The
Highlighter
November 2009
Vol 83 No 5
Table of Contents
Governor's Message
Tom Novotny
November
is The Rotary Foundation (TRF) Month. Where to begin? Let’s
start at an unusual point in my Rotary development - International
Assembly 2009.
International Assembly is the last training session for District Governors Elect (DGE’s). Rotary International brings all of the approximately 540 DGE’s together for one last week of Rotary education. What does that have to do with the Rotary Foundation, you ask? Well, hang on!
On Day 2 of this DGE ‘boot camp,’ all of the DGE’s are sitting around waiting for the first speaker and feeling sorry for ourselves. We’re all sleep deprived, tired of sitting, tired of being cooped up together, and just generally wondering how we got into this and how we might get out. The guest speaker, kept secret until then, was Bill Gates, Jr., there to announce that the Gates Foundation was giving Rotary an additional $255 million to Rotary to help eradicate polio from the face of the earth. I honestly had goose bumps as I could feel Polio leaving the building.
Why was the Gates Foundation giving us more than the original $100 million? Simple. They know Rotary will successfully follow through with eradicating Polio! No contracts! No questions asked!
The Gates Foundation is giving The Rotary Foundation $355 million in total, just on the promise that we will eliminate polio.
We are the recipients of the largest gift from another foundation in history. Just because Rotarians can get the job done!
Please remember that when you are asked to be a part of one of TRF’s programs, such as:
- Group Study Exchange
- Ambassadorial Scholars
- World Peace Scholars
- International Matching Grants
- District Simplified Grants
- Rotary Alumni
- Polio Plus
Remember who you are and what we do. Please step up and become a part of the greatest group of people that has ever existed!
Past District Governor Christine Montan, as District Foundation Chair, has forgotten more than I will ever know about the Foundation. At my request, she will share some of that knowledge with you. I know you’ll agree: TRF is truly amazing.
I would like to extend special thanks and recognition to Robert 'Bob' Novell for his hard work over the years educating members in our District about The Rotary Foundation.
One more thing. Speaking of Rotary Alumni, on December 4 there will be an inaugural meeting of the Rotary Alumni in District 5300. Amanda Zeiden and Michael Gordon are trying to start an Alumni Association in our District. For details, go to our District Web Site.
November 2
November 8
Arcadia - Walk for A Cure for Juvenile Diabetes
November 15
Centennial Hill - Golf Tournament
December 4
D5300 Rotary Foundation Alumni
Save the Date
February 20, 2010
Monterey Park
Chinese New Year Parade
View
The SHARE System
SHARE is the system through which Rotary Foundation
program awards are distributed, worldwide. SHARE transforms contributions to
The Rotary Foundation into Ambassadorial Scholarships, Matching Grants
projects, Group Study Exchanges, and more. Through the SHARE system, at the
end of each Rotary year, each district’s contributions to the Annual
Programs Fund are divided into two funds: 50 percent is credited to the
World Fund (WF) and 50 percent to the District Designated Fund (DDF).
The system is called SHARE because of the following:
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Rotarians SHARE their resources with their fellow Rotarians around the world. TRF uses the 50 percent of annual giving credited to the WF to fund the programs to which every district / club may apply, regardless of its own contribution levels,
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The Trustees SHARE some decision-making with the districts by giving each an opportunity to use the 50 percent of its contribution credited to its DDF to fund the programs in which it chooses to participate, and
Foundation programs are a tangible, effective means of
furthering understanding and friendly relations among peoples of different
nations.
The Rotary Foundation operates on a unique funding cycle,
using contributions from Rotarians for program activities three years after
they are recorded. The three-year cycle gives districts time for program
planning and participant selection, and allows The Rotary Foundation to
invest the contributions to pay for administration and fund development
costs.
District 5300 can choose to use its District Designate
Funds or DDF (50% of the contributions by District Rotarians three years
earlier) in the following ways.
