[D9640general] [eFlash_Rotary] Digest Number 828

[Garry Krischock]

Messages In This Digest (4 Messages) 

1. 1565: Celebrating life <>  100 times over From: Sunil K Zachariah 

 

2. 1566: New Rotary Country <>  From: Sunil K Zachariah 

 

3. 1567: RI president helps charter Korean American club <>  From: Sunil K
Zachariah 

 

4. 1568: Washington food bank project pays dividends <>  From: Sunil K
Zachariah 

 

1.
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eFlash_Rotary/message/1483;_ylc=X3oDMTJxMGhhb
GRlBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE1BGdycElkAzI3ODYwNzYEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MDY0MDg2BG1zZ0lkAzE0O
DMEc2VjA2Rtc2cEc2xrA3Ztc2cEc3RpbWUDMTIyMTcyNjkyNQ--> 1565: Celebrating life
100 times over 

 

Wed Sep 17, 2008 11:55 pm (PDT) 

Celebrating life 100 times over By Diana Schoberg 
[http://www.rotary.org/SiteCollectionImages/News/090908_gift-of-life.jpg\
<http://www.rotary.org/SiteCollectionImages/News/090908_gift-of-life.jpg> 
]
Josiah Ntoko Tongo from Dakar, Senegal, became the 100th child to
receive a heart operation through District 6560's Gift of Life
program. Photo by Jim Graham

On 22 July, Josiah Ntoko Tongo from Dakar, Senegal, became the 100th
child to receive a heart operation through RI District 6560's
(Indiana, USA) Gift of Life program.

Run in partnership with Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, the
program provides treatment for children who wouldn't have access to
it otherwise because of where they live.

The hospital performs the surgeries for free, while Rotarians cover
costs such as lodging and travel. The Indiana program is part of the
larger Gift of Life International network 
<http://www.giftoflifeinternational.org/body_index.html> , which has
helped nearly 10,000 children since 1975.

District 6560's Gift of Life program started in 1998 and has
benefited children from about 30 countries.
Making headlines
The project made international headlines after a one-year-old boy, who
had been examined by a doctor in the Indiana National Guard at an Afghan
refugee camp, was found to have a congenital heart defect. A Rotarian
serving with the unit connected him with Gift of Life, and he was
brought to Riley Hospital.

Unfortunately, the boy died days after returning to Afghanistan, despite
receiving what was hoped to be a life-saving heart surgery.

After operating on three children from Iraq in 2006, the project's
medical team was inspired to travel on medical missions to the Middle
East, going to Jordan in March 2007 and again in March 2008, says Jim
Graham, a past governor for District 6560.

The second trip was funded through a Matching Grant between the district
and the Rotary Club of Amman Cosmopolitan, Jordan, and was assisted by
Gift of Life Amman. The team plans to return in October and is planning
a trip to Uganda to train doctors at the Kampala Heart Institute.

Source: Rotary International News / Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

 

2.
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eFlash_Rotary/message/1484;_ylc=X3oDMTJxcDgzd
GJ0BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE1BGdycElkAzI3ODYwNzYEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MDY0MDg2BG1zZ0lkAzE0O
DQEc2VjA2Rtc2cEc2xrA3Ztc2cEc3RpbWUDMTIyMTcyNjkyNQ--> 1566: New Rotary
Country 

 

Thu Sep 18, 2008 12:24 am (PDT) 

New country added to Rotary map By Ryan Hyland
[http://www.rotary.org/SiteCollectionImages/News/kiribati.jpg]
Governor Jack Davies of District 9220 presents the Rotary Club of
Kiritimati charter certificate to club president Ruta Uatioa. Photo by
Sharon Maybee
Members of the first Rotary club in the island nation of Kiribati spent
a week in August celebrating its charter.

On 11 August, RI General Secretary Ed Futa, on behalf of the RI Board,
approved a charter for the Rotary Club of Kiritimati, Line Islands,
Republic of Kiribati, adding another nation to the more than 200
countries and geographical areas on the Rotary map.

