The Polar Plunge is a combined District 7930 effort in raising funds for the eradication of Polio in the world. Rotary clubs all over the district raise funds through fund raiser activities and by seeking sponsors for a Polio Plunger. President Obie has promised to be a plunger in the coming event in February. Club members are asked to support the District in this important effort, and to support President Obie as he ventures into the cold Atlantic this February!!
Lynn Rotarians ring the bells for the Salvation Army
Club members recently contributed to Peace on Earth and Good Will Toward Men, by participating in the annual Bell Ringing for the Salvation Army. Our location this year was at the Christmas Tree Shop on Route 1 in Saugus and it was a great day for all involved. The site was busy as usual, and after a confused start, the members and guests ringing the bells were grateful to see the response from the customers going into the shop. Many people like to see the Rotarians there, knowing that our time is volunteer time and that the funds received would be put to good use by the Salvation Army.
The following members and alumni were ringing the bells of good will: Bob Kennedy, Rich Cuffe, Mary Ann Rooney, Obie Barker, Maria Cacciola, Bill and Peg Simpson, Mark Kennard, Art Horgan, Bob and Nora Dugas, Jan Reardon, and Tom Lynch. Additionally there were several volunteers from the Boys and Girls Club Keystone group.
Thanks are given to all who participated in this fundraiser, and volunteered for such a good cause. It was another example of how Rotarians give back to the community and how well they displayed the true spirit of Christmas.
At our meeting of December 5th, Jeff Loeb addressed the Club about a program called “UBECI”, a program created to help the urban poor of Quito, Ecuador. The program targets the young children of poor market vendors in Quito who have to work with their families and rarely get the chance to go to school, as well as the rural poor around Quito. The goal of the program is to help them get into school and hopefully to break the cycle of a complete lack of education in their families. UBECI works with the children in areas like pre-reading skills that are routinely taught here. According to Jeff, they work in 8 markets and serve about 300 children per week. Jeff is a Rotarian himself and he has been speaking to Rotary Clubs in hopes that he can raise Rotarian sensitivities to the needs of these children and potentially get some support for the program. Here are the stated goals of the program:
“OUR GOALS FOR UBECI CHILDREN
To reduce their working hours
To teach them:
academic and social skills needed to succeed as adults
lessons on good nutrition and hygiene
To provide them medical care when needed
To enroll them in school and track their progress so that they will complete their primary and secondary studies and eventually enroll in universities
To give academic assistance to children in rural underserved communities “
This is the link to the UBICI website and it gives all the detailed information about the program. Please visit the site and see the good things that are happening for the market children in Quito. http://ubeci.org/site
Jeff’s presentation was well received by the Club who asked him many questions about the program and how it ran. Club members may be interested in looking at UBECI as a program with which the club may partner as an international program.
“Volunteering with UBECI was one of the most enlightening experiences of my life. Many times, as a young person, it is difficult to see the impact you have on the world around you. With UBECI, the feedback is instantaneous. Despite any language barrier you may have, the reward is in the smile you receive, whether it be from a staff member or a child from the market.”
United Airlines has launched the 10 Million Charity Miles Giveaway, where you can vote to help United spread 10 million award miles to participating non-profit vendors. Last year Rotary International got 2.5 million votes !
Vote daily until December 31 to help Rotary further its cause!
It only takes a few minutes each day but will help Rotary International do our work in “Service Above Self”.
Coming together, united in goodwill.
Vote daily to help United® spread 10 million award miles to participating nonprofit partners, including Rotary International. Every nonprofit partner will receive at least 25,000 miles, which can be used toward travel, transport and other needs. And the more votes Rotary International gets each day, the more miles it will receive at the end of the campaign. It’s United’s way of coming together, extending a shared gratitude to the ones who give so much to those in need.
At this writing, Rotary International is in 2nd place with 124,431 votes. This changes by the minute as Rotarians go online and vote, so add your voice over this holiday period. You can vote once a day until December 31st.
Club members recently contributed to Peace on Earth and Good Will Toward Men, by participating in the annual Bell Ringing for the Salvation Army. Our location this year was at the Christmas Tree Shop on Route 1 in Saugus and it was a great day for all involved. The site was busy as usual, and after a confused start, the members and guests ringing the bells were grateful to see the response from the customers going into the shop. Many people like to see the Rotarians there, knowing that our time is volunteer time and that the funds received would be put to good use by the Salvation Army. 
At our meeting of December 5th, Jeff Loeb addressed the Club about a program called “UBECI”, a program created to help the urban poor of Quito, Ecuador. The program targets the young children of poor market vendors in Quito who have to work with their families and rarely get the chance to go to school, as well as the rural poor around Quito. The goal of the program is to help them get into school and hopefully to break the cycle of a complete lack of education in their families. UBECI works with the children in areas like pre-reading skills that are routinely taught here. According to Jeff, they work in 8 markets and serve about 300 children per week. Jeff is a Rotarian himself and he has been speaking to Rotary Clubs in hopes that he can raise Rotarian sensitivities to the needs of these children and potentially get some support for the program. Here are the stated goals of the program:
