Youth Service Month is a special time in Rotary. Throughout May, members of Rotary clubs, Rotaract, Interact, and those involved in Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) and Rotary Youth Exchange celebrate the opportunities Rotary provides youth to connect, grow through service, develop leadership skills, mentor or be mentored, and have fun.

Although COVID may prevent some of us from celebrating Youth Service Month in person, it need not dampen our enthusiasm, excitement, and gratitude for these programs and the volunteers who make them possible. Here are four ways you can safely celebrate:

1. Serve. Make the month special by identifying needs in your community, and getting creative with ways to meet them with local guidelines. This could include sewing masks for essential workers, collecting and distributing supplies for shut-ins, or creating a phone chain to offer a message of encouragement to seniors who are isolated and alone. Check out this list of projects being conducted by Rotary clubs around the world for inspiration.
2. Stay Connected. Schedule an online meeting with your sponsor Rotary club, or with program participants and alumni. Recognize past accomplishments and discuss ways to work together in the future to strengthen participation. Visit the Meeting Online learning topic to find and share resources, join discussions, and ask for expert advice about creating online meeting spaces.
3. Unite behind a fundraiser. Empower Rotary’s response to the pandemic by donating to the Disaster Response Fund. Grants from this fund are providing hospitals in Belgium, Croatia, and Italy with lifesaving ventilators; and equipping frontline healthcare workers with personal protective equipment in Korea, Nigeria, the Philippines, Spain, and the United States. In India, disaster response grants are providing disinfectant sprayers, beds, and mattresses for healthcare facilities.
4. Set and achieve goals. Take this month to focus on initiatives that will help your club earn this year’s Rotary Citation. Brainstorm sustainable service projects, ways to increase giving to The Rotary Foundation, and build awareness of Rotary in your community. Young people are looking for a way to make a difference. Show them how Rotary equips them to do so, especially in this time of crisis. And watch your membership grow.

Share how you’re celebrating Rotary’s Youth Service Month on social media with #RotaryYouthService.

Dear club president and club membership chair,
Just before you started your term as a club leader, you used our Club Planning Assistant to explore resources and solutions to the biggest challenges that your club faces. Of the three common membership challenges we listed, attracting new members was the biggest struggle for 43 percent of you.
If we want to continue to make a positive difference in our communities, in our world, and in ourselves, we have to know what motivates people to become Rotary members. So we conducted several large-scale surveys that gave us a clearer understanding of why people join Rotary, why they stay, and why they leave. Here’s what we found:

Change can take time, but your year as a club leader goes quickly. Use the resources in the Club Planning Assistant to create a club environment that’s more attractive to both potential and current members. And take advantage of the knowledge and expertise of your district leadership team, especially your district membership chair. As always, tell us if you need additional resources or if we can offer other support.

Sincerely,
Membership Development
Rotary International

The first meeting of the e9650 Rotary Club was held using Go to Meeting on 23 July 2014.

It was agreed that OUR MISSION is to provide an alternative means for Rotarians to meet on line, changing lives both locally, nationally and internationally.

OUR VISION is to contribute to our District Rotary community through nurturing, educating and sharing.

Each member attending the Go to Meeting briefly introduced themselves giving reasons why they find this form of meeting to be an advantage to themselves.

The use of the website was discussed with a strong suggestion that we should consider rotarynew.info as a means of providing to members the full resources and information of Rotary International and use this information to attract new members.

The use of Go to Meeting as a vehicle to allow the Club to meet fortnightly on line o at least monthly was also discussed with suggestions coming from members as to possible guest speakers. This is also a great way for other Rotarians to makeup. The District provides the Go to Meeting forum for the Club to use at this juncture.

The finances of the Club were discussed with direct deposits to be made on line. It was agreed that that annual subscription should be $200 with $10 per meeting being contributed by Club members in lieu of dinner.

Possible service partners were discussed including ROMAC, LIFELINE, WESTPAC HELICOPTER SERVICE AND THE SOS ORPHANAGES IN INDIA.

Service work was considered including credit given for both Individual Service work and the opportunity to consider collective service work.