"Rotary will have an important and positive impact on improving the
lives of people in Kiritimati (formerly Christmas Island)," says club
president Ruta Uatioa. "Rotary represents leadership, something we are
excited to adopt here."

The 35-member club, along with guest Rotarians from District 9920 and
the United States, held its first official club meeting on 23 August,
the kickoff to the weeklong festivities. As part of the week's
programming, Kiritimati club members visited schools and hospitals to
assess potential projects.

Participating in the activities were members of the Rotary Club of
Commerce City, Colorado, USA, who led multiple World Community Service
(WCS) projects on Kiritimati and were instrumental in introducing Rotary
to the islands.

George Maybee, a member of the Commerce City club, has vacationed with
his wife, Sharon, on the island for years. During a trip in 2006, Maybee
became convinced his club should get involved with helping people there.

A year later, the club launched a multiphase WCS project consisting of
improved medical care, water quality, and educational opportunities.

The club then joined efforts with Past District 9220 Governor Warwick
Pleass, who was already working with RI to get a club chartered in
Kiribati. Maybee and members from the Rotary Club of Suva East, Fiji,
made several trips to Kiritimati to help a provisional club.
Island nation
Kiribati 
<https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kr.htm\
<https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kr.html> 
l> (pronounced KEER-ah-bhass) consists of 33 islands scattered across
2,400 miles of the Pacific Ocean, with a population of more than
105,000. The three main groupings are the Gilbert Islands, Phoenix
Islands, and Line Islands.

In 1995, Kiribati drew international attention when it petitioned to
change the International Date Line
<http://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/docs/international_date.php> , which
divided the nation into two time zones. The entire nation now lies west
of the date line, which zigzags around the easternmost islands.

Kiribati gets a large portion of its income from overseas, including
fishing licenses, development assistance, and tourism.

"Our people are used to being on the receiving end of help," says
Uatioa. "With the first Rotary club here, our members can now be on the
giving end."

Projects in the works for the Kiritimati club include completion of
upgrades to the Banana Village Medical Clinic; construction of working
toilets for all six schools on the island; distribution of dictionaries
provided by the Rotary Club of Brighton Early, Colorado; and
distribution of toothbrushes and toothpaste.

"The future is bright; Rotary can surely look forward to a glowing
success with the Kiritimati club, as well as an additional club in
Kiribati," says Maybee. "I'm very much looking forward to seeing the
Kiribati flag at the RI Convention 
<http://www.rotary.org/en/Members/Events/Convention/Pages/ridefault.aspx\
<http://www.rotary.org/en/Members/Events/Convention/Pages/ridefault.aspx> 
> in Birmingham."

Source: Rotary International News / Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

 

3.
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eFlash_Rotary/message/1485;_ylc=X3oDMTJxNjQwN
GNyBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE1BGdycElkAzI3ODYwNzYEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MDY0MDg2BG1zZ0lkAzE0O
DUEc2VjA2Rtc2cEc2xrA3Ztc2cEc3RpbWUDMTIyMTcyNjkyNQ--> 1567: RI president
helps charter Korean American club 

 

Thu Sep 18, 2008 12:34 am (PDT) 

RI president helps charter Korean American club By Susie O. Ma
[http://www.rotary.org/SiteCollectionImages/News/090808_dklee.jpg]
RI President Dong Kurn Lee welcomes Jong Koo Kim, a member of the Rotary
Club of Chicagoland Korean-Northbrook, on the club's charter night.
Photo by Chris Chung/The Korea Times-Chicago
District 6440 has a new club, in part due to the recruiting prowess of
RI President Dong Kurn Lee.

Lee presented the club charter to the Rotary Club of Chicagoland
Korean-Northbrook with District 6440 Governor Pamela Kerr on 22 August
in Northbrook, Illinois, USA.

Attendees were asked to make a $50 donation to Rotary's US$100 Million
Challenge. About 175 people attended the charter night and the event
raised $6,000.

