The presentation this week was focused the Rotary Foundation. Our club is working on the gold level District Achievement Award, which requires that we spend some time as a club educating members about the Rotary Foundation. Dan Govinsky made the presentation, supported by Bob Crow. Between them, they have 56 years invested in Rotary.
Rotary Foundation mission:
“The mission of The Rotary Foundation is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty.”
The Rotary Foundation helps fund our humanitarian activities, from local service projects to global initiatives. One important change that has evolved over the last several years is that decisions about the use of foundation funds are no longer restricted to Rotary International; local districts and clubs now have the ability to determine the projects and programs their donations will support through participation in foundation grants and selected activities.
Each year our club president makes a commitment to Rotary International in two areas: the Annual Fund-Share program and the Polio Plus program. Our club normally gives $100 per member to each program. Two years ago, our club started designating a portion of the receipts from our several fundraisers to be donated in the name of each club member, allowing us to qualify for “Every Rotarian, Every Year.” Many of our members also give separately.
The Annual Fund-Share is money that is invested in the foundation, then, after three years, 50% comes back to the district as District Designated Funds. The Annual Fund’s unique three-year investment cycle gives clubs time to plan high-impact, sustainable activities and the foundation time to invest the contributions. These investment earnings help cover the foundation’s administrative and fundraising expenses. Our district, for the last several years, has used District Designated Funds to supplement the educational scholarships that are awarded to Apache Junction graduating seniors.
The monies from the Annual Fund support the elimination of polio, peace centers, district grants, global grants, and package grants. Lists of who money went to and how it was donated can be found on the Rotary website.
Every grant funded has to meet one of five criteria: peace and conflict prevention, disease prevention and treatment, water and sanitation, maternal and child health, basic education and literacy, economic and community development. Rotary International also requires sustainability as a part of the grants. If a club decides to put in a well in a remote village somewhere, there must be a local club that will take responsibility for maintaining the well.
In depth information can be found at: https://www.rotary.org/myrotary/en/my-rotary/rotary-foundation.
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