NEXT MEETING – Consider recruiting as the topic for discussion. Please forward your ideas to Ken
Possible recruiting from RYLA 2013 to be considered.
Guest speaker : Ric McCarthy (Bowral) on: Dream Cricket

DATE: THURSDAY 7th August 7pm to 8pm

.

DreamCricket was initiated by the Movement Disorder Foundation in concert with the Rotary Clubs of the Southern Highlands and the Bradman Foundation. The aim to provide an opportunity for primary school students with a disability to play on the Bradman Oval and to visit the Bradman International Cricket Hall of Fame. The program has grown to encompass schools and children throughout Australia and internationally. DreamCricket clinics are conducted in schools as part of an experience culminating in a DreamCricket Day on a significant local oval involving all schools within the area.

        “Building confidence and self-esteem through movement and participation”

Dream cricket in action at Tamworth Public School

 

At the recent interviews held to select students from Year 11 to attend the National Youth Science Forum, one of the questions asked was what they thought Rotary was as an organisation.
What is Rotary? we are often asked and we often, as Rotarians, have difficulty in answering this question.

There were many excellent responses and I would ask that you publish in a forthcoming enews the response which we received from Vicky Lee – a Melbourne student applying for the National Youth Science Forum. Here is her response which any one of us would be proud to use.

”                   Rotary International Written by Victoria Li 

2020: Rotary Opens Opportunities 

Rotary International is an organisation of more than a million members based on the foundation to bring professionals, businesses, and individuals to provide service and humanitarian aid to the local and global community. The positive impacts of Rotary are evident in many areas of the community. As a high school student searching for opportunities and desiring to make a positive impact in the society, I will grow to play a part in, Rotary has inspired and motivated me to seek Service before Self.

Most relevant to me as a student are the areas of involvement in community service, student opportunities and health and medical aid. As a teenage girl, I am passionate about the safety of all members of the community, especially youth, women, and the elderly. Programs of policing and support offered by Rotary ensure and provide a safe place for potentially vulnerable members of society. Safety is a human right and comfort in one’s own home should be undeniable yet incidents like these are occurring all around us. Rotary’s positive impacts surrounding the issue provide a sense of protection and raise awareness for me as a high school girl. Furthermore, the immensely gracious student opportunities that Rotary offers has provided me confidence, especially during the current pandemic. From leadership roles, to scholarships and bursaries for rural medical and nursing students, 2020’s theme of “Rotary Opens Opportunities” is clearly reflected. I believe that all students regardless of background should be offered equal opportunities and Rotary’s support has enabled this. In a time where I felt that many opportunities were closing their doors to me during quarantine, the works of the organisation ensured that programs such as the NYSF still proceeded. It is reassuring and has enabled me to continue to pursue my academic endeavours and contribute my services. Finally, the aspect that I am most inspired by and hope to be able to become involved in is the amazing works of Rotary regarding medical health, hygiene, and aid. As an aspiring student who hopes to pursue a career in medicine to be able to help others, initiatives and projects such as the “End Polio” are not only inspiring but have also proven to have immensely positive impacts on a large scale. Hygiene and sanitation, amongst many other services that Rotary have provided, on a scientific and medical scale have motivated my interests more and further confirmed my desire to be able to help a wider community with my skills in the future.

I remember growing up with Rotary as my neighbour unaware at the time of its drastic, positive influences in the community. I have always been curious so walking past the building everyday prompted my investigations into the organisation. I hope that in the future, Rotary becomes something more than the building I used to walk past in primary school, but an involvement where I can contribute alongside with the many inspiring individuals and teams to make a positive impact, locally, in a community or for our global society.”

What a great Rotaractor and Rotarians she will make in the future. I will also send you a further excellent response from one of the students.