Humanitarian Grants (DDF may only be used for
TRF-approved projects):
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Matching Grants
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District Simplified Grants
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Health, Hunger and Humanity (3-H)
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Educational Programs (Educational options are spent in the program year the scholar, university teacher, or GSE team travels):
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Academic-Year Ambassadorial Scholarship
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Multi-Year Ambassadorial Scholarship
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Three-month Cultural Ambassadorial Scholarship
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Six-month Cultural Ambassadorial Scholarship
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Three- to five-month Rotary Grant for University Teacher
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Six- to ten-month Rotary Grant for University Teacher
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Additional Group Study Exchange Team
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Additional Neighboring Country Group Study Exchange Team
Any unused DDF at the end of a program year will
automatically be included in the total DDF available for the next program
year.
Districts are notified in August of any unused DDF available from the previous year.
Apply Now For District Simplified Grants
The Application is simple, and the Commitment Letter establishes that the project manager and Club President are using the funds for what they say they are, and that a final report will be submitted after project completion.
Funds can be used for local, or low-cost international service projects. And the main criteria? The Project must be a new hands-on project and not one in which District funds will be used to support an old project that the club started but can now no longer afford.
District 5300’s Rotary Foundation team has established a new criterion that will be applied to all District Simplified Grant (DSG) applications submitted. If an individual club made no contributions to the Rotary Foundation’s Annual Program Fund last year (the 2008-2009 Rotary year), applications for a DSG will not be considered. Why?
The funds the District uses for DSG’s are District Designated Funds (DDF). Funds are 50% of the contributions made to the Annual Program Fund (APF) three years ago. These funds are returned to the District as DDF to be used for Matching Grants and District Simplified Grants.
It is important that Rotary clubs and their members contribute to the Annual Program Fund as an integral part of belonging to Rotary International. 50% of the money contributed is returned to the District to spend on qualified projects. A club that chooses to make the Rotary Foundation Annual Program Fund a priority in its focus should also have priority in receiving the benefits of those funds down the road.
Not sure if your club contributed last year? Contact Yvonne Flint at yvonne@yfcpa.com.
Up to $1500 per club is available for qualified community or international projects!
Fall Contest
Last Month's Leaders*
Green Valley with 559
Las Vegas NW with 195
South Pasadena with 162
Contest Leaders
Green Valley - 1121
Las Vega - 290
South Pasadena - 189
September-December 2009
Simple Rules
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Each month there will be a question that can be answered by reading the current Highlighter or by referring to a link in a Highlighter article.
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Readers should submit their answers for the current month’s contest by email to the editor by the 15th day of the month in which the Highlighter is published.
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Only one entry per reader.
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The club which submits the highest percentage of correct answers to all quizzes based upon their membership will be declared the winner. The more club members who answer the questions correctly increases your club's chances of winning.
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The club which wins the contest will be announced in the January 2010 Highlighter and will receive a $100 discount coupon for the 2010 District Conference.
*Scores are like baseball averages and represent the %of club members getting the right answer (based on 1000).
This Month's Question:
Who is District 5300's Rotaract Representative?
Include your name, club name and RI club ID #, with your answer to:
Submission Deadline 11/15/09
December is Family Month
Supporting the Rotary Foundation
Past RI President Paulo Costa said:
Rotary International’s masterpiece is the Rotary Foundation. It transforms our dreams into splendid realities. It is the most generous expression of Rotarian generosity – a generosity that brings benefits, but brings hope and cooperation to solve the problems that affect mankind. The Rotary Foundation achieves the best that mankind can possible achieve.
November is Rotary Foundation month and a time to focus on the humanitarian and educational programs of the Rotary Foundation and the donations that sustain these activities.
Our district leaders have spent the last three years educating our members so that they might take greater advantage of the opportunities to create or sustain strong Rotary clubs through involvement with the Rotary Foundation programs such as:
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GSE team home hosting.
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Returning Ambassadorial Scholars speaking to our clubs.
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Training sessions open to all Rotarians.
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The Polio Plus Challenge campaign that challenges Rotarians to make their communities aware of polio and the final push for its eradication.
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Matching grant opportunities that create hope, or sustain life, in developing countries.
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District Simplified Grants for local hands-on community service projects, and
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Our first-ever Rotary Alumni Association is being formed in the
This month, I urge you as a Rotarian to get involved - and to give generously to support the Rotary Foundation. Look online at www.rotary.org for the many (painless) ways to give this Rotary year. I thank you in advance for what you are doing to “do good in the world.”
