RB Sunrise Rotary Celebrates Rotary Foundation Month

Posted by James Dunny 
on Nov 07, 2011
 

 On Tuesday, November 1, 2011, the Rotary Club of Rancho Bernardo (San Diego), kicked off the celebration of Rotary International Foundation Month with a presentation by Rotary Foundation Trustee Steve Brown. Steve is a charter member of the La Jolla Goldern Triangle Rotary Club in San Diego and a former District 5340 Governor. 

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 l to r. Paul Gorman, Jay Reordan, John Schmidt, Glee Schmidt, Steve Brown and Pam Russell. 

Before his presentation, Steve was honored to present 3 new Paul Harris Fellowships (Paul Gorman, Jay Rioran, and Glee Schmidt) and 2 Paul Harris Benefactor Awards (John and Glee Schmidt and Carl and Mary Jane Kruse(. Assisting him in presenting these awards was past District 5340 Governor and current District Rotary Foundation Chair, Pam Russell. 

RB Sunrise Rotary has already this year presented a total of 10 Paul Harris Fellowships, 2 Paul Harris Benefactor Awards and 1 Paul Harris Bequest Society award. At the meeting members who were already Paul Harris Fellows wore their medallion, pin or both.  Steve was impressed that RB Sunrise had so many Paul Harris Fellows.


 


 

 

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l to r: Pam Russell, Glee Schmidt, John Schmidt, Mary Jane Kruse, Carl

Kruse, Steve Brown.

The Rotary Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Rotary Internation.  It has its own officers. The Rotary Foundation's signature program is Polio Plus.  This program's goal is the total eradication of polio on planet earth.  Only one other disease, smallpox, has been eradicated in this way.  Since 1985, Rotary in cooperation with the World Health Organization and the Center for Disease Control has contributed hundreds of millions of dollars in this herculean effort.  The task has been more difficult than anticipated.  The good news is that the world is now 99 percent free of polio.  There are still 4 countries that have reported polio cases in the last 18 months.  Those countries are Pakistan, India, Afganistan, and Nigeria.  In all of these remaining countries, there are ongoing efforts to go the rest of the way to complete the task. Since 2 of the 4 countries have significant strife going on, the fact that there is progress is even more remarkable.

In addition to their banner polio eradication program, the Rotary Foundation also is supporting efforts of Rotarians who have sustainable projects to eradicate poverty through micro credit, reduce disease through clean water and sanitation programs, provide education throught grants to construct schools and provide supplies and equipment.  The Rotary Foundation also supports vocational training teams who either come from third world countries to study here or go from here to teach their professional counterparts such things as agricultural techniques, sanitation and clean water education and medical and surgical techniquest so that these procedures can be done by resident physicians.

The Rotary Foundation also funds projects here in the United States by returning funds donated to the District Designated Funds program.  Funds that were donated 3 years ago are now being returned.  Because of the way that program works, more funds will be returning than were originally donated.  This is because the Rotary Foundation operates only on the income generated from investing the funds.  Any funds not needed to administer the fund are returned for programs.  This makes the Rotary Foundation unique.