Connecting the Dots
An Update from the Foundation Committee
By: Sarah MacGillivray, Secretary, and Public Image Coordinator, District Foundation Committee, RC of Bath Sunrise
We have had such an exciting start to our ShareForever D7780 Endowment Challenge! Thank you to all who have made a commitment to help our district do good in the world. Just to think that the pledges we make today will make a difference from Damariscotta to Fryeburg, from Exeter to Portland, all of the 39 clubs in our District will feel the impact and put those hard-earned dollars to good work - forever! It is heartwarming to say the least.We are hoping to collect people’s thoughts on the best things that our district has been able to do with Foundation dollars. Nancy Hawes from the South Portland/Cape Elizabeth Rotary Club, wanted to share her two cents, and I felt it was a great example to start with!
We have had such an exciting start to our ShareForever D7780 Endowment Challenge! Thank you to all who have made a commitment to help our district do good in the world. Just to think that the pledges we make today will make a difference from Damariscotta to Fryeburg, from Exeter to Portland, all of the 39 clubs in our District will feel the impact and put those hard-earned dollars to good work - forever! It is heartwarming to say the least. If you haven’t visited the District’s website page that has all the details on the challenge, click here: ShareForever
We are hoping to collect people’s thoughts on the best things that our district has been able to do with Foundation dollars. Nancy Hawes from the South Portland/Cape Elizabeth Rotary Club, wanted to share her two cents, and I felt it was a great example to start with! Lonnie Hackett’s Healthy Learners program in Zambia represents the ideal use of Rotary money – it started with a couple TRF global grants to get it off the ground and the program grew and grew until the government of Zambia took it over so now they don’t need Rotary funds anymore. And they’re thinking of replicating in other countries. Not only that but Lonnie has all kinds of statistics that show proof that kids are actually healthier and spend more time in school as a result of the program.
Do you have a similar story that you would like to share? Send me an email and then look for your stories on the district website or in this monthly newsletter! My email is smacgillivray5@gmail.com.
More ShareForever 7780 Information:
Did you know that your bequest, benefactor or other legacy gift can be earmarked for Endowment Fund SHARE (EF-SHARE). That fund’s yearly earnings add District Designated Funds (DDF) money available to our district for grants, global grants and District-7780 directed programs. Your impact here in Maine and New Hampshire will live on in SHARE, forever.
Your gifts can be either current-dollar or estate-plan commitments in your will or trust and can take other forms (IRA QCDs, insurance, many other options). Matches apply to any amount $1,000 or more of new cash or equivalent (current funds) gifts to the endowment as well as to new or incremental estate bequests. Still have questions, please reach out to us at shareforever@rotary7780.org.
Rotary Peace Fellowships:
From Bob Gravino, District 7780 Rotary Peace Fellowship Subcommittee Chair, Bath Sunrise Rotary Club: I am excited and pleased to announce that The Rotary Foundation has completed the review and selection process for the 2024 Rotary Peace Fellowships, and our candidate, Hanan Kadi Abafita from Ethiopia was selected as a finalist and will be attending the two year program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Hanan was awarded one of 90 fellowships out of 600 eligible applications reviewed by Rotary.
Our congratulations to Hanan on her selection for this prestigious program. District 7780 looks forward to welcoming her to the United States and the Rotary Peace Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill when she begins the fellowship in 2024.
Rotary Moments to share with your club:
WHAT IS EVERY ROTARIAN, EVERY YEAR?
This initiative encourages every Rotary member to:
- Participate every year in a Rotary Foundation program that makes a difference in the world
- Contribute every year to the Foundation’s Annual Fund at a sustainable amount
The Foundation recognizes a club as an Every Rotarian, Every Year Club if its giving reaches US$100 per capita or more and all dues-paying members give $25 in a year.
Today, about one-third of Rotarians participate in this initiative. Thanks in part to the generosity of these donors, the Foundation awarded more than 1199 global grants in 2021-22 for large-scale, sustainable projects. Think about how much more Rotary could accomplish if every member gave at least $25 to the Annual Fund.
Thank you for supporting the Every Rotarian, Every Year initiative.
WHAT IS POLIOPLUS?
Ending polio is Rotary’s main humanitarian goal, and PolioPlus is the program that supports these efforts. Hopefully everyone celebrated World Polio Day in October, but we wanted to share just a little more information that we hope you find interesting.
It was launched in 1985 with help from Dr. Albert Sabin, the developer of the oral polio vaccine, as a worldwide program to protect children from the paralyzing consequences of polio. Rotary later became a founding member of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
Since then, the incidence of wild polio cases has decreased by 99.9% and the wild poliovirus remains endemic in just two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The processes Rotary helped build to fight polio have also been used to protect communities from COVID-19 and other diseases. This illustrates the Plus in PolioPlus. But polio anywhere is a threat to children everywhere. Only global eradication will ensure that no child suffers its devastating effects ever again.
WHAT IS ROTARY’S POLIO FUNDRAISING CHALLENGE?
Rotary is committed to raising US$50 million every year for polio eradication. Through our partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, every $1 of that is matched 2-to-1.
Raising both funds and awareness and mobilizing volunteers are among Rotary’s primary roles as a partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. With our members, we’ve contributed more than $2.6 billion to fight polio, including matching funds from the Gates Foundation, and Rotary volunteers have dedicated countless hours to protecting children everywhere.
HOW SUCCESSFUL HAS THE EFFORT BEEN TO ERADICATE POLIO?
Because of Rotary’s support, nearly 3 billion children have been immunized against polio and are protected for life against this crippling disease.
Rotary and our partners reduced the number of wild polio cases from 350,000 in 1988 to 30 in 2022. Twenty million cases of paralysis have been averted through this global effort.
The wild poliovirus is now endemic in just two countries, and we won’t stop our effort until we’re able to give children a polio-free world.
Videos that you may have missed:
Focus on World Mental Health: World Mental Health Day featuring Rotary International President Gordon McInally (from October 10th) - Click here: World Mental Health Video
Focus on Polio: World Polio Day with Rotary Foundation Trustee chair Barry Rassin, past Trustee Brenda Cressey and a video from TRF Trustee and immediate Past R.I. President Jennifer Jones during last year's trip to Pakistan in support of polio health workers (from October 24th) - Click here: Focus on Polio Video