Coaches and players from all of Allen County's high schools joined us for our popular annual high school football preview. The season began a week early this year to accommodate an additional week of playoffs so the teams already have one game under their belts. Everyone is looking forward to a great year!
The UNOH Rotaract Club is looking forward to its new year.
Though the 2020-21 school year was very different and sometimes difficult, the students at the University of Northwestern Ohio did keep their Rotaract club alive. In-person meetings were not a “thing,” but those few students who were able to participate did so with activities such as collecting clothes for the Salvation Army and a clean-up around campus on Earth Day.
Tim Fitzpatrick, Dean of the Colleges of Business, Health Professions and Occupational Professions and also the Faculty Advisor of our Rotaract Club believes that the 2021-22 school year will be significantly better than last year. Ally Cummings is the current president of the UNOH club.
Recent and upcoming events on the calendar for the club included:
Orientation for the College of Business at the beginning of August resulted in some new students expressing interest in joining,
Welcome Week is coming up during the week of Sept 13 with the goal of recruiting more students to the club,
Ongoing planning for more projects around campus and hopefully within the community (suggestions are welcome!).
The students of UNOH and our Rotaract Club on the campus, have, in the past have had a lot of enthusiasm for service. I’m sure they will again this year. If you would like to help out with Rotaract, please contact David Runk [(david@csspub.com or (419) 235-9873] or Tim Fitzpatrick [(tfitzpatrick@unoh.edu or (419) 998-8416].
Your help is needed for the All Ability Playground.
Volunteers are needed to help build the All Ability Playground at Marimor Legacy Park. This new park is located on SR 81, east of Marimor School and connected to the Ottawa Metro Park by new trails. Come out and see what has been completed so far...it is amazing! Whether you can help for half a day, one full day or even more, we need to secure 20-30 volunteers per day to finish this amazing playground...with the same community that helped us raise the funds to build it!
Here are the slots we need to fill:
Wednesday September 8th 7:30 am until dusk. Need 30 people! Have 10.
Thursday September 9th 7:30 am to dusk Need 40 people! Have 21; Nutrien helping this day and might have more; added 5 so far.
Friday September 10th 7:30 am to dusk. Need 40 people! Have 5; but United Way Day of Caring assisting with others.
Saturday September 11th 7:30- ? We have the 10 for this as only one play equipment person can be here.
Monday is a big ??? and if we knock it out in the above should not need it.
Can you help with more people? More days? Can you spread this out again to where you did so they can see the new/date and times? I got several of calls from how you all spread the news on this project. We want the kids to have this playground as school is underway and we know we can do it. We appreciate you very much!!
We are told there are jobs for all that come, however, a person does need to be 18 or older. The play equipment vendor is on site for each step of the construction so we are not alone. A Community Build was just finished in Sandusky County in 2 ½ days and they report it was amazing.
If you can help or have any questions, please contact Theresa Schnipke 419-236-9292 or tschnipke@acbdd.org . Lunch and water will be provided during the community build.
This is why Rotary works to provide water and sanitation around the world.
During World Water Week, 23-27 August, allow me to share some staggering facts regarding water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in healthcare facilities in low- and middle-income countries:
50% of the healthcare facilities lack access to piped water
33% lack improved sanitation
39% lack soap for handwashing
39% lack adequate infectious waste disposal
As staggering as these numbers are, consider that nearly 2 billion people depend on healthcare facilities without basic water services. Imagine giving birth in a facility where infectious waste is still present. Imagine having a surgery in a facility where there is no soap for handwashing. According to the World Health Organization and UNICEF, WASH in healthcare facilities is a “best buy” with a 50% return on investment. It slows the spread of microbial resistance, prevents infection in hospitals, and reduces preventable maternal and newborn deaths. These facts, among others, have directed the WASH Rotary Action Group’s efforts over the last few months.
