Recent members inducted into the Rotary Club of Kelowna Sunrise were provided with an opportunity to learn about The Rotary Foundation and how it enables Rotarians around the world to make a difference for those in need in their local communities and worldwide.
On October 09th, eight members and one guest attended a Fireside, held in the Pathways Conference Room in Kelowna. Meme Nyi, Carolyn Monz, Allison Kirkwood, Susan McIntyre, John Pouliot, Shauna George, Christy St. Jean and Robert and Cheryl Bruce participated in the event which was organized and presented by the club’s Foundation Committee.
Committee Chair Leslie Monro introduced the presenters and commenced the evening program with a Rotary Foundation quiz which challenged three teams vying for the best score.
Committee member Ed Kolybaba, using a PowerPoint, video and interactive presentation focused on why Rotarians financially support the humanitarian service of The Rotary Foundation (TRF). His presentation covered a number of topics, including the advantage of having the Foundation operate on an International scale, the mission of TRF, the six areas of focus of the Foundation, the programs of the Foundation, and the importance and value of TRF to the Rotary Club of Kelowna Sunrise as a means to acquire district designated funds and global funds for local and international projects.
Kolybaba shared why Kelowna Sunrise Rotarians give to the Foundation. He explained that Rotarians around the world and from the Kelowna Sunrise club “recognize that 94 percent of the donations go directly to those in need, bypassing government, their agencies and other middle level organizations; and that these Rotarians recognize that volunteer Rotarians around the world, people we trust deeply, administer and implement the projects that we finance and value.” “Clearly The Rotary Foundation takes stewardship of its funds seriously,” added Kolybaba.
Major oversight organizations, such as Charity Navigator which give TRF a 4 star rating, along with Charity Intelligence Canada which rates TRF 4/4, provide valuable information to Rotarians who make The Rotary Foundation their choice of charity donations.
Tom Paterson, also a member of the club’s Foundation Committee, focused on how the club’s Rotarians can make donations to TRF’s Annual, PolioPlus and Permanent Funds, along with how they can become benefactors which will enable the Foundation to provide for future programming and humanitarian service. He pointed out the various avenues available to Rotarians to make their contributions. Donations made to the Annual and PolioPlus Fund are accumulated for Paul Harris Fellowship recognition.
Using the provided Smart Board, Paterson illustrated how club members can access their own online site to review the history of their donations, and to make a onetime online donation via credit card or debit. In addition, he provided the steps necessary to participate in the Direct Program which enables the Foundation the means and permission to make automatic debits from the club member’s chequing account or from their credit card either on a monthly, quarterly or yearly basis. The Direct method makes it very easy for Rotarians to put into place a long range plan of giving without having to remember to make that desired donation time after time. Rotarians can always change the amount of giving, when the debit will be made, or cancel donations at any time with little effort.
The Fireside event culminated with a guest appearance from club member Linda Frandsen who outlined how the Rotary Club of Kelowna Sunrise utilized the Designated District Grants and Global Grants for several recent projects, including a project valued for US$84,600 which is waiting for approval from TRF.