Montebello
Rotarians, along with members of other Montebello and Pico Rivera
service clubs, were up bright and early on a recent Saturday, when in
partnership with Wal-Mart Pico Rivera, they treated 75 needy children,
aged 5–12, to a $100 back-to-school shopping spree.
At 7:00 am, Wal-Mart opened its doors and the children, each
accompanied by a chaperone, were escorted into the store. The
participating children were selected by the
“In these hard economic times, this event gives parents a great start in gearing up for the new school year,” said Rotary President Martin Castro. “The Montebello Rotary Club was pleased to sponsor 15 children this year.”
“She knew exactly what she wanted,” said one Rotarian who escorted a seven year old around the store. “We headed right for the cool clothes, didn’t we?” she added, with a smile.
“ChildSpree builds the self-esteem and confidence of school-aged children by providing them with new clothes for school,” said Velarde. “It was wonderful to see the smiles on the faces of the children this morning as they wandered around the store making their selections.”
According to Wal-Mart customer service manager, Jeanette Velarde, the event which had been previously hosted by Mervyn’s Montebello prior to the store’s closing earlier this year relocated to Wal-Mart Pico Rivera following a request by a Montebello service club member that the event continue.
“We were more than happy to take this program on,” said Alfred Galvan, Wal-Mart manager. “Wal-Mart Pico Rivera is very community oriented and likes to help whenever possible.”
Additional funds, backpacks and other items were donated by local organizations and other sponsors, including the service clubs that participated.
Centennial
Hills Rotary Club is # 1 again!
For the second year in a row, the Centennial Hills Rotary Club was the largest fund raiser to the NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Walk on October 3, 2009. Our club has only been in existence since April 2008 and we have received this honor both years! Members of the club and their friends made their own websites for donors; this enabled us to raise almost $2000.00 for this worthy event.
The Centennial Hills Rotary Club is now making plans for our 1st
Annual Golf Tournament and Fundraiser to be held on Sunday, November 15,
at the Silverstone Golf Club in
There are several ways you can help us out. One is to come out and golf with us; the cost is only $110.00 per player, $440.00 per foursome. Another is to become a sponsor, maximize your advertising exposure with our tiered levels of sponsorship. Some sponsorship levels even include the golf. We are going to have a raffle and that requires prizes! If you can help us by donating gifts and/or gift certificates and publicize your Company for this worthwhile event it will be greatly appreciated.
If you would like to learn more about Rotary and the people we help as well as have some fun growing this brand new Club, please join us Wednesday mornings at 7:00 am at the Silverstone Golf Club at 8600 Cupp Dr., Las Vegas, NV 89131 or call John O’Loughlin, Rotary Club President at 702-320-1350 or Hobie Hellerstein, President-Elect at 702-604-3919.
Our club’s vision/mission is to become the premiere supporter of programs for children and adolescents in our community.
Monterey
Park
Contestants came from Palmdale,
Even with some technical sound difficulties Barnes Park Amphitheatre was a great venue for this program which the Arts and Culture Commission plans to make an annual event. All the seats were taken in the amphitheatre with the overflow crowd sitting on the grass. Monterey Park Rotary was pleased to be part of this event by sponsoring the $1,000 prize for the first place winner.
Gabrielino High School Interact Club Starts Service Year with 375 members
The
Gabrielino High School Interact Club,
The Gabrielino Interact Club started in 1994 and has always remained one of the largest clubs on campus. Over the years, the club has had 4 different advisors, and 15 club presidents. The service hour requirements for the club varied each year. Back in 2003, members were only required to do 7 hours of service and 2 projects. With the high expectations expected from a Gabrielino student, the club decided to raise its minimum service hour requirement to 12 hours in 2004 and then to 16 hours with 4 projects in 2007 which is where it remains today.
This year’s service projects include carnivals/festivals (such as the elementary/Halloween project); participation in the Rose Parade; marathons/walks for cancer/AIDS, and save-the-environment projects.
For the past 2 years, one of the club’s major focuses has been on the environment. The Gabrielino Interactors have been recycling cans and bottles for the Green Dream organization. All funds received from these recyclables go to the LifeStraw project. LifeStraws are portable water filters that reduce about 99% of all bacteria and viruses. LifeStraws last about a year and costs about $5.25. The club’s goal is to send 1 million LifeStraws to third world countries.