How Rotary Serves
3 principles we use to beat the pandemic

Posted on April 17, 2020

 

 

 

Joe Otin

By Joe Otin, governor of Rotary District 9212

If ever in our lifetime there was a defining moment of earth-shattering proportions – this is it. The generation before us lived through World War II which universally altered the course of our destiny. From time immemorial our predecessors have faced seismic economic collapses, devastating armed conflict, climatic catastrophes, and other traumatic incidences that have led to desperation, death and destruction.
These developments in turn have forced us to remodel personal behaviour, restructure established institutions, and generally change our way of life.
The attack on humanity by the coronavirus is monumental. From the initial outbreak in China to today, the world has been jolted into action because the initial strides taken by governments to stop the spread of COVID19 across the globe fell short, as the statistics have come to show. Here in East Africa, our governments took unprecedented action, closing borders, grounding national carriers, and suspending public meetings with the intention to halt its advance.
What distinguishes defining moments in our history is not the nature of the crisis, but rather the quality of the decisions that we make. In the wake of the drastic measures taken by our political leaders to address the outbreak we, as Rotary, have had our own decisions to make. These decisions are guided by three simple principles.

• The first one is that individual action has the greatest bearing on the disease, and this includes personal hygiene, social distancing, and other guidelines outlined by the World Health Organisation. We must all take  individual responsibility to stop the spread of coronavirus.

• The second is to support the government in its initiatives to flatten the curve as indeed it is the concerted effort by the private sector, public institutions, development organisations, and society as a whole that will stop this threat.

• Thirdly, it is in sharing messages of hope and reminding people that together we will prevail, and that the disruption in our lives is not only momentary but it is also a crucial part of continuity.

From a global perspective, Rotary International’s Board of Directors has cancelled the international convention scheduled in June as the conditions amid the crisis are not projected to be favourable for hosting an event of this magnitude. This is the first time in history that the annual convention has been cancelled altogether, and even through the World Wars the convention was convened, albeit smaller in scale. The Board has also decided to focus attention and assign resources to fight the pandemic. Funds from the reserves have been allocated to aid the disaster response initiatives across the world, and The Rotary Foundations has embarked on fundraising activities specific to this area.

Good afternoon everyone,

I hope that you are all safe and well and that you, like us, are enjoying the rain that we have been receiving this weekend.
It seems some time since our last meeting of 3rd September with Chris Watson as our guest speaker and how inspiring he was. It was wonderful to hear of his experiences with Rotary and how this has shaped where he is today as a very successful travel agent at a time when things are not good for them. I hope that some of you have taken the time to have a look at his website which is a wealth of information and which Di and I will use if and when we start some travels again.
Last week at a Board meeting some of the issues which were discussed and resolved were:
1. Public Speaking – we will have Tahlia Barwick as our public speaker but Jill is still waiting to hear what will happen with the Public Speaking leading up to the District conference.
2. The Virtual RYE with India – it was resolved that we would not proceed and DG Debbie has been notified.
3. Cameron Cook of Trangie – it was agreed that we would support the payment of his Hospitality fees and the purchase of Hospitality uniforms. Jill Collwell has this all in hand and the fees have been paid.
4. The citation for last year will come directly from RI and should be here soon.
5. Website hosting has been resolved and Bruce Hemmett from RC Tamworth First Light will continue to host the website. His fee has been paid.
6. Funds for Lifeline – the District project – have been finalised and paid.
7. Our Hat day program for Australian Rotary Health will be held on 22nd October and will be a trivia night.
This meeting will be a joint meeting with Brindabella Rotary Club and the details are attached to this email and listed below.

MEETING OF THURSDAY 24th SEPTEMBER 2020 AT 8PM (note the time change)

COMBINED MEETING WITH E-ROTARY CLUB OF D9650 AND BRINDABELLA RC

(Basic Education and Literacy Month)

RAWCS is an organisation of Rotary, which is a standalone entity with its’ own ABN, Chair and committee.  There are currently 14 committees which make up RAWCS. These are a just 6 of them.

1. Donations In Kind – The DIK committee is responsible for the collection, storage and eventual transfer of goods to underdeveloped nations in need of them. DIK accepts most goods with the exception of textbook, out of date medicine and electrical goods.

2. Rotarians Against Malaria – RAM is responsible for protection against Malaria, education in preventing the disease and funding for research.

3. Pacific Training Australia – PTA identifies suitable health and educational professionals in the Pacific region and brings them to Australia for short term experience in their field. They are given paid employment and accommodation as they learn.

4. Adopt-A-School – The AAS committee operates by communication between schools in our District and schools in Vanuatu. It also collects school based goods (chairs, books, pencils etc.) and in many cases works hand in hand with DIK.

