How are You Changing the World?
Just by being a Rotarian and supporting the Foundation, you are making a difference in lives around the world. It's more than polio, though that isn't insignificant, but it really is having a part in all of the projects that go on across the planet to improve health, infant mortality, education, economic development and conflict resolution. Our club plays a part and I hope you are all proud of the role we're playing in projects near and far.
Our sister club in Monterrey, Mexico has managed to move ahead with their grant from last year which is providing rural schools with educational materials. We provided $3500 to help set up a school with them.
We presented our Global Grant to renovate the orphanage in the Philippines using a model whereby unemployed men learn the construction trades in the course of doing the building, thus helping not only the children served in the orphanage, but also the vocational skills of the villagers. We had 8 clubs from Texas, our sister club in Mexico and clubs from the Philippines partner with us on this $50,000 grant.
Edgar Miranda furnished 400 backpacks and our club filled them with school supplies for local children the weekend before school started. We had enough funding leftover to take care of the same number of children next year.
We provide full tuition assistance for 5 students at Temple College through our Scholarship Foundation. You'll get to meet them at one of our meetings. They are bright, articulate, motivated, and most important, grateful.
All funding from the Spaghetti Supper and the Run in April will go to fund projects that our members deem important. We're keeping a list of funding requests and when all of our dollars are totaled, we'll survey the club and determine the most viable and important projects. If you have projects you'd like to get on that list, please send them to Jennifer so they can be added.
Our board has been wrestling with a difficult vote. We have a very few members who are not paying $100 towards the Rotary Foundation each year because they were grandfathered in and not included when we moved to that billing schedule 10 years ago. Our board decided not to add that charge to their bill because we heard from some that they did not want it included. We hope that all our members, but especially those who may not have made a Foundation donation this year, will take advantage of the upcoming matching campaign in November. Whatever gift you make (up to $500) will be matched by our club to help you earn another Paul Harris. The match begins on Nov. 1 and is "first come, first served." To make your donation, please contact David, Richard, Wade or Jennifer.