The Gabrielino Interact Club remains strong as it lives up to
its motto of “Service Above Self.” The club has taken on
international projects such as contributing towards building
water wells in Africa, sending wheelchairs to
To see what the Gabrielino High School Interact Club is planning and what they have accomplished, visit their web site: http:/ghsinteract.wordpress.com.
Rotary Club of
On Saturday, October 17 the Rotary Club of South Pasadena
hosted a Chili Cookoff at the Burke-Triolo Studio.
Proceeds will be used to help the Rotary Club build a house in
one day on May 15, 2009 in
More
than 80 people enjoyed chili prepared by 13 competitors.
For the second year in a row, Dave Crawford won the “chili bowl”
for preparing the entry judged to be best by the celebrity
judges, Councilmember Michael Cacciotti, South Pasadena Chamber
of Commerce President Scott Feldman, Assistant City Manager
Sergio Gonzales, and Corazon Board Member John Meagher.
Dan Watson won the award for the “Peoples’ Choice” award which
was selected by all the attendees as best chili.
During
the program, Mr. Meagher kept the audience spellbound as he
described the impact that Corazon has had on changing the lives
of the people they help. In addition to coordinating the
building of houses through the use of volunteer organizations
like Rotary, Corazon provides training, scholarships, and job
skills.
Rotary President Sara Munshin said, “Thanks to the hospitality of Jeff Burke and Lorraine Triolo, and our chili chefs, we are well on the way to raising the amount of funds needed to complete this project.”
Anyone interested on making a donation or volunteering to help build the house should contact Dan Watson at danielbwatson@aol.com or (626) 403-7272.
Challenge
to all Rotarians
As all or most Rotarians in District 5300 know, Rotaract is very much alive and kicking. All three clubs in the district have been planning local and international projects as well as preparing guest speakers for their meetings. The biggest obstacle that gets in the way is publicity for Rotaract Clubs. The clubs are competing with other service-minded organizations or clubs that are on their campus or in the city. This competition gets in the way of finding prospective new members that can be valuable to the club. It also limits the number of people that will hear about the wonderful world of Rotary.
For this reason, I propose a few challenges to all the Rotarians in the District.
- The first is to invite Rotaractors to attend or be part of your events. This does not mean that they should come to set up or tear down the entire event but instead should be seen as a partnership. Perhaps they can run a booth, host an informational table, participate in a local fundraiser, and so forth.
- The next challenge is to have Rotaractors attend a meeting twice a year or once every quarter. In order to keep young people part of Rotary, you have to make them feel included. Inviting a Rotaract member to give a brief update on their club and mingle with members of your club creates a much needed sense of belonging.
- The third challenge to Rotarians is to invite young professionals to get in contact with your local Rotaract club. This task is not as difficult as one may think. Ask yourself: Do I or any of the members have children that are between 18-30 years of age? Do I have relatives that fit in the age category? Are there young professionals in my workplace that would be interested in service and leadership? Does my club sponsor an Interact Club that would want to attend a Rotaract meeting? You do not have to look very hard as many young professionals are closer than you think.
- The last and final challenge is to spread the word about Rotaract. If you answered “yes” to at least one of the above stated questions, all you have to do is get in contact with the young professional and tell them about Rotaract. Get contact information for the Rotaract Club that is closest to you by looking in the District directory.
For further information and to learn more about Rotaract in general, please visit: www.rotaract.org. I hope that you will take me up on the challenges above and be ever mindful of the young Rotarians that are around you.
Acknowledgement for Clean Water Tanks
The
Rotary Club of Industry Hills was honored to have a distinguished guest
speaker, Consul General Julio Balbuena of st1:place w:st="on">
AAmbassador Balbuena presented President Patrick Medlock with a
certificate recognizing our Rotary Club’s contribution to building 5
clean water tanks along the Amazon River in the area of
DG Tom Shares “Small Acts of Kindness Theme”
with
The
Mesquite Sunrise Rotary Club would like to extend a special thanks to
Governor Tom Novotny, who was the honored guest speaker at our weekly
meeting on September 24. The meeting was held at
First District Governor to Visit
District
Governor Tom Novotny was the guest speaker at the October 4th general
meeting for the Rotaract Club of
The Rotaract Club of
In an effort to show his appreciation and support for Rotaract, he
was the spotlight agenda for the meeting. Several Rotarians and
Rotaractors were in attendance as Tom shared how he became a Rotarian
with the story of his Rotary moment. DG Tom also shared with Rotaract
their importance within Rotary and that he views Rotaractors as
Rotarians. The Rotaract Club of
Tom plans on visiting the other two Rotaract clubs,
Why Give To The Rotary Foundation?