Our annual World Water Summit, held virtually in June, was our first event to focus on WASH in healthcare facilities. Presenters included Emory University’s Joanne McGriff and John Oldfield of Global Water 2020. In addition, multiple projects from Rotarians around the world addressing WASH in healthcare facilities were shared. View the recording on our YouTube channel.
On 5 and 6 August, we held a webinar on WASH in healthcare facilities with a specific focus on women’s empowerment and gender issues. We’ll continue our focus on WASH in healthcare facilitates in our webinars through the end of this year:
The WASH Rotary Action Group helps clubs and districts find partners for their WASH projects. Contact us if you want to support a quality, vetted project or if you need help finding international partners for your program. For example, the WASH Rotary Action Group is partnering with HANWASH, Haiti National Clean Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Strategy on a global grant project and helping them find partners.
The big news is that the WASH Rotary Action Group will soon be seeking applications for and selecting a global grant to receive a $25,000 matching contribution from us. We’ll publicize your project, and we’ll match each dollar of district-designated funds contributed. That means your project could receive $50,000 in funding, plus the World Fund match. The grant must be approved by The Rotary Foundation, and we’ll help with that process if necessary.
Our goal is to enhance the efforts of Rotarians and Rotaractors around the globe in their water, sanitation, and hygiene projects and programs. We do this by providing human, technical, and financial support to clubs and districts that are seeking to help communities to gain sustainable access to water, sanitation and hygiene. Our global network of technical experts and WASH-minded supporters help us accomplish this goal. Contact our technical experts for project advice. Join us at https://www.wash-rag.org as we work to make the world a better place!
Here is this week's roundup of Rotary news from around the world.
Rotary in Review
20 August 2021
A roundup of Rotary news
Delivering COVID-19 vaccine into dense forest
Rotary members in Demerara, Guyana, are using their disease fighting experience to penetrate dense forests and bring COVID-19 vaccines to indigenous communities that would otherwise not have access to them. Club members and health officials used boats to reach and immunize villagers as well as distribute much needed food, clothing, medicine. It’s just one way that Rotary clubs are using their experience in fighting disease to promote vaccinations and fight the pandemic. Read more
This week's stories
Follow up on membership leads for member growth
Clubs can hear about potential members by word of mouth or from membership leads through My Rotary. KR Parthasarathy, assistant governor of Rotary District 3150 in Hyderabad, India, explains why it’s important to follow up on these leads and explain the value of Rotary to prospective members. He shares the story of remarkable growth in his district in a blog post on Rotary Voice. Read more.
Calling all breakout sessions
Do you have an idea or project that you want to share with your Rotary family? Submit a proposal for a breakout session for the 2022 Rotary Convention in Houston to help others sharpen their leadership skills. Breakout sessions also introduce attendees to new ideas for projects, fundraising, membership growth, and more! Help us build a diverse program by submitting your proposal online by 30 September.
What would you do?
Each month, Rotary magazine shares reader answers to ethical dilemmas they may face in their clubs. Check out the dilemma for the December issue and send your responses to magazine@rotary.org.
How to conduct a hybrid meeting
Watch a tutorial hosted by Jim Margraff, of the Rotary Club of Lamorinda Sunrise, California, USA, and The Global Impact Group on how to conduct a club meeting with in-person and virtual attendance. Learn more
Join the Partnering For Peace virtual celebration.
20-26 September 2021 Partnering for Peace (PFP), with support of Rotary International and the U.S. Peace Corps, will host a collaborative week-long virtual celebration to highlight an evolving and ongoing partnership between the two organizations. Please join us in September to learn about the partnership and consider hosting an event of your own.
How can you participate in this grassroots initiative?
Invite a member of the Peace Corps community to speak about their service experience at an upcoming club meeting. To find a speaker, contact:
Agencies and local nonprofits that have hosted Peace Corps Volunteers
A Rotary member who has worked with a Peace Corps Volunteer
Organize a service project or social event with members of the Peace Corps community.
Attend any of the three Rotary-Peace Corps Week webinars to learn about the partnership. Register for them here.
