Rotary program: microfinance, social business

What's it all about? Find out Thursday

Janet Hay, member of the Rotary Club of Canterbury, will speak at the Rotary Club of Estes Park on Thursday, Dec. 6, at their regular noon meeting. She will talk about micro-finance and the concept of social business, which is revolutionizing current thought about charitable giving.

Hay started her working life as a stage and production manager and moved into special event management. She then spent 10 years in her own business as a property developer and investor. 

In 2010, she went to work on Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean, northwest of Australia. While there, she was responsible for looking after asylum seekers, mostly from Iran and Iraq, who arrived by boat from Indonesia. She had various roles on the island including welfare officer, teacher and asylum boat receiving team member. She was present the day such a boat sank in rough seas, killing over 50 people.

She then moved to Nauru, located in the Pacific Ocean northeast of Australia and the world’s third smallest country, and to Manus Island, an island northeast of Papua New Guinea. While there, she worked for the Salvation Army, until the government cancelled their contract.

In 2015, Hay decided to go back to school and completed her Master’s Degree in International Co-operation and Humanitarian Aid. During her study, she was influenced by the concepts of micro-finance and social business.

Rotary is an organization of business and professional leaders who provide humanitarian service and help to build goodwill and peace in the world. There are 1.2 million Rotary members in 35,000 Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas. Rotary clubs have been serving communities worldwide for more than a century. Rotary clubs around the world initiate projects that address critical issues such as conflict resolution, disease, clean water, hunger, illiteracy and poverty.

The Rotary Club of Estes Park meets Thursdays in the Timberline Conference Room at the Ridgeline Hotel in Estes Park, located at 101 South Saint Vrain Avenue. Visitors interested in learning more about Rotary and its programs are welcome to attend. Buffet is served at 11:30 a.m., the Rotary business meeting opens at noon, and the program begins at 12:30 p.m..