Because on the Rotary year calendar, November is Rotary Foundation
Month, it is at this time of year we focus on both giving to, and the
programs of, the Rotary Foundation. But as Rotarians it should be
uppermost in our minds all year long. As the District Rotary Foundation
Chair this year, I’d like to think that all Rotarians know what their
club goals are in terms of giving to the Rotary Foundation. Do you?
Have you made your contributions yet?
Governor Tom asked each club to set a goal (and they all have!) equal to $150 per person to the Rotary Foundation Annual Program Fund, and equal to $50 per person dedicated to the Polio Plus Campaign’s $355M Gates’ Challenge. $200 this year may seem a hefty sum. Many Rotarians are struggling in their businesses and finding it hard to both keep their financial and their time commitments.
But as we struggle in our own lives, or try to help the less fortunate in our local community with their needs, each of us has blessings to count. Clean drinking water. Sanitary waste disposal. Warm shelter. Food to eat. Friends that care.
So many of the people of the world send out a silent prayer each night – that they might have these things for their children. A prayer of hope, that someone knows their situation and cares enough to do something to help. Your tax deductible donations to the Rotary Foundation answer prayers.
Why give? Because the need is so great. Because we are an international organization dedicated to world peace and understanding. Because we can. Because we must.
Open your heart and your wallet this month, in support of the Rotary Foundation and its international humanitarian and education programs. Give to the Annual Program Fund, the Permanent Fund, or the Polio Plus campaign today.
The
Mesquite Sunrise Rotary Club and The Patient Welfare Society at St
Stephen’s Hospital (SSH) in Delhi, India, are working together to sell
greeting cards as a fund raiser. These cards were painted by disabled
children on the Polio ward at SSH. This is a charitable hospital that
does a tremendous amount of work for the poor. The cards are sold in a
set of 5 for $10.00. Proceeds will be split evenly between the Mesquite
Sunrise Rotary Club and The Polio Camp program, which is a program
through which all disabled children (not just polio disability) are
treated and rehabilitated free of cost. The printing for the greeting
cards is generously being donated by
D5300 Rotary Foundation Alumni
One of the
most overlooked areas for Rotary membership is our Rotary alumni. These
are younger people that as non-Rotarians have had extraordinary
educational experiences provided by Rotary, through the Rotary
Foundation. They are past Group Study Exchange members, Ambassadorial
Scholars, or World Peace Scholars to name some of the programs.
For the most part, we know who
they are and how to contact these participants. I am sure there are
reasons we don’t approach these people for membership in our Clubs but,
I honestly can’t think of any. Let’s make this Foundation Alumni
Association a reality in the 2009-10 Rotary year!!!
Governor Tom
With this charge from DG Tom Novotny, the D5300
Rotary Foundation Alumni Association is taking shape and a first meeting
scheduled.
The vision of creating a
D5300 Foundation Alumni club has been around for a while, but this year
it is coming to fruition. You are the missing piece!! Some benefits of
such an association include:
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Networking with business professionals
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Community service opportunities
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International projects
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Friends—old and new!!
The inaugural meeting of
the D5300 Rotary Foundation Alumni Association will be held on Friday
December 4, 2009 at 6pm at the Vegas PBS headquarters located at
You are cordially
invited to attend this event since you are the guest of honor!!!
We hope to reconnect
with you and tell you more about the good works Rotary has been
continuing to do in the world. This cocktail event will allow you to
network with other Foundation Alumni and Rotarians in a relaxed
atmosphere. Please RSVP to:
southafrica@lasvegasrotary.com before Friday November 20.
It will be greatly
appreciated if clubs could send updated contact information for
Foundation alumni who were sponsored by their clubs to District Rotary
Foundation Alumni Coordinator: Diane O’Neal at
runner58@verizon.net. For more information, please see the
Alumni Newsletter on the D5300 website.