Successful Site Tour on April 1 - Rotary Sanitation Grants’ Goals Far Exceeded - 1,170 Toilets Completed in Sundarbans (E. India)!
I was humbled to serve as a “toilet inspector” on March 31 and April 1, assessing progress with Kolkata Rotarians on two Rotary Foundation sponsored sanitation Global Grants led by Rotary Club of Ann Arbor North (RCAAN).
On April 1 early morning, I accompanied the ever-energetic Rotn Rakesh Sahni of RCCM and 5 of his club members - Radhika Sahni, Ruby and Matoo Sikri, Samir Prasad, Joydeep Chatterji, Probir Chatterji of Mississauga Ontario, and Sumi Agrawal of Inner Wheel Club of Calcutta-Midtown (our instigator since 2009!) - We hiked in ~105F steamy temperatures across a 2 km area in the lush greenery of the Sundarbans where these newest toilets are constructed.
We toured the area occupied by both Muslim and Hindu families together with the Ramkrishna Ashram’s monks and two sanitation contractors on foot and by vehicle over sandy, often precarious embankments for about 5 hours to inaugurate 20 new toilets. Our cars could only go so far!
These toilets will empower rural woman-run households with health, hygiene and safety to enable them to take up sustainable vocations and thus, raise their living standards.
The photos and videos I have uploaded don’t do sufficient justice to portraying the harsh realities of rural life in the Sundarbans, or can ever recognize the hardships and challenges our Rotary/Inner Wheel/Ramkrishna partners have experienced in bringing in-home sanitation to these secluded communities.
Look for photos acknowledging Rotary Clubs of Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor West, Chelsea, Milan, Novi, Saline and Ypsilanti Rotary Clubs.
Both grant projects have far exceeded their original targets of rural in-home toilets awarded to villagers in the Sundarbans and areas surrounding Kolkata, thanks to frugal money management by our Rotary partners, bulk procurement of building supplies, and leverage with Exide Battery Corp.
The status of Global Grants is summarized below:
(1) Global Grant 1527157 ($96k) with District 3291 Foundation and ~30 Calcutta area Clubs has completed 526 toilets (original goal was 500). My meeting was held with Rotn Jayanta Chatterji on 3/31/18.
(2) Global Grant 1526428 ($84k + investment by Exide Battery) on Project Dignity undertaken with the Rotary Club of Calcutta-Midtown (RCCM), and 7 co-sponsor Michigan Rotary Clubs has now completed 400 toilets with the NGO Sri Ramakrishna Ashram Nimpith (SRAN)...
Add to these figures 120 toilets completed in 2011-12 under the leadership or late Rotn Paresh Rajda.
Brandon Black & Monica Brancheau was our speakers at lunch on April 5, 2018 fromEle's Place.
Monica said, "Ele’s Place is a nonprofit, community-based organization with a mission to create awareness of and support for grieving children and their families."
Ele's Place is a healing center for grieving children, supporting families in the Ann Arbor region and beyond. Ongoing peer support group programs help hundreds of children and teens to cope with the death of a parent, sibling or other close family member or friend.
Ele's Place supports grieving children so they may continue their lives with hope and confidence. Staff and volunteers provide long-term, age-appropriate, weekly peer support groups at no charge, for families coping with the death of a parent, sibling, or other loved one. Ele's Place educates the community about life-threatening children's grief issues, acts as a resource and referral agency, and provides support and training for school, medical, and other professionals in contact with the bereaved.
Then Brandon described, some projects the children do, to overcome the grief of a loved one.
Face Mask: Children is given a mask, they write, draw and decorate, the out side of the mask telling how they think they look on the outside. Then turn mask around and in the inside write, draw and decorate the inside showing how you feel on the inside.
Jewlery Box: Men from Lansing MI, builds a jewlery box that the children decorates for the loved one that they lost.
Place Mate For The Holidays: During the Holidays it is hard, so the children decorates a place mate for the one that they have lost. On the place mate would be a plate of their favorite foods and special notes to them.
Before coming to Ele’s Place, many grieving children feel alone and keep their feelings inside, not wanting to burden their parents or other family members. Often, friends don’t seem to understand if they haven’t had a similar experience. But each week at Ele’s Place, hundreds of grieving children find a warm and welcoming place to meet new friends who really understand how they feel, and begin to heal after the death of a loved one.
Before Brandon's and Monica's talk, Rick Jarzembowski presented, Steve (Doc) and Sherry Lessons, theirPaul Harris for their donations of $1000 to the Rotary International Foundation.
