By Rotary International

2014-15 Rotary Youth Exchange students.

By Gabriela Vessani

I spent a year in Canada as a Rotary Youth Exchange student, and I can’t believe how fast the year went by. On my flight back to Brazil a few months ago, I reflected on the experience, and had so many thoughts.

I remembered arriving with anxiety, and yes, even a little fear. The experience is never entirely what you expect and you can never totally prepare for it. I think that few students go in with a full understanding of how intense and deep the experience will be, and how hard it can be to do something different from what you have been used to doing every day of your life.

But then there is the freedom. Being an exchange student gives you a chance to create a new life and become whatever you want to be. You learn to value what you have and take care of yourself on your own. Without the sheltering arms of your birth family around you, you have the freedom to spread your wings and grow a bit on your own, with the help of your host families.

It is not just a difference between cultures or countries, but it’s …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

By Rotary International

RI Director Julia Phelps, back left, visits a classroom in the Philippines taught by one of the teachers who benefited from the 2013 vocational training team.

By Julia Phelps

In May 2013, four science teachers from the Philippines were preparing to return home after a visit to the United States as part of a vocational training team (VTT). They’d spent 30 days observing classrooms, visiting science museums, meeting with policymakers, and making presentations to Rotary clubs in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

It was an emotional time for all of us, as we had learned much more than science instructional strategies. We had learned that, no matter what country we hail from, we all want the best for our students. We want them to succeed. And as teachers, we want to make a difference in their lives.

As hosts, we were very proud of what we had accomplished. The teachers returned to their schools in the Philippines and immediately made an impact. They won regional and national teaching competitions, they were promoted to master teacher, and the performance level of their students improved significantly. They were making a difference.

I was in the Philippines last month and made a point to reconnect with the members of …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

By Rotary International

Andrea Shirey speaks to her Rotary Club about hosting an exchange student.

By Andrea Shirey

On a summer day at my weekly Rotary Club meeting, a simple yes changed everything. A series of events and conversations over several weeks had led a fellow Rotarian to ask me if our family would host an exchange student. Somehow, the word yes fell from my lips as my brain lagged behind just long enough to realize I was committed. Soon, the questions formed:

What if the student is weird? What if my kids don’t get along with her? What if she won’t eat anything I cook and she dislikes America because of me? The doubts were endless, the fears considerable.

A few weeks of shopping to turn a spare bedroom into a guest room and many prayers later, our student joined our family on a Monday afternoon. That was in August.

Our simple answer of yes to hosting a Rotary Youth Exchange student has brought us an experience we didn’t even know we needed. From nights of dinner conversation, TV-watching on the couch, and even a road trip under our belt, it’s remarkable how quickly another person can become part of your day-to-day life.

We have laughed …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

By Rotary International

By Gregg Alexander, Rotary Club of Bozeman Sunrise, Montana, USA

For six years now, my Rotary Club has provided home repair assistance to local residents through the Bozeman Fix-Up Festival. Giving preference to elderly and disabled homeowners, we strive to provide home improvements to low-income residents who either can’t afford them or are physically unable to complete the work themselves. The impact of this one-day event stretches far beyond just benefits to the homeowners: The festival touches many lives and brings the community together.

Finding homeowners in need
We begin planning in January and wrap up in mid-November. We begin by developing a budget and conducting outreach to find applicants. We partner with local nonprofits to educate and identify homeowners who may be in need of assistance. We do require that they own their home and that they fall below the state of Montana’s poverty level.

We publicize the project on the radio, through TV interviews, and social media marketing to drive interested people to our website, where they can fill out an application. Once the April application deadline is past, our committee members conduct interviews, go on home visits, and verify applicants’ income.

Over the last five years, we’ve completed work on almost 60 …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

By Rotary International

Gary Hirsch and Marga Hewko, wife of Rotary General Secretary John Hewko, take a selfie during the ride.

By Gary Hirsch, a member of the Rotary Club of Tucson, Arizona, USA

In many ways, the 2015 Ride to End Polio by Rotarians in District 5500 was “The Big Ride.” Maybe it’s that Rotary members’ commitment grows each year. Maybe it’s just that the fellowship, fun, fitness, and collaborative spirit bring out the best in each of us. Whatever it is, the numbers say that this, the sixth year of our event, was the biggest in every way.

Although overall ridership in El Tour de
Tucson was down about 7,000 cyclists this year, Rotary fielded almost 100, a record for our event. This was also the first year that we included a “virtual ride,” inviting people to support us by riding stationary bicycles at their homes or gyms. We registered 17 teams, totaling more than 250 indoor cyclists. Our celebration dinner on the eve of the ride hosted just under 100 cyclists, friends, family, and supporters. And most important, it appears that we once again we have exceeded the amount we raised the previous year.

It takes a while to gather the numbers for all of …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

By Rotary International

The Rotary Club of Plympton hosted a Young Chef competition as a new event during Hands’ year as president.

By Darren Hands

In 2014-15, I served as president of the Rotary Club of Plympton, Devon, England. For many years, we have had a fairly steady program of activities. But with some of our more-established members leaving or taking on fewer roles, I knew I had to look at my year as a way of pushing the club forward through the newer members. Awareness of The Rotary Foundation and our areas of focus had been declining. And within the club itself, there was no “one-stop” port of call to get a full picture of the club’s activities.

Before our club assembly — and before I was aware of Rotary Club Central — the club council (executive board) had already determined the events and projects we wished to pursue and our other aims for the year.

It would be fair to say that, without Rotary Club Central, these plans and goals would still have been followed, but they would have been documented fragmentally. For example, the youth services chair would have known what his or her committee’s plans were, but apart from being told at our …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog