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Most of the members of the Rotary eClub of the Southwest USA live in the northern hemisphere. This means that Spring is in the air and we feel it. Spring is a time for renewal, growth, and expansion. While we can do this at any time during the year, now feels like the right time to transform. We seem to have extra energy and greater focus to get physically active, to take action, and to create change.
Perhaps this increase in energy and focus has its roots in our cultural beginnings as agrarian societies. Once the weather warms up and the ground thaws, the farmers prepare the soil for planting. The crops that grow from the seeds that are planted may be ready in a few weeks to a few months. It is this time of year that many of the livestock give birth to their young – starting a new cycle of care and feeding.
As Rotarians, we have our own pattern of renewal, growth, and expansion though The Rotary Foundation. As of June 2017, 4.4 billion USD has been contributed to your Foundation as donations to the Annual, PolioPlus, and Endowment Funds. 3.95 billion USD has been awarded in various Rotary Programs making a difference in our communities and around the world. Let us look at some of the ways that money has been spent.
PolioPlus – Since 1985, Rotary members have helped immunize more than 2.5 billion children against polio. As of June 2017, Rotary had committed more than 1.6 billion USD to global polio eradication, seeking to eliminate the virus in the last three countries where it remains endemic and to ensure that it does not return elsewhere.
Rotary Peace Centers – Each year, TRF supports the training of peace fellows at six Rotary Peace Centers, where they earn master’s degrees or professional development certificates. Since the 2002/03 Rotary year, 1,177 fellows from more than 120 countries have participated in this program.
District Grants – These grants support small-scale, short-term projects related to the Foundation’s mission. ReCSWUSA has used these grants to bring school supplies to the students at Mike Mateo Serna Elementary School in Sapello, New Mexico, US.
Global Grants – These grants fund large-scale international activities with sustainable, measurable results that support Rotary’s six areas of focus. ReCSWUSA is the international partner with the Rotary Club of Rajkot Midtown, Rajkot, Gujarat, IN, to create a diabetes center in their community. Additionally, we are financial partners on five other Global Grant projects.
To continue projects like these, we need your financial support of The Rotary Foundation. The funds that you donate today are the seeds that grow into service projects three years from now. Your gift can provide access to clean water and better sanitation, improve the health, literacy, and economies of others, and promote peace in our communities.
Spring is a great time to envision endless possibilities, and to use our treasury to reach new levels of achievement, wellness, happiness, and success for those who need our help.