Detroit Peace in the Streets: A Peace Building Conference
April 20-21, 2018
Wayne State University Law School
2018 Detroit Peace in the Streets, is an outgrowth of the World Peace Conference 2017, in which Rotary Club of Ann Arbor North participated in last April.
This will be a dynamic youth oriented conference, so students are encouraged to attend.
The District Training Assembly is a chance for club officers, committee chairs, and assistant governors to further develop leadership skills and refine strategies to achieve their goals.
All Rotarians who accept key club leadership roles are encouraged to attend the District Training Assembly. Attending the District Training Assembly is the best way to help your club be even more successful in 2018-19. Attendees will discover tips to take our Clubs and District to the next level.
$20 Registration Fee includes all materials, continental breakfast, and lunch
At Conference 2018 we’ll do more than listen—we will demonstrate how people of action can explore an issue and work to develop actions plans for real change. We will focus our attention on key issues, hearing from experts and expand the topics with content panelists. Then we will discuss the issues at our table to develop plans of action. You will leave the conference inspired and equipped with information you can use to develop projects that can generate meaningful change in our local communities and communities across the globe.
If you can not attend the Conference, but would like to attend the Tree Planting Event, we would love to have you. Please click HEREto register .
Rotary Club of Ann Arbor North donated 50 trees for our 50 year anniversary.
Date: Sunday, May 6
Time: 11:00 AM-1:00 PM
We will get our location assignments on Sunday morning and then move to the parks.
The Rotary Club of Ypsilanti will be preparing our picnic lunch - hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad, chips, soft drinks and beer will be available (Cost $10.00).
The locations are still being confirmed because of the rain over the past few weeks. Washtenaw County will be digging the holes and the trees will be delivered close to the site. Our jobs will be to move the trees to the pre-dug holes, fill in the dirt, add water, mulch, and if needed a gator bag.
Please bring shovels, rakes, and buckets. Wheelbarrows and garden wagons would also be helpful.
For now we know we will be planting trees inRolling Hills Parkand 3 areas in parks around the lake in Ypsilanti Township.
As the week moves forward - plans should be finalized. You will receive complete details and location information on Sunday morning. Plan to be in the ballroom of theMarriott at Eagle Crest, Ypsilanti no later than 10 am. We'll hear from a local tree expert and get our planting assignments.
Received some good news from the organizers of Kroger's Community Rewards Program, once again this year they will be suspending the re-enrollment process. This means members will NOT need to re-enroll their Kroger Plus card to continue to earn money for Rotary Club of Ann Arbor North Foundation.
Two things to note
If for any reason a member does re-enroll they will just continue to earn as they were.
As always new members will be able to join the program at any time (for instructions to enroll, go to the end of thercaan.orghome page).
The Kroger Company of Michigan wants to thank everyone, for making this program such a success. Through this program they have been able to donate to animal shelters, community centers and educational groups throughout the Michigan Division. With the 4323 charities in this program Kroger's has had the pleasure of assisting local families everyday. The Michigan Kroger Community Rewards Program started in 2009, since then they have donated over 17 million dollars to they're communities.
Rotary Club of Ann Arbor North Foundation received $8.68 from 01/31/18-04/30/18.
Rotary Club of Ann Arbor North isregistered in the Kroger Community Rewards Program. Sign up and start making money for The Rotary Club of Ann Arbor North Foundation (Kroger Community Rewards #21725).
Most participants are new online customers', so they must click on SIGN UP TODAY in the ‘New Customer?’ box.
Sign up for a Kroger Rewards Account by entering zip code, clicking on favorite store, entering your e-mail address and creating a password, agreeing to the terms and conditions
You will then get a message to check your e-mail in-box and click on the link within the body of the e-mail.
Click on My Account and use your e-mail address and password to proceed to the next step.
Click on Edit Kroger Community Rewards information and input your Kroger Plus card number.
Update or confirm your information.
Enter NPO number (#21725) or name of organization (Rotary Club of Ann Arbor North Foundation), select organization from list and click on confirm.
To verify you are enrolled correctly, you will see your organization’s name on the right side of your information page.
Friendly Reminder: For The Foundation to continue receiving your donation through Kroger Community Rewards, you must re-enroll in the program every April.
Make it easier, after signing up, download the Kroger Mobile App:
Luncheon Day & Time: Thursday's at 12:00 pm | Luncheon Address: Holiday Inn Near The University of Michigan, 3600 Plymouth Road Ann Arbor, MI | Web Site:http://www.rcaan.org| E-Mail:rotaryclubaan@gmail.com| Phone: (734)224-4130 |
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.jpg "Support Rotary Club of Ann Arbor North Foundation Through Kroger Community Rewards")