[D9640general] [eFlash_Rotary] Digest Number 639

[Garry & Anne Krischock]

Messages In This Digest (3 Messages) 
  1. 
  1277: Second chance inspires lifesaving project From: Sunil K Zachariah 
  2. 
  1278: Powerpoint Presentation on Rotary Shares From: Sunil K Zachariah 
  3. 
  1279: Theme Brochure 2007-08 From: Sunil K Zachariah 
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  1. 1277: Second chance inspires lifesaving project 
Posted by: "Sunil K Zachariah" sunilkzach at yahoo.co.uk   sunilkzach 
Sat Mar 24, 2007 4:25 pm (PST) 
Second chance inspires lifesaving project

By Tonya Weger 
Rotary International News

Four years ago, Randy High was the recipient of a kidney donation, 
which granted him a second chance at life. Inspired by this life-
altering experience, he adopted an organ donation program for his 
club, the Rotary Club of Eastern Independence, Missouri, USA. 

"I can't think of a larger gift of compassion," the club's president 
says of organ donations. "Now I want to help educate other people 
through our Rotary project."

According to his wife, Leslie, a member of the same club, a childhood 
illness damaged her husband's kidneys, causing them to fail almost a 
half century later. Within a week of physicians informing him of the 
seriousness of his condition, High suffered a cardiac arrest.

"I told Randy, 'I'm going to give you my kidney,' " Leslie High 
says. "We don't have children - it has always just been us." 
Fortunately, her kidney was a suitable match.

High says he can't thank his wife enough, so he's making the most of 
the life she gave him. The Donate Life project he started "is a 
little payback. Someone did this for me, now I have to give back," he 
explains.

As a part of the Donate Life project, High tells his story to fellow 
Rotarians in hope that they will sign up as donors. The Highs and 
other Eastern Independence Rotarians are currently visiting clubs in 
District 6040 in Missouri. "We have talked with nearly 1,000 
Rotarians now," Leslie High says.

They also have received requests from other districts and want to 
expand the program to the community. "We would like to speak with 
college students and high school students who are old enough to take 
part in organ donation," explains High. 

Additionally, the club has prepared a PowerPoint presentation, a 
video, and a script so other clubs can take part in the 
project. "The Donate Life project is economical," High 
explains. "It's inexpensive, but has incredible impact."

According to Donate Life America, a U.S. not-for-profit alliance of 
national organizations and local coalitions, almost 100,000 men, 
women, and children currently need life-saving organ transplants. 

In June, the Eastern Independence club received a Significant 
Achievement Award from District 6040 for its efforts with the Donate 
Life project. 

"This is something everyone can take part in," High says. "In our 
club, everyone administers the programs or gives presentations." The 
club also has a 100 percent sign up rate for organ donation.

According to the Highs, Rotarian response has been so great it has 
amazed those at partner organization Midwest Transplant Network. 

"We have about a 40 percent return of the signature forms, and many 
people take them home and send them in later," Leslie High says. "Our 
contact at the organization told me there is not a day they don't 
receive a form from a Rotarian."

Stop by the Donate Life booth at the 2007 Rotary International 
Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, and learn more about this 
lifesaving project.

Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary


2. 1278: Powerpoint Presentation on Rotary Shares 
Posted by: "Sunil K Zachariah" sunilkzach at yahoo.co.uk   sunilkzach 
Sun Mar 25, 2007 1:02 am (PST) 
For 8 years now, Clubs and Districts have been extensively using the 
thematic powerpoint presentations of eFlash_Rotary. Last year, over 100 
districts used the presentation.

Presentation on "Rotary Shares - Wilf Wilkinson's Agenda for 2007-08". 
eMail your requests to sunilkzach at vsnl.com and the presentation will 
reach you.

Best regards,
Sunil K Zachariah
Editor


3. 1279: Theme Brochure 2007-08 
Posted by: "Sunil K Zachariah" sunilkzach at yahoo.co.uk   sunilkzach 
Sun Mar 25, 2007 1:03 am (PST) 
Dear fellow Rotarians,
Rotarians are a varied lot.
We come from dozens of countries, speak hundreds of languages, and adhere to a wide spectrum of
religious, political, and philosophical beliefs.

