Connecting the Dots - February 2024

February 2024 - Connecting the Dots
 
By:  Sarah MacGillivray, Secretary, and Public Image Coordinator, District Foundation Committee, Bath Sunrise RC
 
With our district’s upcoming peace concert, A Concert for Peace on February 17, I could not have been happier when Bob Gravino, a fellow member of the Bath Sunrise Rotary Club and our district’s Peace Scholars and Clubs' Foundation Chairs Coordinator, asked if I would include his fantastic explanation of Rotary’s Peace Centers and Peace Scholars.  Thank you, Bob!
 
Rotary’s commitment to peace and the generosity of Rotary members around the world combine to make the Rotary Peace Centers program distinctive and successful.
 
Each year, Rotary awards up to 130 fully funded fellowships for dedicated leaders from around the world to study at one of our peace centers. The Rotary Foundation partners with premier universities to offer master's degrees and professional development certificates in disciplines related to peace and development.
 
Clubs and districts have the power to shape the next generation of peace leaders both by recruiting and recommending peace fellows, and by keeping them engaged during and after their fellowships.
 
Every Rotary year, district governors appoint a District Rotary Peace Fellowship Subcommittee Chair to oversee Rotary Peace Fellowship promotion, recruitment, and engagement throughout the district. The subcommittee chairs can appoint subcommittee members to support recruitment of qualified candidates within their district and provide information to prospective candidates about how to apply. Subcommittee members help promote the fellowship program to club members and community organizations.
 
Clubs and districts can provide a recommendation as part of a candidate's application prior to submission. Educate candidates about Rotary and invite them to club meetings and activities. Help them prepare for the application process. All applications and recommendations are submitted in English.
 
To learn more, complete the online course by logging into My Rotary (www.rotary.org) and visiting https://learn.rotary.org/members/pages/36/course-catalogs , then click on courses by language, and finally click on  "All About Rotary Peace Fellowships."
 
Rotary and Rotaract members can get involved in the following ways:
 
Recruit candidates
Support candidates
  • Help candidates prepare a competitive application. Provide feedback on resumes and essays as they work on their application.
  • Ask candidates to participate in club and district activities to learn more about Rotary.
  • Volunteer to submit a club or district recommendation.
  • Instruct candidates to submit online applications to The Rotary Foundation by 15 May. All applications are considered final upon submission. All materials must be in English.
  • Submitted applications are reviewed by Rotary Peace Centers staff. All qualified applications move forward for further consideration.
  • Together with our partner universities, the Rotary Peace Centers Committee selects finalists and alternates in October, and candidates receive results in November.

Engage fellows

  • Invite current fellows or alumni to speak at club meetings and participate in activities.
  • Work with fellows on peacebuilding projects or support their initiatives with district grants.

Eligibility

Learn more about the eligibility requirements for the master’s degree program (https://www.rotary.org/en/our-programs/peace-fellowships-masters-degree-programs)  and the professional development certificate program (https://www.rotary.org/en/our-programs/peace-fellowships-certificate-program)
 
Rotary Peace Fellowships may not be used for doctoral study. You are not eligible for the fellowship if you are:
  • An active Rotary member or a Rotaract member who is also a Rotary member*
  • An employee of a Rotary club or district, Rotary International, or another Rotary entity
  • A spouse, lineal descendant (child or grandchild by blood or legal adoption), spouse of a lineal descendant, or the parent or grandparent by blood of any living person in the previous categories
  • A former Rotary member, or their relative as described above, within 36 months of the member’s resignation.
* Rotaract club members who are not also Rotary club members are eligible to apply.
 
Rotary Peace Fellows who have completed the certificate program, the master's program, or a Global Grant Scholarship must wait three years between the end date of that program and their intended start date for the fellowship.
 
Candidates must have a gap of at least three years between the completion of their most recent academic degree program (undergraduate or graduate degree) and their intended start date for the fellowship. Candidates currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program are not eligible to apply.
 
For further information or questions about the Rotary Peace Center Fellowship program, contact Peace Centers Subcommittee Chair, Bob Gravino, at rcgravino@aol.com .
 
If that were not enough wonderful information to share at a club meeting, I have not forgotten this month’s
Rotary Moments - thank you for sharing these at a club meeting!
 
INVESTING IN ACTION
 
The Rotary Foundation plans for the future, not just for today, and helps members put ideas into action. In the words of Arch Klumph:
 
“Rotary has assumed a great obligation to the world …. Its opportunities are limitless, but its income today and of tomorrow will never permit it to do the many things which it could and should do. Let me remind you of these three facts: (1) money alone does little good, (2) individual service is helpless without money, (3) the two together can be a godsend to civilization.”
 
Thank you for the time, energy, and financial support you give to Rotary’s mission. 
 
 
WHAT IS ROTARY DIRECT?
 
You can support The Rotary Foundation all year by making a recurring gift with Rotary Direct.  Choose how much and how often to give, using this simple and secure tool to make a big impact.
 
Online credit card contributions can be made monthly, quarterly, or annually, with a $10 minimum per transaction. You can enroll in Rotary Direct online: https://my.rotary.org/en/rotary-direct, use the Rotary Direct enrollment form or contribution form found on this information page:
 
 
Or call the Support Center at (866) 9ROTARY. You can change or cancel your recurring gift at any time through My Rotary.
 
Rotary Direct is safe, secure, and easy.  Sign up today!
 
WHAT KIND OF MEMORIAL AND TRIBUTE GIFTS ARE POSSIBLE?
 
You can honor a loved one in a meaningful way with a contribution to The Rotary Foundation that helps sustain our efforts around the world.
 
The easiest way is to start at rotary.org/donate and select the option to make a donation in honor or in memory of someone. You can contribute to the Annual Fund-SHARE, the World Fund, the Endowment, PolioPlus, the Disaster Response Fund, a specific area of focus or a global grant.
 
As the donor, you’ll receive gift credit and a tax receipt (where applicable). The person you’re honoring, or their family can be notified of your gift by email, or you can choose to print a notification and deliver it yourself.
Consider making a gift to the Foundation today to honor someone you love.
 
WHAT ARE SOME WAYS TO LEAVE A LEGACY OF DOING GOOD?
 
You can qualify as a Benefactor of The Rotary Foundation by making an outright gift of US$1,000 or more to the Endowment or notifying the Foundation that you’ve included the Endowment as a beneficiary of that amount in your estate plan.
 
Benefactors receive a certificate and insignia to wear with a Rotary or Paul Harris Fellow pin.
 
If you make a commitment for a future gift of $10,000 or more to the Foundation, you’ll be invited to join the Bequest Society.
 
Bequest Society members receive benefits and recognition pieces for different levels of giving, including pins and crystals, the ability to endow named funds, or special seating at the Rotary International Convention.
 
More than 110,000 Benefactors and more than 14,900 Bequest Society members are creating legacies of generosity as they help people around the world live better lives. 
 
Please share this video, “The Power of Philanthropy” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKPly7Uc0R4&ab_channel=RotaryDistrict7030