and the cow is returned. It’s more about providing an opportunity to break the poverty cycle rather than a direct handout.
Water Purifiers Rob McLennan
Water and Sanitation Rotarian Action Group (WASRAG), providing potable water to people in remote locations.
Hands for Humanity John Karran
This is an opportunity for Rotarians and other community minded people to work together and give disabled persons a chance to live a better life; by providing artificial hands to children and young people who have lost their hands through accidents with land mines.
Most recipients are in Cambodia and Vietnam. Photos are taken of those who assembled the hands and given to recipients along with the hands. Photos are then taken of the recipients and forwarded to the Rotarians and others who assembled the hands.
Bread Run David Rowe
Collection of bread from Bakers Delight which is then distributed late afternoon on a Sunday by members of our Club, to people in need.
Columbian Education Project Angus Tuck
This project has been operating for a number of years and has assisted over 60 students from Bogota to graduate from tertiary courses at the Columbian equivalent of our TAFE.
Our Club donates funds, which are sent to a local Rotary Club in Bogota who then identify deserving students and sponsor them through their studies. This has been one of our most successful long-term overseas projects.
The next planning meeting will concentrate on identifying and seeking project leaders for the fundraising activities needed to achieve the above projects. Project leaders listed above will also report on progress regarding their investigation into the resource requirements for the listed projects.
