Rotary Video Magazines

Julius Buski introduced past president, and power behind Fork-It Over, Marilyn Mucha as our presenter today. Marilyn stressed that Rotary International and it's clubs have to better provide awareness in what we do. Club runner is  a great source of information with regard to clubs in our district and with the district itself. As well, one should go and look on Rotary.org and browse around the website and source some of the chatrooms.

Marilyn introduced us to one story on a Rotary Video Magazine, of which there are a number of issues, each with 4-5 stories of 7-14 minutes long. She has three of them on hand if anyone would like to view. These would also be of value to our sponsered Interact Club at Jasper Place High School.

The featured video was entitled Heifer Project Romania, and was about an international project of a Rotary Club in Little Rock, Arknsas where they coordinated with the Rotary Club of Napoca, Romania which reappeared in 1994.

The initial goal for the project was to supply farming families with one cow, to provide milk to their family and to children in the community. Farmers receiving a cow were given a contract where they had to supply a certain quantity of milk to hospitals, schools, and to the local milk producing facility which pasteurized and distributed the milk to these facilities. Even though the farmers were growing their own vegetables, including Romaine lettuce that was featured in the video, there was a need to suppliment the diets of the children with milk to better their health.

After a year, Rotarians from the Little Rock Club revisted and noticed a substantial increase in the children's health, happiness, and level of activity. Farmers were realizing extra monies from milk and milk products sold over and above what they were contracted to donate. On some occaisions one cow turned into two cows.

Through the cooperation of two Rotary clubs, one with the funds and resources for the cows, and one locally to oversee the project, including that f a veteranarian doctor, this project is a testament to "giving a hand up" rather than giving a "hand out".

For further details of this project go to www.littlerockrotary.org or you can order the video from the RI website.

Marilyn also stressed that when you work with other clubs on both international and local projects alike, you increase your fellowship, enhance your serive above self creed, and increase the efficiency of and maixmize the use of funds for a project. More often than not these projects lead to programs which may or may not continue to require Rotary support. and that is the best news of all.

Dennis C thanked Marilyn for her presentation and also for being so readily available on short notice, as there was a double booking of speaker who is going to present at a later date.

August is Rotary's Membership & Recruitment Month and next week's meeting will be President Lindy's talk on her trip to Vancouver to RI's Membership Conference.

Julius's quote for the day was from Paul Harris:

"The importance of placing and maintaining Rotary standards and ideals aloft cannot be overestimated. The star of hope in the Rotary ethical firmament must be high. It is hardly possible for it to be too high. May it be high enough so that there will always be something to strive for"

Paul Harris in The Rotarian, September 1912.

Meeting was adjourned with a toast to Fellowship, Rotary International and Rotary Worldwide.