Club News, Feb 13, 2017

Posted by Susan Marsh on Feb 12, 2017
 
Students from Turtleback Elementary School Receive Service Above Self Awards
 
l t0 r. Elizabeth Polonsky, Samantha McMichael, and Spencer Westbrook
At the February 7, 2019 breakfast meeting, Spencer Westbrook, Samantha McMichael, and Elizabeth Polonskiy, students at Turtleback Elementary School in Rancho Bernardo, received Service Above Self awards from the RB Sunrise Rotary Club.  Each parent and their teachers also attended.  Jon Shea presented a Certificate as well as a gift card from RB Sunrise Rotary to each student. 
 
The “Service Above Self” awards were initiated over 11 years ago by former member, Mike Miller.  The awards are result of each student being nominated by another student for doing something good to another student. 
 
The students actually never know what it was that led to their award. Examples of the kinds of actions that a student is recognized by a fellow student include such things and helping a student on the playground when a student falls or being kind to a new student who might feel left out. These deserving students won their awards for similar unselfish service to their fellow students at Turtleback Elementary School.
 
Laura Mello Speaks About the Work Going on at Oasis Haven in South Africa
 
l to r. Laura Mello and Heather Ray, International Service co-chair
Laura Mello spoke at the February 7, 2017 meeting of RB Sunrise Rotary about Oasis Haven in Johannesburg, South Africa,  Oasis Haven is a non-profit whose mission is to care for abandoned children, many of whom are HIV positive.  The are victims of HIV infected parents.  Oasis Haven actively seeks to place them in families in Africa, Europe, and even in the United States.  Laura is the volunteer President and Director of U.S. Operations for Oasis Haven U.S.
 
In the photo above Laura is holding a facsimile check for $3,000, a donation from  RB Sunrise Rotary Club.  The money in the real check that was also presented will fund the cost of education for childre in  Oasis Haven in South Africa.  Oasis Haven is receiving a total of $12,000 from various charities in the United States to help fund the care for five children this coming year.  She showed a three-minute video that toured one of the homes in South Africa to show how the children live while at Oasis Haven.  Laura stressed that Oasis Haven is a family to these children and will always be there for them throughout their lives.  It was quite obvious from Laura’s speech that she is very much emotionally involved in this organization and it is a tribute to her that it keeps going because of her dedication. Laura's sister Beth was until recently the onsite director of Oasis Haven is Johannesburg.