Arch Klumph said that the purpose of the RI Foundation was to “do good in the world.” By any reasonable standards, the Foundation has lived up to that promise, and the best is yet to come. Our Foundation is one of the best run in the world, earning perfect scores from Charity Navigator. But perfect scores are not good enough for Rotarians; we want to do even better. We now focus on six areas of needs, and every project is designed to be sustainable long after we complete a project. The areas of focus are: - Promoting Peace
- Providing Clean Water
- Saving Mothers and Children
- Supporting Education and Literacy
- Growing Local Economies
- Fighting Disease (Polio and so much more)
In the past, the district has had one or more district-wide programs to celebrate Foundation month. We will not be doing that this year. Instead, I would like every club to devote at least one November meeting to the Foundation. Perhaps your club’s Foundation Chair or someone else in the club who is knowledgeable about the Foundation could speak about the many programs supported by the Foundation. There are some wonderful film clips on YouTube and on the Rotary International website that can be played for your club. Learn about the Foundation and you will want to be a part of it. Last year, our district gave over a quarter of a million dollars to the Foundation (more than $125/per member). That was up $50,000 from the previous year. Part of this legacy stems from a relatively small number of incredibly generous members, and I want to thank every one of those members. But most of that generosity was the result of the majority of members from our district contributing what they can to the Foundation. The decision to contribute should be yours, but if you would like information about how to contribute, feel free to contact me. | 