By Rotary International

Isma Seetal, middle left of banner, as a team assistant during District 5320’s Rotary Youth Leadership Awards event.

By Isma Seetal, Rotary Global Grant Scholar

“Education is the best way to change one’s standard of living.”

My mother would repeat this phrase over and over like a broken record. I was lucky to have been brought up by a hard-working, single, mother, who empowered my brother and me to climb the socio-economic ladder by giving us the best education she possibly could. Other children from broken families like mine did not have the same fortune. My unwavering drive to give back and improve my community led me to join the Rotaract club of Port-Louis, Mauritius in July 2012.

Isma Seetal, right, and Jerry Rekers, a past president of the Newport-Irvine Rotary Club, her host club.

“Driiiing! Driiing!” My alarm rang out on a Saturday morning. My mind and body knew it was the weekend, and ganged up on me so that I had to crawl sluggishly out of bed. But the reason for my early wake-up soon dawned on me. It was the day of Lolo’s follow-up doctor’s appointment.

Lolo is an eight-year-old boy, living in a poverty-stricken area of the island, whom I …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

Barry Rassin selected to be 2018-19 Rotary

…read more

Source:: Rotary.org

By Rotary International

Members of the Rotary Club of Rochester, Minnesota, in front of a display of some of the club’s core values.

By Stacey Vanden Heuvel, The Rotary Club of Rochester, Minnesota, USA

As one of the largest clubs in our district, we knew we had to do something to address our declining attendance and meet the needs of our diverse membership. Beginning in 2015 with a club visioning exercise, we began looking for ways we could be flexible and innovative. Here’s what’s worked for us.

One of the first things we did was revise our attendance guidelines to stress that attendance is more about participating than attending meetings. We ask members to have 50 percent attendance. But taking part in any of our club’s many service activities qualifies, as do our club’s leadership or committee meetings, other Rotary club meetings anywhere in the world, or any Rotary activity. We know Rotarians will benefit more from membership when they participate more regularly, so we ask our members to consider the many ways they can participate.

We also introduced two new meeting formats beginning in January 2017. During Service First Thursday on the first week of each month, we gather at the Rochester Public Library to volunteer. …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

Mark Daniel Maloney selected to be 2019-20 Rotary

…read more

Source:: Rotary.org

Rotary partners with International Agency for the Prevention of BlindnessEVANSTON, IL (August 7, 2017) — About 80 percent of the world’s 285 million visually impaired people have treatable eye diseases, according to the World Health Organization. Rotary and the

…read more

Source:: Rotary.org

Paralympian Dennis Ogbe takes his best shot at eradicating

…read more

Source:: Rotary.org

Rotary clubs go wild for wildlife

…read more

Source:: Rotary.org

By Rotary International

The Kuehn family, on sofa, during their stay in Vancouver, stranded by wildfires. Minister of Parliament Carla Qualtrough, rear, is leading Canada’s response to the wildfires.

By Past District Governor Chris Offer, member of the Rotary Club of Ladner, British Columbia, Canada

Wildfires in the forests of British Columbia are common but the fire season in 2017 has been one of the most destructive in many years. At its peak, 40,000 people were evacuated from farms, villages, and cities. More than 1,000 fires were burning 100,000 hectares. Numerous highways were closed, isolating large parts of the province.

Meanwhile, in the hope of moving permanently to Canada, and after more than a year filling out forms for a two-year, Canadian work permit, Barbara and Gregor Kuehn and their four young children finally arrived in Vancouver from Switzerland. They were en route to a ranch in Redstone, west of Williams Lake, British Columbia, an isolated part of the province’s interior, where they expected to work for the next two years. With all roads to their destination blocked by wildfires, they didn’t make it and they had no place to stay. Rotary stepped in to help.

Gregor and Barbara Kuehn and two of their four children …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

Rotary Community Corps lets local volunteers tap into our organization’s

…read more

Source:: Rotary.org

By Rotary International

Past President Chris Brand works the webcast computer during a recent meeting.

By Margie Kersey, Rotary Club of Stone Mountain, Georgia, USA

I love my club, but I was concerned. When I joined in 2006, there were over 60 members. By July 2016, there were only 43. We were adding new members every year, but we were losing more. Looking at the average age of my club, I was more worried – over 30 percent of the club was over the age of 70. The future didn’t look bright.

My goal as club president in 2016-17 was to make my club stronger. Membership was at the top of my agenda. The board and I identified two major issues: 1. We charged the second highest dues in our district and 2. Many members couldn’t make a weekly meeting.

Margie Kersey, right, and Waylee George from Areta Media Associates.

We addressed dues first. We moved our meeting to a church hall and hired a caterer that charges far less than the country club. We presented the plan to our members, who enthusiastically supported reducing our dues from $800 per person to $380 annually. Our dues didn’t include food or anything else, meals and Foundation donations were on …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog