[D9640general] [eFlash_Rotary] Digest Number 685

[Garry & Anne Krischock]

Messages In This Digest (2 Messages) 

1.     1333: School uniform project boosts Brazilian students' pride 
Posted by: "Sunil K Zachariah" sunilkzach at yahoo.co.uk   sunilkzach 
Wed Aug 1, 2007 3:03 am (PST) 
School uniform project boosts Brazilian students' pride

By Joseph Derr 
Rotary International News


When we think of typical Rotary projects that promote literacy and 
education, donating books or tutoring children might come to mind. 
But Rotarians from Mexico and Brazil thought of school uniforms and 
gym shoes - and made a big difference in the lives of children from 
Tanabi, Brazil.

Since 2003, Tanabi Rotarians have volunteered as tutors at the Lar 
das Crianças (Children's Home), an institution in Tanabi that 
provides free extracurricular programs for 150 children, ages 7-11, 
from low-income families. Most public schools in Brazil operate only 
for a half day, so at the Lar at-risk kids from low-income 
communities in Tanabi find a safe place to continue learning and 
playing while their caretaker works. The home offers before- and 
after-school activities, such as classes in music, dance, English, 
computer skills, and swimming, as well as provides nutritious meals. 

While visiting the project on an Individual Grant, Ted Rose from the 
Rotary Club of Colima, Mexico, saw an opportunity to add to the 
project. 

"I noticed that the children who came to the Lar were shabbily 
dressed, some more so than others," says Rose, who came to Brazil on 
the invitation of Tanabi Rotarian Cândido Garcia Soler, a dentist who 
met Rose when he volunteered at Project Amigo in Colima in 1998. 

"If all the children dressed alike, they would be on a more even 
footing with each other," says Rose, who has volunteered at the 
project twice, including for two months in 2004. 

In 2006, the Rotary clubs of Tanabi and Colima formed a partnership 
for a Rotary Foundation Matching Grant, inviting the Rotary clubs of 
Pihuamo, Coquimatlán, and Villa de Álvarez, Mexico, to join them and 
the Rotary Club of Columbia Center, Washington, USA. With District 
Designated Funds and the matched grant, the total project funding of 
US$12,150 helped the clubs purchase uniforms for all of the children. 
In addition, each student received school supplies, gym shoes, 
swimsuits, and caps. 

"Many of the students and teachers were very moved when they saw the 
packs, which because they received them in December, became almost 
like Christmas presents for the kids," says Soler. 

Tanabi Rotarians have seen the students' interest in learning and 
participating in activities intensify after the packs unified them as 
a cohesive group. "The uniforms have not only leveled the playing 
field, they have hugely contributed to the children's sense of self-
worth and self-pride," says Rose. 

It was also a boost for many of the Mexican clubs, for whom this was 
the first international project outside their local communities. The 
Tanabi Rotarians continue to host Rotarian tutor volunteers from 
overseas, fostering the language and geography skills of the Tanabi 
kids. 

Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary


 2.     1334: RI president urges every Rotarian to bring in new members 
Posted by: "Sunil K Zachariah" sunilkzach at yahoo.co.uk   sunilkzach 
Wed Aug 1, 2007 3:07 am (PST) 
RI president urges every Rotarian to bring in new members 

By Antoinette Tuscano
Rotary International News

With Rotary's demographics changing and membership decreasing in 
North America, Rotarians must "change the way we think about 
membership," RI President Wilfrid J. Wilkinson told attendees at a 
presidential membership conference held 20-21 July in Nashville, 
Tennessee, USA. 

"The current recruitment practices of clubs can't continue," 
Wilkinson said. "What needs to happen is for every Rotarian in every 
club to bring in one qualified new member every year."

Inviting new club members is one way Rotarians can live up to this 
year's theme of Rotary Shares, said Wilkinson at the conference. The 
conference is one of a series of seven events to be held in July and 
August in Canada and the United States. In July the conferences were 
held in Philadelphia; Nashville; and South Bend, Indiana. In August, 
the conferences will be held in Denver; Vancouver, B.C.; San Jose, 
California; and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. If those events prove 
successful, similar ones may be organized in other parts of the world.

The two-day conferences include plenary sessions, panel discussions, 
and workshops on topics such as generational differences, demographic 
changes, potential new members, and the challenges of service 
organizations.

Wilkinson cited RI research showing that only 18 percent of Rotarians 
in a given club ever bring in a new member. But inviting qualified, 
active members is "the single most important thing that you can do 
for your club and community," he said. To survive and continue to 
meet communities' increasing needs, Wilkinson stressed, "Rotary needs 
to grow."

The goal of the presidential conferences was for Rotarians to come 
away with plans for finding and keeping club members. Wilkinson 
noted, however, that there's no one-size-fits-all solution for Rotary 
clubs.

"Rotary Shares," he said, "and each one of us must take it upon 
ourselves individually to share the gift of Rotary membership with 
one new person - this year, and every year to come."

Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary
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