Rotary members are invited to join Partnering for Peace to further connect these two networks of invested community leaders and stay up to date on the partnership.
Honor current and returned Peace Corps Volunteers at an upcoming meeting or conference.
About Partnering for Peace
Partnering for Peace is organized and led by Rotary members who have previously served as Peace Corps Volunteers. We demonstrate the benefits of such formal alliances between Rotary International and the U.S. Peace Corps various countries’ international volunteer service agencies by showing what can be done just at the Rotary/Rotaract club and district levels. PFP facilitates professional connections between Rotary members and members of the Peace Corps community through ongoing networking, technical support and fellowship.
Young Leaders In Action - Engaging the next generation of Rotary leaders
August 2021
Engaging the next generation of Rotary leaders
VIRTUAL EXCHANGES PROVIDE NEW OPPORTUNITIES
Are you looking for ways to engage your youth program participants virtually? Try organizing a virtual exchange for your Interact club, RYLA program, or with your Youth Exchange students. Virtual exchanges offer participants many of the same benefits as in-person exchanges, such as challenging their stereotypes, increasing their empathy, and developing their intercultural competence. Learn more about how to organize a virtual exchange in this new video!
Share your ideas at the 2022 International Convention in Houston
Do you have an idea or project that you want to share with your Rotary family? Breakout sessions can inspire attendees, help them polish their leadership skills and give them new ideas for projects, fundraising, diversifying membership, and more!
Help us build an inclusive breakout program that celebrates Rotary’s youth programs! We are seeking proposals in English, Spanish, or Portuguese. Submit your proposal online by Thursday, 30 September 2021. If you have any questions, please contact us at conventionbreakouts@rotary.org.
Visit the Youth Protection page on My Rotary
Rotary is committed to fostering environments that are safe and positive for young people and free from discrimination and physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. As part of that effort, there is a new webpage dedicated to youth protection. It includes an online form for anyone who wants to make a report related to protecting youth who are involved in Rotary in any way.
Every year, Rotary International recognizes the top Rotaract projects around the world in the Rotaract Outstanding Project Awards. One club and multi-club group receiving top honors will each be awarded US$1000 to support their projects. Nominations are now open!
Share this newsletter on Facebook. Subscribe to this newsletter. Young Leaders in Action is a monthly source of news, resources, and event information for young leaders in Rotaract, Interact, the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) program, and New Generations Service Exchange and Rotarians who support them. Send questions and story ideas to youngleaders@rotary.org.
Rotary’s Learning Center has hit new milestones as members use it more.
The Rotary Learning Center’s growth in 2020-21
Here’s what our research shows about how people used the Learning Center last year (from June to June):
36,158 new users registered in the Learning Center. The total number of registered users rose 41% to 124,710.
149 districts began receiving Learning Center reports. The number of districts that are receiving reports rose 72% to 357.
People completed more than 176,000 courses in the Learning Center. The number of courses that all users completed rose 17%.
If you want to get Learning Center reports on the courses and learning plans that members in your district complete, and you are a governor-nominee, governor-elect, governor, current or incoming district trainer, district Rotary Foundation chair, or district membership chair, take the Access to Learning Center Reports course. After you complete the course, reports will automatically be emailed to you from learn@learnmail.rotary.org every Monday.
Breakout session proposals for the Rotary International Convention
Do you have an idea or project that you want to share with the Rotary family? Breakout sessions can inspire attendees, help them improve their leadership skills, and give them new ideas for service projects, fundraising, diversifying membership, and more!
Help us build an inclusive breakout program that celebrates Rotary’s diversity, projects, and achievements. We’re seeking proposals for sessions in English, Portuguese, and Spanish.
Click on the banner below to submit your proposal. If you have any questions, write to us at conventionbreakouts@rotary.org.
Featured courses in the Learning Center
Updated membership courses
Are you looking for training topics for Membership and New Club Development Month? Visit the Learning Center and go to the Membership catalog. Revisit courses like Building a Diverse Club, and explore updates to courses like Is Your Club Healthy? and Online Membership Leads.
