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Can you believe we’re down to the last two months of 2017? Tomorrow we flip the calendar to November – known throughout the Rotary universe as THE ROTARY FOUNDATION MONTH.
The Rotary Foundation is the charitable arm of Rotary - a non-profit that is supported solely by voluntary contributions from Rotarians and friends of The Rotary Foundation who share its vision of a better world. Its sole mission is to support the efforts of Rotarians in the achievement of world understanding and peace through local, national and international humanitarian and educational programs in our own back yard and around the globe.
The Rotary Foundation was created a century ago by Rotary International’s sixth president, Arch C. Klumph, as an endowment fund for Rotary “to do good in the world.” It has grown from an initial contribution in 1917 of $26.50 from the Rotary Club of Kansas City to over $4 billion in total contributions. The Rotary Foundation made its first grant of $500.00 to the International Society for Crippled Children in 1930, and to this day, it continues to “do good in the world” in the name of Rotary.
Past 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 not only brings benefits but also brings help and cooperation to solve the problems that affect mankind. The Rotary Foundation achieves the best that mankind can possibly achieve.”
Every year, we ask our members to donate to The Rotary Foundation. If you are able, we ask that you give at least $100. Of course, larger gifts are welcomed, too. So far this year, 47 of our 90 members have donated to the Foundation, and 32 of the 47 have donated at least $100. Total donations by our members to the Foundation’s Annual Fund thus far in the 2017-2018 are $8,093 which leads all clubs in District 7430. Because of your generosity, we are well on our way to exceeding our Annual Fund goal of $20,000 for this Rotary year.
WHAT CAN YOUR $100.00 DONATION TO THE ROTARY FOUNDATION DO? Your $100 donation to The Rotary Foundation can help provide textbooks for one elementary school in Zambia, provide a hearing aid for a deaf child in Pakistan, buy de-worming tablets for 112 children in the Philippines, pay for cataract operations for three blind people in India, or provide 230 blankets for the elderly in the winter months of Korea. WILL YOU COMMIT TODAY TO A GIFT OF AT LEAST $100 AND START MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN PEOPLE’S LIVES?
Yours in Rotary,
Burt