5. Safe Water Saves Lives – Similar to Ram in its’ objectives, SWSL provides potable water in 3rd world countries, teaches about water conservation, storage and water hygiene.

6. Shelter Box – This provides emergency accommodation for up to 10 people.

RAWCS Projects

Wauchope Rotary is part of District 9650 and our local RAWCS is currently involved with projects in Bali, Nepal, Bhutan, Vanuatu, Papua and the Philippines.  In Australia, RAWCS is concentrating its efforts on drought relief and coordination of donations to famers. As part of this the District was allotted $250K from the Chanel 9/Rotary Telethon which raised approximately $10 million.  This was added to the $100K plus already raised, not only via the RAWCS registration, but by the energetic fundraising of every club in District 9650.  These funds have been divided up on an equal basis between the 30 clubs in the drought affected areas of our District.

So far, in excess of $300K has been handed out by the clubs in ways that suit their area. For instance, it may have been for feed, paying utilities, fuel, mental health issues, or even just handing out vouchers to be spent as needed.

$300K may sound a lot, but divided by the 30 clubs and given the dire situation of some farmers, it barely scratched the surface.

One story of RAWCS and the difference they make

This is a true story.  It sheds some light on the suffering of some of our farmers.  It is, in fact, the story of the first farmer helped by Rotary District 9650.  To protect the identity of the farmers involved neither their names nor their town they are from are mentioned.

On Wednesday 15/08/18, RAWCS received a phone call from a lady “out west” who was very distressed, nervous and definitely in very poor mental health.  She very timidly asked if Rotary could give her one bale of hay. She said her husband had asked her not to ring, but she felt she had no other choice. RAWCS leader Reg who took the call assured her that he could and would help her. 

Reg rushed out and purchased the last 2 bales of hay in town, then rang a fellow Rotarian and all round amazing bloke, Paul, and asked if he could deliver them to the farm in need. This required a round trip of around 7 hours. Without missing a beat Paul was planning the journey.  He loaded the 2 bales onto his truck and took it upon himself to donate one of his own large round bales of hay, some cattle pellets and a few other things.

As he was nearing the town, he rang the lady and said he was nearly there and she should “put the kettle on for a cup of coffee”. The woman told him that “if you want coffee, you’d better bring some. We haven’t had any for 3 weeks.”

Again without faltering Paul drove back into town and purchased bags full of everyday goods.  Regular items these farmers did not feel they could afford to buy when the money they spent to purchase coffee, milk and sugar could be spent on feed to keep their cattle alive. 

On his return to Wauchope Paul told of how amazed and thrilled the farmers had been when he turned up and how humbled and embarrassed they were by the generosity of a stranger who wanted nothing more than to do good for another person.  By Reg making the “Captain’s call” to help and Paul making the physical trip “out west” RAWCS helped these famers go from abject depression to ecstatic joy in just 2 days and all because of a few bales of hay, some groceries and the realisation that others really do care.

If you would like to share a meal with Reg and Paul and hear more uplifting stories of how Rotary is helping those in need come join us on Tuesday nights from 6pm at the Rotary Hall next to Bain Park.

On the road 65Plus
Staying independent and safe

TAMWORTH
Thursday 28th November @ 9.30am
Joblink Plus, Lvl 1, 490 Peel St Tamworth

For enquiries, or to register your attendance
Email: roadsafety@joblinkplus.com.au or call 02 6764 6688

Offering advice & safety tips to help older road users
make safer choices. Topics include
Safer driving habits Pedestrian safety
Driver licensing at 75/85 years Mobility scooters
How health changes can affect our abilities as road
users

Beginning in 2020-21, Rotary club leaders can go into Rotary Club Central and select at least 13 out of 25 goals they wish to apply toward citation achievement. This flexibility allows clubs to choose the goals that are most relevant and achievable. In addition, many goals will be self-reported by marking “achieved”in Rotary Club Central.

To achieve the citation:

•Go to Rotary Club Central
•Review the 25 available goals
•Select at least 13 goals (or more than 50% of the available goals)
•Achieve those goals
•Report achievement in Rotary Club Central

Once you are in Rotary Club Central, navigate to the Goal Centre, select the year, and click on the Alltab to see the goals.