Rogers Rotary

Meet Val Johnson, a member of
the Rotary Club of New Brighton/Mounds View, Minnesota who cofounded the
nonprofit H2O for Life, which gets students involved in fundraisers for clean water.  During a presentation at a recent club meeting, Johnson saw one Rotarian nudge his neighbor and whisper, “We’ve been outdone by a bunch of eighth graders.” Johnson chuckles as she recounts the story because those students were talking about a nonprofit she’d cofounded in 2007.

H2O for Life matches schools in
the United States with schools in developing nations without clean water and sanitation facilities. The students from Highview Middle

School in New Brighton, MN raised $13,000 to build a dam in the Kwa Kasolo region of Kenya.
The nonprofit helps students hold fundraisers such as water walks, which simulate the chore of fetching water, sometimes from miles away, that many children around the world perform every day.

So far, students have raised more than $1 million for projects at schools in 26 countries. Each effort requires a dollar-for-dollar match from the non-governmental organization responsible for implementing it.
In May, H2O for Life launched a pilot project with the Water and Sanitation Rotarian Action Group, Procter & Gamble, and Africare. The organization also provides resources to help teachers talk about water, conduct experiments, and teach students about the culture of the recipient country.

“We went into this thinking we were doing great things for people in developing nations,” says Johnson. “What we saw was how it was developing and changing our U.S. students – that middle school kids could say, ‘I made a difference and saved a life.’ They will grow up to be great philanthropists and great Rotarians.”

Vocational Service promotes business integrity, professional development –RI News

Through vocational service, Rotarians contribute their professional expertise and skills to address societal problems and needs, and to promote high ethical standards in the workplace.
Rotarians can support vocational service by: Strengthening the emphasis on professional diversity in member recruitment; Identifying ways to emphasize professions in club activities; Placing a stronger emphasis on business networking with integrity at the club and district level — also is a means of attracting and mentoring the next generation

Emphasizing the connection between The Four-Way Test and the Declaration of Rotarians in Businesses and Professions, and their importance to the
values of Rotary.

An article in the New England Journal of Medicine, “The Polio Endgame” outlined a strategy for a post-polio era, including managing post-eradication risks. Thirty years ago, such an article could never have been published. Today, it is a testament to the power of dedication, of persis-tence, and of combined effort.

My friends, the day that polio will be eradicated is close at hand. We have to be ready for it with a powerful Rotary – a Rotary of enthusiasm and confidence, of bold vision and clear ambitions.

It is time for us to prepare by taking an honest look at our clubs. Are our projects meaningful, sustainable, and relevant? Are our meetings productive and enjoyable? Are our clubs welcoming to new members, and are our schedules and events friendly to young families? Once people join us, do we welcome them properly and involve them enough? Do we make them a part of the family of Rotary quickly enough?

Now is the time to focus our energies on our clubs and on the way people see them. It is time to show our communities that the Rotary of today is not the Rotary of their preconceptions. Rotary is a way to connect, to do more, to be more – it is a way to take our idealism and our vision, and turn them into reality.

Kalyan
Banerjee, RI
President 2011-12

——– article by Cheri Ashfeld

“Each Rotarian: Reach One, Keep One” emphasizes two primary goals: increasing and sustainingRotary club membership. Every Rotarian can directly support Rotary’s membership growth and retention by using the membership referral and Rotarian relocation forms.

The Membershio Referral Form is designed for Rotarieans wishing to recommend a potential candidate for membership in a Rotary club other than their own. Qualified candidates may be:

• Friends or business associates
• Engaging guest speakers who are unable to join your club.
• RI or Rotary Foundation program alumni who would contribute to a local Rotary club but who live outside of your town, district or country.
• Relocating Rotarians who haven’t established contact with another club.
• Family members living outside your club area who are familiar with Rotary’s Service Above Self  ideal.

Thank you, Floyd for the assorted roses distributed at last week’s meeting. The multicolor collection truly represents the Rogers Club’s blend of affection, respect, friendship, enthusiasm, caring, and admiration felt for each other and toward all things Rotary!