If one strong common thread exists among our 1.2 million members, it is our willingness to share.
Rotarians share their time, their talents, their expertise, and their money to successfully carry out
projects that tackle a vast range of humanitarian and social issues. They share their compassion, their
enthusiasm, and their commitment to help those in need and make the world better. And they share
an unparalleled passion for service that has made Rotary the world's premiere service organization.
It is this fundamental spirit of generosity that I have tried to capture in our theme for 2007-08: Rotary
Shares. I hope that it serves as both a point of pride for all Rotarians and a motivating force for our
activities in the coming year.

Sharing is a concept generally associated with promoting the greater good, but it is also an
individual action, a personal choice. Each one of us decides how much of our time and energy
we want to share with Rotary, which ultimately determines how much each club can share with
its local community and communities abroad. For that reason, I urge you to become more personally
involved in Rotary and to actively participate in both service projects and membership development.
My call for individual involvement includes everyone in the family of Rotary, another emphasis that I want to
continue. Our far-reaching family encompasses Rotarians and their families, Rotaractors, Interactors, Youth
Exchange students, the widows and widowers of former Rotarians, and others who collectively work to promote
Rotary's goals and ideals. Together, we can promote Rotary's programs throughout the world, handing down
the ideals of service and fellowship from one generation to the next.

Continuity is essential to Rotary's success, and so health, literacy, and water will remain our service emphases
for the year. For many clubs, that will mean continuing ongoing, successful projects in their communities and
internationally. For those who want to start new projects, I urge you to think creatively and consider some new
approaches. For example, let's look at how we can use new technologies to purify water, teach people to read, or
provide safe sources of energy for homes. Then let's share those innovative solutions with other Rotary clubs that
are looking for successful project ideas.

As they make plans for 2007-08, I also encourage clubs to consider the United Nations Millennium Development
Goals, especially the Millennium Villages project in sub-Saharan Africa. Like our Rotary Community Corps
(RCC), these villages employ a bottom-up approach to helping communities pull themselves out of extreme
poverty. Let us share the knowledge we have gained in promoting self-sufficiency through RCCs to support this
important goal.

Our theme for 2007-08 is reversible: Rotary Shares and so we must all share Rotary. During the first three decades
of my life as a Rotarian, Rotary was growing steadily.

No thanks to me, however, as I never brought in any new members. When Rotary's numbers began to drop
in existing clubs, however, I suddenly realized that the organization I had come to care about so deeply would
not simply continue to grow on its own. I understood then that I - and every other Rotarian - share the
responsibility of bringing new members into our ranks, and it was time that I did my part.
In the coming year, I will be encouraging each one of you to do your part and share Rotary with
other business and professional leaders in your community. I have set a goal for every Rotarian on
my leadership team of directors, training leaders, membership coordinators, district governors,
and club presidents to bring in at least one new member in 2007-08. I'm even asking all the past RI
presidents to join us in this effort. Moving on from there, I have established a plan for recognizing all
Rotarians who bring in new members. Working together, let us share the responsibility for Rotary's
growth and make all our clubs stronger and more viable.

The dedicated Rotarians who develop dynamic project ideas and galvanize other members to
action form the backbone of every club, but there are too few of them. I believe that every one of us
could be that kind of Rotarian if we just take that important first step toward personal involvement
- if we just say yes.

Yes, I will lead that project.

 Yes, I will bring in a new member.

Yes, I will share my ideas and my resources to make my club stronger.

I'm convinced that 1.2 million involved and active Rotarians can finish the job on polio eradication;
carry out projects involving health, water, and literacy; promote the cause of peace to every
part of the globe; and clearly and powerfully demonstrate to the world that Rotary Shares.

Wilfrid J. (Wilf) Wilkinson
President, Rotary International, 2007-08

Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary


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