By Rotary International

Heidi Resetarits at a 5K walk/run that raised money for PolioPlus.

By Heidi Resetarits

Little moments of connectivity in life — who you talk to, who you share with — can completely change your trajectory. A few years ago at a holiday work party, I met my friend and future mentor, Ann Tull. The party was dull, but our conversation sparked a little light in me that transformed my life.

Ann introduced me to Rotary, and eventually encouraged me to apply for an Ambassadorial Scholarship. I realized that working toward higher education and a future that revolved around Service Above Self was what I was looking for. A year later and I was on my way to the United Nations University for Peace in Ciudad Colon, Costa Rica, as an Ambassadorial Scholar from Rotary District 5450.

Running for health
I loved studying for a Master of Arts in responsible management and sustainable economic development and meeting classmates who shared a similar vision. I built a network of friends who have become my global family. Two other Scholars and I put together a 5K Walk/Run for peace to promote health and fitness and to raise funds for PolioPlus and the local Red Cross. We also garnered …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

By Rotary International

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, center, immunizes a child against polio in his hometown of Daura.

By Rotary Voices staff

In September, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari immunized children against polio in his hometown, Daura in Katsina State. In his first months as Nigeria’s leader, Buhari has shown strong support for polio eradication efforts. On 24 July, the country celebrated one year since its last case of polio caused by the wild poliovirus. To mark the milestone, President Buhari publicly immunized his granddaughter against the disease.

Later this month, the World Health Organization could remove Nigeria from the list of polio-endemic countries, leaving only Pakistan and Afghanistan on the list.

Join us for a World Polio Day event streamed live on 23 October
Download a World Polio Day tool kit to learn how you can help promote the event
Learn more about how you can help us fight polio
Join the conversation using #endpolio
Give today to end polio

…read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

By Rotary International

Vicki Rankin used funding from the Rotary Club of Florence, Oregon, USA, to introduce small-group workstations in her classroom at Siuslaw Elementary School.

By Meg Spencer

Many young professionals in Florence, Oregon, end up leaving when their children reach school age, seeking greener educational pastures for their kids. Our club began to think about how we could help our schools keep those bright young families around.

We came up with the idea of a Continuing Professional Education Fellowship program, modeled after a national teacher grant program we had seen, to help teachers pursue professional development.

Each year, our club offers two $2,000 fellowships to teachers and other professionals serving the community who are interested in improving their skills. Seven years after its launch, the program is thriving. Here are some of the results:

A middle school science teacher attended a graduate-level course at Portland State University focused on engineering and design education. He now leads a robotics club, and his students are award-winning robotics “engineers” who use Legos and other materials to design new projects. His classroom not only introduces young people to science, technology, engineering, and math skills, it is also a fun place where students are better prepared for the workplace of …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

By Rotary International

Click to view slideshow.

By Sujan Pradhan

In June, members of my Rotary Club of Kakarvitta, Jhapa, Nepal, inspected 15 polio immunization booths around the municipality of Mechinagar, on the border of Nepal and India. The Nepal PolioPlus Committee had declared a National Immunization Day on 23 May, but due to the major earthquake in April, our inspection was postponed to early June. We visited booths from urban areas to far rural areas, and distributed banners, pamphlets, and water bottles to the volunteers at each booth.

We felt good to see the enthusiasm of the volunteers, and to see them motivated in their work. We saw that the parents were participating actively to immunize their children and were also spreading knowledge and awareness to their neighbors. We were also pleased to see an eight-year-old girl bringing her four-year-old sister to the booth.

We did find that increased publicity would be beneficial in the future to get the message into rural areas, and that more banners and pamphlets could be useful.

We had an opportunity to meet with the vaccination chief, Surya Bahadur Khadka, and his team as they were inspecting a booth on behalf of the Nepal government, under the authority of the Child …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

By Rotary International

Mike Curtis, a member of the Rotary Club of Poipu Beach, reads to students at Koloa Elementary School. Photo by Rotary Club of Poipu Beach

By Michael Carlsson

As incoming president of our club, I wondered how we could have an even greater impact on the education of our local keiki (children).

We have been supporting Koloa Elementary School over the years with our Rotary Readers program and dictionary distribution to third graders. We have also provided funds and volunteers for the Growing Our Own Teachers program on our island in order to fill a teacher gap. But I still felt we should be doing more.

Our elementary school in Koloa does a wonderful job but continues to struggle when it comes to resources. Like many teachers across the U.S., the teachers here often reach into their own pockets to purchase classroom supplies. They have to forgo field trips that would get the local keiki out into the community to broaden their horizons. And lack of public funding has prevented the school from providing creative extracurricular activities after school.

Aloha Angels
We learned of a way to partner financially with Aloha Angels, part of the Hawaii Community Foundation, to make a greater impact. Working through them, …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog