Rotary Foundation Update

This past Tuesday we heard from Wayne Kauffman, Chair of the District 5370 Rotary Foundation and Wayne McCutcheon. The Rotary Foundation was established one hundred years ago this year, to provide a means for Rotarians to support humanitarian programs of their choice, wherever they may be. Our District alone raised over 330,000 US dollars last year, and our local club contributed to this by raising 118% of our local goal amount.

The Foundation provides funding so that we can send medical teams to places with only basic services, provide water and sanitation, build footbridges, build and equip schools, support international polio immunization through Polio Plus, and provide scholarships, among many other things.

The funds are carefully managed by the stewardship committees of the Districts and Rotary International. Clubs and Districts asking for funds must meet a variety of strict requirements to ensure that the projects are well managed. Funds come from both individual annual donations and through endowment funds. The Government of Canada has also set aside 1.2 million dollars to support international Rotary projects. All rotarians should be proud of the many things that they have made possible through their giving to this fund.