Category: Activities: Global

Where in the world is Michaela Rosetti?

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Michaela visits the Coliseum in Rome.

Michaela Rosetti, our intrepid Youth Exchange student from Maple Hill High School, has been spending most of her year abroad in Sicily. Those of you who have been following her monthly blog posts know how busy she has been and how much she has seen and learned.

Now, Michaela’s latest report is from mainland Italy, where she visited the Vatican, the Coliseum, the Pantheon and other popular spots such as the Trevi Fountain and the Arch of Constantine.

Keep up with Michaela’s posts so you’ll have plenty of questions to ask her when she returns home after her adventure and visits our club as a guest speaker.

ShelterBox aid finally reaches Aleppo refugees

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Syrian youngsters pick up blankets from ShelterBox aid points.

Thousands of youngsters in Aleppo, Syria, have reached relative safety and been given warm clothing after their families received aid from the ShelterBox disaster relief agency.

The tents, tools, blankets and other non-food relief supplies had been positioned for months outside the city as warfare raged between government and rebel forces as city dwellers tried to stay safe.

When the brief ceasefire began and thousands of beleaguered families were evacuated, facing snow and icy winds, they quickly were taken in by ShelterBox and other relief agencies.

ShelterBox perations coordinator Sam Hewett said, “The fighting in and around Aleppo that has been broadcast in recent weeks is indicative of the intolerable position that people throughout Syria are forced to endure.

“Due to the support of our generous donors, ShelterBox has been able to support people as they are evacuated from the city with items such as clothing and bedding, to shelter them from the cold winter conditions.

“This would not be possible without the presence of our partner organizations, whose staff share the same fatal risks as the people they are trying to help.”

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A frigid scene in a ShelterBox tent encampment outside besieged Allepo.

 

Latest RI Convention newsletter available

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screen-shot-2016-12-06-at-2-58-21-pmIssue No. 3 of the Rotary International Convention newsletter now is available by clicking here.

The Atlanta gathering alread has drawn more than 40 Rotarians and guests from  District 7190. And, both Jim Leyhane and Roberto Martinez have expressed interest in attending on behalf of SRC.

If you think this is something you’d like to be involved in, check out the newsletter, then get in touch with Jim or Roberto to coordinate travel and lodging plans.

 

Discount time for RI Convention running out

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screen-shot-2016-10-28-at-12-39-40-pmIf you are interested in attending the Rotary International Convention in Atlanta on June 10-14 next year, you can get discounted reservations if you go online — but, no later than December 15.

We already have nearly 40 Rotarians and guests from District 7190 signed up. The current discounted registration fee is $340 per person, but the price will increase to $415 as of December 16.

For more information about this global get-together and to register, just click here.

The real story of the day that preempts us next week

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Since we won’t be meeting for Thursday evening Rotary dinner again until next month, it may be interesting to take a fresh look at what will preempt us next week. It’s the 153rd annual Thanksgiving Day.

Yes, 153rd. Not the 396th as some people think. True, the Pilgrims and the indigenous Wampanoags did share an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged as the first such fete in the New World although there is no record extant that they ever gave it a title. And, they held a similar three-day party the following year, but it kind of dissipated as time went on.

And, yes, some sorts of harvest-period celebration have been commonplace in most parts of then world from time immemorial, so it is not surprising that the practice endured in one form or another. In the early years of our nation, presidents George Washington and John Adams issued proclamations about national days of thanks, but they were not necessarily regarded as national holidays and the practice fizzled. In 1817, New York State became the first of several U.S. states to officially adopt an annual Thanksgiving holiday, although each celebrated it on a different day.Read More »

Sign up now for UN Rotary Day

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Screen shot 2016-08-31 at 4.29.52 PMIf you’ve ever been curious about getting a first-hand look at the true international scope of Rotary, you have two chances each year to do so. One, of course, is the annual international convention, which this year will be held in Atlanta. But, if you can’t commit to that amount of time, here’s an excellent opportunity just a short drive away.

“Rotary Day at the United Nations” now is taking reservations for the annual event, this year scheduled  Saturday, November 12, at the UN’s New York City headquarters. Note: Only 241 tickets remain as of this writing. Here’s the link to sign up.

The longstanding event marks Rotary’s role as one of the NGOs (non-governmental organizations) that helped create the UN. On this special day, 1,500 Rotarians, Rotary Youths, and guests from around the world assemble for a variety of fascinating panel discussions featuring leaders and officials from the RI, the UN and its affiliated Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).

Lunch, included in the registration fee, will be servedin the main United Nations Cafeteria overlooking the East River. The registration fee is $65, which is paid for by your club. If you’d like to get a personal comment on a UN day experience, check with Bill Dowd or Jim Butterworth who attended two years ago.

