Global grant project is growing tall in Korea

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By Rotary International From the May 2016 issue of The Rotarian
Every Tuesday at 1 p.m., students at Andong Yeongmyeong School wait for their Rotarian friends to arrive. Occasionally, they play sports or go on field trips such as attending a baseball game. But the real reason they get together is to work in a greenhouse, planting seeds and harvesting lettuce leaves. Later, they take the tenderly plucked leaves to a restaurant owned by another Rotarian. With the money they earn, the students invest in more seeds and equipment.
The Rotarians from clubs in Andong, 200 kilometers southeast of Seoul, are mentors at the… …read more

Source:: Rotary.org

Member interview: David Fisher keeps the Ferris wheel turning

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By Rotary International From the May 2016 issue of The Rotarian
For more than half a century, one of the first Ferris wheels ever made has been spinning in Jacksonville, Ill. Owned by the city but operated and maintained by the Rotary Club of Jacksonville, the 12-seat, 45-foot wheel has undergone several renovations in recent years, thanks to private donations and funds from The Rotary Foundation. Rotarians such as David Fisher keep the fun rolling every Sunday afternoon from Memorial Day well into October.
THE ROTARIAN: How did your club come to run a Ferris wheel?
FISHER: The wheel was made here in Jacksonville by… …read more

Source:: Rotary.org

Member spotlight: Lachezar Tsotsorkov breaks the ice

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By Rotary International From the May 2016 issue of The Rotarian
In the summer of 2012, Lachezar Tsotsorkov boarded a ship at the Russian port of Murmansk and began a long, difficult journey to the top of the Earth. The ship was an icebreaker, and for a week the entire vessel shook as it cut through the Arctic ice. “If our glasses stopped vibrating,” Tsotsorkov says, “there was a slight confusion among people on board. Why was the ship not shaking? Was there any problem?” They passed islands of Franz Josef Land, abandoned polar stations, polar bears, whales, walruses, and seals, until they reached the ice-covered… …read more

Source:: Rotary.org

Opening doors in Cuba

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By Rotary International

Jeri Fujimoto with Oragami book

Jeri Fujimoto, governor-elect of District 5150, displays some of the gifts delivered by the team of Rotary members.

By Jon Kaufman, director of H2OpenDoors

Along with 40 friends and supporters of the H2OpenDoors project, I took part in an eight-day exploratory expedition to Cuba on 8 April.

Members of six Rotary clubs in District 5150 and their friends and family joined The Bay Area Cuba Community Alliance, starting on the far eastern side of the island for a visit and site survey at a small village in Granma province. Each person presented a suitcase of donations to the Town Delegate in an emotional ceremony.

Diana Henderson and Helena Marsh, members of the Rotary Club of San Rafael, hold up the Cuban flag.

Baseball equipment, animal husbandry tools, school supplies, and children’s clothing were among the gifts for over 550 residents. The town had been home to one of the best community baseball teams in Cuba, but they have been unable to play for over two years for lack of equipment. After a great ball game, the town elders hosted us for a lunch feast.

H2OpenDoors will return in December to install a SunSpring water purification plant to provide safe drinking water for the entire community, and …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

How Rotary creates lifelong friendships

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By Rotary International

Kate Kimmer and Hilary Caldis.

Kate Kimmer and Hilary Caldis.

By Hillary J. Caldis, Rotary Peace Fellow

I am constantly in awe of the power of connection. This is what Rotary is all about. We unite in friendship to realize truthful, fair, good-willed, and beneficial outcomes in our communities and the world. For Rotary members and people like me, our lives are forever transformed by this powerful network.

I was 17 years old when Rotary became a guiding force in my life. I was a young woman hungry to see the world outside my own country. Thanks to Rotary, I was granted the opportunity to live in Brazil as a Rotary Youth Exchange Student for a year. The experience was transformative for many reasons, the foremost being the people I met along the way who continue to be central figures in my life.

Chance meeting on a night bus in Brazil
One of these important figures is Kate Kimmer, who I first met 10 years ago in the middle of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil, on a night bus. Instantly, we become friends —spending hours on end discussing the world and all the things we wished to do to make it a better place.

In June 2008, I reunited with Kate …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

Images of the Council on Legislation

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By Rotary International

Click to view slideshow.

Photos by Monika Lozinska/Rotary International

Representatives from Rotary clubs worldwide met in Chicago last week for the 2016 Council on Legislation to discuss changes to the policies that guide Rotary and its clubs. The meeting takes place every three years and serves as an opportunity for members to share their voice. This year’s council proved to be one of the most progressive ever, granting clubs greater flexibility over their meetings and membership. …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

Using social media to expand your event’s reach

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By Rotary International

A notice about the Live Event on the World Bank website.

A notice about the Live Event on the World Bank website.

By Quentin Wodon

On 8 March, I helped organize an event at the World Bank in celebration of International Women’s Day designed to illustrate the power of women to change the world. The main speakers for the event, sponsored by the World Bank Group Staff Association, were Marion Bunch and Deepa Willingham, both dynamic Rotary members.

We learned a few valuable lessons from our efforts to promote the event online through social media. First, with about 250 people attending at the World Bank, the event was a success. But more importantly, 3,341 unique visitors viewed the event through the World Bank Live platform. That means 13 times more people watched the event online as did in person. We expect even more people to watch the recording of the event when it is made available on the event’s webpage.

Several steps contributed to the success of the web streaming:

The event was featured on Instagram and Facebook, with strategic placement of low-cost ads, resulting in a total reach of an estimated 1.6 million people.
The event was featured prominently on the World Bank’s external webpage for two days, drawing people to watch the event online live.
The …read more

Source:: Rotary International Blog

Rotary districts mobilize to support survivors of Ecuador, Japan quakes

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By Rotary International After a series of three earthquakes — two in Japan and one in Ecuador — killed hundreds of people, injured thousands, and caused billions of dollars in damage late last week, Rotary members in those regions have created disaster relief funds to help survivors.
In Ecuador, the powerful 7.8-magnitude quake that struck Saturday night has killed more than 400 people, with 2,500 injured. Those figures are expected to rise.
Rotary District 4400 established a service fund to raise money for relief efforts. Contact District Governor Manuel A. Nieto Jijon for information on how to donate.
In Japan,… …read more

Source:: Rotary.org

Council grants clubs greater flexibility in meeting, membership

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By Rotary International The 2016 Council on Legislation may well be remembered as one of the most progressive in Rotary history.
Not only did this Council grant clubs more freedom in determining their meeting schedule and membership, it also approved an increase in per capita dues of $4 a year for three years. The increase will be used to enhance Rotary’s website, improve online tools, and add programs and services to help clubs increase membership.
The Council is an essential element of Rotary’s governance. Every three years, members from around the world gather in Chicago to consider proposed changes to the… …read more

Source:: Rotary.org