Month: November 2011

Marco Verweg of Mettle Computer Solutions, LLC presents Grand Prize Winner of the Pancake Breakfast Drawing, John Gleason with the HP Tablet.

-Article by Rotary International News

Sometimes dubbed the “Forgotten Avenue of Service”, vocational service can be difficult for clubs to understand and implement.

The Rotary Club of Alexandria Sporting, Egypt, rose to the challenge by focusing on micro credit loans, literacy classes, and a sewing workshop to meet the needs of low income community members, helping owmen in particular to start businesses and learn useful work skills.
“We gave loans to deprived women supporting large families, says past club president Heba Kabel. Clubs made 20 loans of about $85 each to female entrepreneurs to launch small food or cleaning businesses. The loans were paid back in installments over the course of a year, and the money was then loaned out again – turning the club’s initial investment of about $1,700 into a sustainable micro credit program.
The club also financed literacy classes, helping 75 women learn to read and write, and a sewing lab, which drew 45 woman to sewing lessons every month.
Kabel notes that the club put a priority on efforts that would help community members increase their chances of finding a job. “We made a big bazaar at the end of the year and sold their products,” Kabel says, explaining that the proceeds went to the women.
Kable, a Barclays Bank employee, also tapped into her own vocational skills by offering free lessons in financial literacy to several women whom club members had met through the vocational service initiatives. The financial advice helped the women make informed decisions about their new incomes, teaching them to allocate some for savings and giving them a better chance of sustaining their small businesses.
To learn more about micro lending through Rotary International, check out the Facts of the Matter on the web.

—– Cheri Ashfeld

Come hear Diane Tran and Cassidy Gardenier speak  on Clean Energy at our regular meeting Sleep In & Suites in Rogers, MN at 7am.  The clean energy race is on. The investment and finance data presented the Pew Clean Energy Program’s report, Who’s Winning the Clean Energy Race, shows that countries are jockeying for a leadership position in this growing and increasingly competitive sector. Countries with clear, consistent and constructive clean energy policies are powering investment forward.

Wednesday’s presentation will examine key financial, investment and technological trends related to clean energy in the world’s leading economies, the Group of Twenty (G-20). Presenters will discuss the continued growth and dynamism of clean energy investment in these economies and follow recent Pew research shoeing that policy priority for clean energy is well-placed; investment in clean power assets alone could reach $2.3 trillion over the 2010-20 period. Countries that succeed in attracting investment can realize the economic, security and environmental benefits of the global race to harness clean, renewable energy sources.

—— Cheri Ashfeld

The Rotary Foundation has moved up 14 places in the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s annual survey of the top 400 fundraising charities in the U.S.

Based on fiscal year 2010, the Foundation is 61st on the list of charities that raise funds from private sources, up from 75th the previous year. Funds raised for Rotary’s $200 Million Challenge contributed to the ranking.

The Chronicleranks the fundraising performance of charities based on cash donations, as well as gifts of stock, real estate, art, medicine, food, and other non-cash items. An article published on October 16 provided an overview of the survey and highlight the Foundation’s fundraising efforts for polio eradication, particularly among younger donors. The article also notes that Rotaractors raised nearly $192,000 and Interactors nearly $274,000 for the challenge over the year.

John T. Osterlund, Foundation general manager said that involving young donors served as a creative fundraising approach and raised significant dollars.

Published in Washington, D.C. , the Chronicle is considered the top news source for charity leaders, foundation executives, fundraiser and others involved in philanthropy.