[D9640general] [eFlash_Rotary] Digest Number 595

[Garry & Anne Krischock]

Messages In This Digest (2 Messages) 
  1. 1204: Dubai Rotarians respond to Lebanon crisis From: Sunil K Zachariah 
  2. 1205: Rotaractors draw inspiration from Hollywood at international From: Sunil K Zachariah 
  1. 1204: Dubai Rotarians respond to Lebanon crisis 
  Posted by: "Sunil K Zachariah" sunilkzach at yahoo.co.uk   sunilkzach 
  Sat Aug 12, 2006 11:08 pm (PST) 
  Dubai Rotarians respond to Lebanon crisis

  By Vukoni Lupa-Lasaga
  Rotary International News 

  The Rotary Club of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and UNICEF launched 
  a joint fundraising appeal on 30 July to aid the children who make 
  up about 45 percent of the more than one million people displaced by 
  over three weeks of fighting in Lebanon. 

  To get the ball rolling, the club donated UAE dirham 367,0410 
  (US$100,000) to help cover emergency supplies such as electrical 
  generators, clean water, medicine, soap, buckets, pots, pans, and 
  blankets. 

  "We have teamed up with UNICEF because it has a track [record] and 
  it has been involved in polio as a partner of Rotary," says Samir 
  Kanaan, vice president of the Rotary Club of Dubai. "Because UNICEF 
  is an international organization, respected for its neutrality, it 
  can arrange for safe passage and distribution of supplies." 

  According to Kanaan, the club will contribute another $100,000 
  because of a generous public response to the appeal. The 120-member 
  club has already raised $75,000 - two-thirds of the new amount - 
  from Rotarians and others. The outpouring of support reflects 
  people's trust in Rotary, he says. 

  "Although our club is only four years old, I think we have managed 
  to have a dignified presence in this area," Kanaan explains. "The 
  name of Rotary is very well regarded here." 

  "We are working with a broad range of partners in Lebanon to save 
  lives, protect civilians, and support services such as health, water 
  and sanitation, education, and psychosocial care," said Omar 
  Shehadeh, regional donor relations officer for UNICEF, to local 
  media during the appeal's launch. "The support the Dubai Rotary club 
  has given is vital in our efforts to help relieve the suffering of 
  those whose lives have been so severely affected in Lebanon." 

  For more details about the Dubai Rotary Club/UNICEF Appeal for 
  Lebanon, contact Samir Kanaan at kanazlaw at emirates.net.ae. 

  Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary


  2. 1205: Rotaractors draw inspiration from Hollywood at international 
  Posted by: "Sunil K Zachariah" sunilkzach at yahoo.co.uk   sunilkzach 
  Sat Aug 12, 2006 11:11 pm (PST) 
  Rotaractors draw inspiration from Hollywood at international event

  By Vukoni Lupa-Lasaga
  Rotary International News

  More than 200 Rotaractors from North America and the Caribbean and 
  their Rotarian mentors discussed ways to develop, educate, and 
  strengthen Rotaract clubs in the region at a meeting in Los Angeles. 

  Taking nearby Hollywood as their inspiration, organizers of the 2006 
  United States, Canada, and Caribbean Rotaract Conference selected 
  the theme "Lights, Camera, Rotaract" to express the goals of the 
  event, held 19-23 July.

  "We hoped to encourage Rotaractors to document, document, and share 
  information about their activities and projects," says Roderick 
  Brown, of the Rotaract Club of South Bay, California, who chaired 
  the event's organizing committee. "The idea is for us to become 
  stars of our community, but by making a difference through service."

  Established in 1993, the conference serves as a forum for sharing 
  ideas, concerns, and experiences among participants. Representatives 
  of the region's 400 Rotaract clubs are often joined at the event by 
  Rotaractors and Rotarians from other parts of the world. This year, 
  for example, some attendees came from Denmark, the Republic of 
  Georgia, and New Zealand. 

  Participants, who were gathered on the University of California, Los 
  Angeles campus, discussed ways to build relationships with 
  Rotaractors worldwide. 

  The meeting offered an opportunity for Rotaract clubs to showcase 
  their outstanding projects with "Rotaractors in Action" 
  presentations. For example, the Rotaract Club of Occidental College, 
  California, screened a video documentary that featured their hands-
  on reconstruction efforts following Hurricane Katrina. Club members 
  traveled to Waveland, Mississippi, during spring break and helped 
  with clean-up and demolition projects.

  Some Rotarians made an inspiring presentation of their joint 
  projects with the Wheelchair Foundation. Rotaractors were moved by 
  their narrative to make a spontaneous donation of nearly $700 to 
  help provide wheelchairs to underserved communities.

  In addition, participants held workshops about attracting and 
  retaining Rotaract club members, starting a World Community Service 
  project, and promoting international understanding through cultural 
  events. 

  In what has become a conference tradition, attendees carried out a 
  hands-on initiative by cleaning up Santa Monica Beach. 

  After putting away their trash bags and gloves, Rotaractors 
  sunbathed on the sandy beaches, shopped or rode around in Santa 
  Monica, or explored other parts of Los Angeles. 

  Rotaractors in Atlanta, Georgia, will be the 2007 conference hosts.

  Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary

  Tori Hettinger of the Rotaract Club of South Bay contributed 
  reporting to this article
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