For an example of how to put this last course into action, read about how one district grew Rotary by using its membership leads.
The District Finance Committee Intermediate learning plan helps all members of the committee learn how to manage district funds and the governor’s expenses, as well as protect the district against risk.
Training Tip
Do you want to find out quickly what courses are available in the Learning Center? Download the latest course catalog from the Learning & Reference area of My Rotary. Like the Learning Center on Facebook to get the latest updates to share with other members.
We want to hear from you! Send your questions to learn@rotary.org.
Rotary Community Corps provides crucial resources to underserved Texas community.
As rallies for racial justice happened throughout the U.S. in the summer of 2020, members of Plano West Rotary Club (PWRC) located in Plano, Texas felt compelled to find a COVID-safe way to help create equity for the Black community, as well as involve more community members in Rotary’s efforts.
PWRC brought their desire to be allies of and strengthen Black neighbors throughout the local community. The club met with several community members with deep roots in the Douglass Community, Plano’s historically Black neighborhood founded in the 1800s. Working with local leaders, the Rotary Community Corps (RCC) of Plano Douglass Community was formed on 26 June 2020 to formalize a relationship with the club and partner on service projects in support of this underserved community.
Boots on the ground
Almost immediately after its creation, the RCC worked with our club to identify some of the Douglass Community’s most pressing needs: access to nutritious food and educational resources. The RCC has empowered the Douglass Community to voice their needs, and to work with us to jointly develop projects to help the community meet their most basic needs. The collaboration between our club and the RCC also proved successful in engaging non-Rotarians in community service. A diverse group has volunteered alongside Plano West Rotary Club in at least 21 service projects so far.
A total of 929 volunteer hours have been served, and $174,937 worth of in-kind goods have been distributed to neighbors in the Douglass Community. The majority of in-kind goods received were food boxes donated by Plano-area food pantries and food banks. Over seven months, PWRC and the RCC went out 11 times to deliver an approximate total of 1,500 food boxes door-to-door to community members in need. On every delivery date, between 125 and 200 homes received boxes filled with fresh food and nonperishable items.
Meals were delivered to individual homes because not all community residents had vehicles or could drive. Some residents won’t go to a food pantry because they are concerned about the social stigma, explained PWRC President Alex Johnson, “Our goal is to serve and empower.”
The RCC and PWRC have also partnered to collect and donate shoes for international micro-entrepreneurs and received funds to repair the roof on the home of an elderly Douglass Community resident. Volunteers also came together to help provide students in the community with critical resources, supplies and meals for the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year.
All of these efforts align with Rotary’s Areas of Focus to grow local economies and support education.
Service leads to a growing, more diverse club
The aid that PWRC and the RCC provided to the Douglass Community caught the attention of many non-Rotarians. Through highly visible acts of Service Above Self, PWRC grew its membership significantly, attracting members of the RCC who wanted to be more involved on a permanent basis.
In May 2020, before the formation of the RCC, Plano West Rotary Club had 21 members. In the 14 months since the RCC was formed, the club has grown to 65 members. From 1 July 2020 to 1 July 2021, PWRC was the fastest growing of the over 7,400 clubs in the U.S. who started the year with more than 20 members, according to Rotary International.
The partnership with the RCC has also increased the diversity in the club’s membership. As of 13 August, 54% of the club members are women, 34% are under 40 years of age, and 51% are people of color. The club includes immigrants from eight different countries, as well as members of a wide range of ages, including several college students. Our growing club truly reflects our diverse community throughout Plano. Our different backgrounds, experiences, and identities help us find innovative solutions to pressing problems. Our diversity also gives us credibility and allows us to build stronger partnerships with our neighbors, like in nearby Douglass.
Alex is certain the RCC impacted the community in a way that PWRC could never have done on its own. “The need came from the community, and we focus on partnering first. We prefer to never do it alone.”
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