Here’s a little more information about the RI-UN partnership, provided by RI:

Rotary’s relationship with the United Nations dates to 1945 when some 49 Rotary members acted as delegates, advisors and consultants at the United Nations Charter Conference. Today, Rotary holds the highest consultative status possible with the United Nations as a non-governmental organization (NGO).

Rotary and the United Nations have a long history of working together and share similar visions for a more peaceful world.

In 1945, nearly 50 of the 800 delegates representing their governments at the San Francisco Conference to draft the UN Charter also were members of Rotary. The role of Rotary clubs in promoting understanding among nations, providing a platform for dialogue, and creating positive change in communities around the world provided valuable support for the newly-established United Nations.

Rotary and the United Nations have since built a strong and productive partnership. In 1985, Rotary launched its PolioPlus program, the first initiative to tackle global polio eradication through the mass vaccination of children. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative, formed in 1988, is a public-private partnership that includes the World Health Organization and UNICEF, along with other key agencies.

Rotary holds the highest NGO consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, which oversees many of the UN’s specialized agencies. Rotary maintains ties with the United Nations and other organizations through its network of 31 representatives in 15 capital cities around the world. Rotary representatives, including two youth representatives, serve as unofficial ambassadors, meeting with colleagues to share information and opportunities for collaboration.

Rotary’s representative network is active at the UN offices in New York; Geneva, Switzerland, and Vienna, Austria, and the Economic Commissions for Africa, Asia, Western Asia, Europe and Latin America. Rotary also has representatives at UNESCO, UN-HABITAT, the UN Environmental Program, the Food and Agricultural Organization, World Food Programme, UNICEF, World Health Organization and World Bank.

 

ShelterBox monitoring multiple disaster areas around the globe

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ShelterBox, which just renewed its affiliation with Rotary International for another three years, has been busy this summer responding to disasters around the world, many of which get little coverage in the international media.

Flooding in Sri Lanka, a typhoon in Fiji, an earthquake in Ecuador, and the ongoing conflict in Syria are just a few of the 2016 deployments. Here are situations that the ShelterBox Operations Team is currently monitoring:

• Louisiana:  Flooding — At least 40,000 homes damaged, thousands displaced and 11 people killed in some of the worst flooding in Louisiana history.

• California: Wildfire — The 18,000-acre Blue Cut fire has burned through rural communities in California, triggering evacuation orders for more than 82,000 residents as 700 firefighters battle the blaze.

• Arequipa, Peru: Earthquake — A 5.4 magnitude earthquake struck in the Caylloma province of Peru damaging houses, schools and highways. The quake struck a day before the anniversary of a 2007 earthquake in Peru that that left more than 500 people dead, 1,300 injured and around 200,000 homeless.

• Mosul, Iraq: Conflict — It is likely that up to one million people could be displaced from Mosul as an expected offensive begins this month. ShelterBox is looking into how to best support refugee camps outside the city that are already overstretched.

• Syria: The city of  Alepo is surrounded and cut off. Right now, the Syrian Government and rebel forces are locked in conflict over the divided city of Aleppo, with essential aid lifeline, the Castello Road, now impassable. An estimated 300,000 civilians, 60% of them women and children, are caught in the crossfire with dwindling supplies of food and water. The situation is dire.

• Multi-country Refugee Problem: ShelterBox has been responding to the Syrian refugee crisis since 2012, supporting displaced families with tents, shelter kits and educational equipment, both inside Aleppo and in displacement camps within Syria and refugee camps in neighboring countries including Iraqi Kurdistan, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, and Greece. ShelterBox’s Operations team is monitoring the latest developments, and is in constant contact with colleague organizations on the ground in Syria.

 

West Africa polio project seeking volunteers

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Screen shot 2016-08-12 at 12.28.25 PMAnyone who has wondered about joining in Rotary International’s global effort to eradicate polio beyond simply writing a check may be interested in the 11th annual West Africa Project Fair.

The hands-on polio immunization exercise will take place October 18-26 in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Although the African continent is polio free, thanks mainly to RI work, ongoing immunization is necessary to prevent the return of the disease.

 “It is hot; it is dusty; it makes you uncomfortable; it is exquisite.”

The per-person price of $1,629 includes double occupancy hotel accommodations, transfers, most meals, polio immunization exercise, community service field work, fellowship events, and sightseeing. An explanatory brochure and registration information are available by clicking here.

As the event organizers explain it, “The experiences you have stay with you forever. You get up early in the morning, travel with local Rotarians to a village, health clinic or impoverished neighborhood, and for the next few hours, you change. Small children come up to you to say thank you. Mothers and fathers smile at you knowing that you are giving their child a chance for a better life. You meet with the leaders in the village to learn of their needs and their hopes. It is hot; it is dusty; it makes you uncomfortable; it is exquisite.”

The West Africa Project Fair is endorsed by Rotary’s Reach in Africa Committee (ROTA), which works to generate greater connectivity between the African and North American Rotarians.