The club's 54 members are Korean American, and club business will mostly
be conducted in Korean. But that is the beauty of Rotary, Lee told the
charter night audience.

"What matters in Rotary is not what language we speak, or where we come
from, or how much English we remember from high school," Lee said. "What
matters in Rotary is fellowship, friendship, and building bridges of
goodwill."
Getting organized
District leaders spoke with members of the Rotary Club of Korea Town-Los
Angeles to get an idea of how a Korean club would fit into their
district.

"We think it will bring people into Rotary who would not have joined
Rotary otherwise," says Mike Yesner, assistant governor coordinator for
District 6440.

Club president Sung Wun Kim says it is an honor to join Rotary during
Lee's year as RI president and that Lee is an invaluable asset to the
club.

"I cannot really explain how much he has helped us," Kim says. "It's
tremendous how much he is supporting us and encouraging us to do service
work."

Kim says the new club is getting organized, and members are getting to
know each other. Eventually, the club hopes to do service projects in
the Korean community, raise funds for polio eradication, and work with
other clubs in the district on combined projects.

Lee asked district governors to bring two new clubs into Rotary this
year as part of his ambitious membership goals. The Rotary clubs of
Northbrook, Skokie Valley, Evanston Lighthouse, and Korea Town-Los
Angeles sponsored the new club.

Source: Rotary International News / Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary

 

 

4.
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eFlash_Rotary/message/1486;_ylc=X3oDMTJxN3Ewa
WxqBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE1BGdycElkAzI3ODYwNzYEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MDY0MDg2BG1zZ0lkAzE0O
DYEc2VjA2Rtc2cEc2xrA3Ztc2cEc3RpbWUDMTIyMTcyNjkyNQ--> 1568: Washington food
bank project pays dividends 

 

Thu Sep 18, 2008 12:39 am (PDT) 

Washington food bank project pays dividends By Donna Polydoros
[http://www.rotary.org/SiteCollectionImages/News/bellingham.jpg]
Rotarians from the three Bellingham clubs gather to celebrate the
opening of the Bellingham Food Bank. Photo courtesy of Stan Dyer
When the roof of the Bellingham Food Bank
<http://www.bellinghamfoodbank.org/> was crumbling in 2005, Executive
Director Mike Cohen turned to the Rotary Club of Bellingham
<http://www.bellinghamrotary.org/> , Washington, USA, for help.

But after then President-elect Jim Cunningham approached then
presidents-elect Barry Lester of the Rotary Club of Bellingham Sunrise
<http://bellinghamsunriserotary.org/> and William Unrein Jr. of the
Rotary Club of Bellingham Bay <http://www.bellinghambayrotary.com/> ,
the presidents-elect decided not to fix the roof.

Instead, they proposed building a new, state-of-the-art facility.

"It really was a textbook example of how to galvanize a community to
help others," says Michael Smith, current president of the Bellingham
Sunrise club. "We came together in the spirit of Rotary to make this
project real."
Grand opening
The three clubs committed $225,000 in seed money for the project and
raised over $1.6 million more from state agencies and organizations such
as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
<http://www.gatesfoundation.org/default.htm> . Club members donated
their own professional services and secured in-kind donations from
architects, engineers, and contractors.

The clubs celebrated the opening of the new food bank on 31 July of this
year. Members of the community and the food bank thanked them for their
efforts.

"Everyone was really impressed with the quality of what was done and the
enhancement to the neighborhood," says Bellingham club member Rod Elin,
who served on the project steering committee. Improvements included
repairing the street, installing new sewage lines and gutters, and even
fixing up the front lawn on a neighboring property.

"Before, the [food] recipients would have to wait in line outside. Now
there is an overhang they can wait under," says Elin. "It's
something that Rotarians can certainly take pride in."

Source: Rotary International News / Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary

 

 

 

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://rotary9640.org/pipermail/d9640general_rotary9640.org/attachments/20080922/4ea642d6/attachment-0001.html