Rotary Foundation Dinner for Club Pres & Foundation Chairs

 

November 6, 2014 at The Oshawa Golf and Curling Club, Oshawa, Ontario

 

We all thank Bill Patchett for hosting all of the Rotary District 7070 Club Presidents and their Rotary Foundation Directors/Chairs at The Oshawa Golf and Curling Club, to an excellent buffet, on November 6, 2014, during Rotary Foundation Month. Bill followed up with some of the best speakers in the Rotary World today to tell us all about all of the good that is done with our donations to the Rotary Foundation. We heard from Dr. Bob Scott, the Immediate Past Chairman of the International Polio Plus Committee and Past Chair of the Rotary Foundation; Wilf Wilkinson, Past President of Rotary International; Carolyn Seabrook-Ferguson, Major Gifts Officer, Zone 24, of Rotary International; Gene Burns , Co-Chair of the Rotary Foundation Global Grants Scholar Program for District 7070; and Past District Governor and current District 7070 Chair of the Rotary Foundation Grants Program Lars Henriksson.

 

Here are some Highlights:

Bill is delighted to state that 100% of the clubs in our district made a commitment to donate funds to End Polio and to The Rotary Foundation for this new 2014-2015 Rotary year.  The address to which to send your contribution is The Rotary Foundation Canada, c/o 911600, P.O. Box 4090, Stn. A, Toronto,On M5W 0E9.  Please indicate Annual Fund or Polio on the memo line.

 

Bill Patchett’s Purple Crocus Campaign raised $21,000 in the last 3 years. When matched 2 for 1 with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, that will be $63,000 for PolioPlus.

 

Bill reminded everyone of the Million Dollar Dinner on September 17, 2015 at the David Duncan House in Toronto. All you have to do is donate $1,000 US this year and $1,000 US next year to The Rotary Foundation, or bequest $10,000 and you are invited as Bill’s personal guest The David Duncan House is renown for its hospitality, food and ambience.

 

Again this year, Bill and the Rotary Clubs of Cobourg and Northumberland –Sunrise will be selling Poinsettias to raise money for PolioPlus. Last year , they netted $15,000.

 

Dr. Bob Scott, gave an update on the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and its partners: Rotary, The WHO, the CDC, UNICEF, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the governments of the world. Bob Scott thanked the Gates Foundation, who continue to match 2 for 1 every new dollar Rotary commits to polio eradication, up to $35 million per year, through 2018. Bob took us back to the days when there were 1,000 new cases of polio per day in the world to today. Year to date in 2014: Nigeria has 6 cases, Somalia 5, Afghanistan 12 and Pakistan has 220.  Bob predicts that the continent of Africa will be polio free in the next 6 months. The Prime Minister of Pakistan is now on side and he has stated that Pakistan will be polio free in 6 months.

 

Carolyn Seabrook-Ferguson, a Rotarian in the Ancaster AM Rotary Club, in the Niagara Peninsula, who is also the Major Gifts Officer, in our Rotary Zone 24, of Rotary International, encouraged us all to donate to the Rotary Foundation so that we can attend the Million Dollar Dinner. She shared with us other successful Million Dollar Dinners in Canada (in 2012 on Rotary District in Calgary raised $2.3 million; in 2013, another District in Calgary raised $4.5 million and last month, the Rotary District in Halifax raised $1.6 million). She also highlighted the Major Gifts programs of Rotary Foundation: $10,000 in cash or in stock, and the Benefactor and Bequest Programs and the various recognition pins that Rotary bestows on its donors. The Rotary Foundation Pins that we wear allow us to tell the story of WHY we support The Rotary Foundation.

Gene Burns told us about the 4 amazing Rotary Foundation Global grant Scholars: one names Aya Nikishama from Japan at U of T (available to come to your Rotary Club and be a guest speaker); and three gentlemen named Jonathan, Jonathan and Jonah studying in England and in Kenya. They all want to be Rotarians when they finish their year of study and they say that this Scholarship has changed their life forever.

 

Past President of Rotary International, Wilf Wilkinson talked about the history of the Rotary Foundation and the promises that Rotarians have made and are keeping. Wilf highlighted the Future Vision Program, the sustainability of all Rotary Foundation funded projects , the Foundations 6 areas of focus for grant projects, and stressed the need for every Rotarian to donate something to The Rotary Foundation every year. Wilf ended by saying that in order for Rotarians to keep our promises for doing good in the world, we need to raise the funds to do just that and encourage those present to go back to our Rotary Clubs and get our members to support our Rotary Foundation.

 

Lars Heriksson, our District 7070 Grants Chair gave us a brief description of hoe the money raised from the Rotary Foundation, is kept for three years and then given back to Rotarians to use. Half of the funds raised from our District come right back to us to spend on Global and District Grants. He encouraged Clubs to work together in the District to pool their grant applications on a project. He encouraged everyone to contact himself, during the grant application process.

 

 

District Governor Brian Thompson handed out Rotary Foundation Awards to District 7070 Rotary Clubs who achieved some major milestones in their donations to The Rotary Foundation in 2013-2014:

 

100 PERCENT ROTARY FOUNDATIION SUSTAIINIING MEMBER CLUB

Rotary clubs must achieve a US$100 per capita and every active member of the club must personally contribute US$100 or more to the Annual Programs Fund during the Rotary year. This annual banner recognition is awarded at the conclusion of the Rotary year, and is based on active  membership as of June 30, 2014. For 2014, 2014, there was one Rotary Club to achieve this goal. Congratulations to The Rotary Club of Richmond Hill.

 

TOP THREE PER CAPIITA IIN ANNUAL PROGRAMS FUND GIIVIING

Banners are given to the top three per capita giving clubs in each district. To be eligible, clubs must achieve a minimum $50 per capita. This annual banner recognition is awarded at the conclusion of the Rotary year. This year the third highest amount per capita donated to The Rotary Foundation, in District 7070 went to the Rotary Club of Toronto Leaside; the second highest club was the Rotary Club of Etobicoke; and the highest amount per capita donated to The Rotary Foundation, in District 7070 went to The Rotary Club of Toronto Don Mills. Congratulations to all three outstanding clubs.

 

POLIOPLUS CERTIFICATES:

 Rotary Foundation Trustees awarded these certificates to the 17 clubs in the district whose PolioPlus contributions exceeded US $1,500. They are The Rotary Clubs of Ajax, Belleville, Cobourg, Courtice, Etobicoke, Northumberland-Sunrise, Oshawa-Parkwood, Pickering, Port Perry, Toronto, Toronto East, Toronto Don Mills, Trenton, Uxbridge, Whitby, Willowdale, and Woodbridge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Announcements:

A Cruise to END POLIO NOW  From Sylvia McPherson, Rotarian, East York Rotary Club

Paragon Travel has put together an exciting, fundraising Cruise to END POLIO NOW Cruise that we'd like to offer perhaps as an alternative event for Rotarians who are not attending the 2015 RI Conference. We hope this will be the first of several annual cruises. The 10-day Southern Caribbean Cruise on Holland America's Ms Noordam departs Fort Lauderdale March 20/15. The activities geared towards the Group include a make-up meeting on board; a deck walk to End Polio and hopefully a Community Service Project day with one of the Rotarian Clubs in District 4370  - Bonaire, Curacao and Aruba.  From a fundraising perspective $50.00 of the cruise price includes a donation by Rotarians who book to PolioPlus. Paragon Travel is matching the donation and so is Holland America. As timelines for booking are getting tight we'd like to get the word out there. Thank you in advance

 

 

 

Gord Crann, The Chair of the Wilf Wilkinson Peace Award Committee announced that Raseema Lamb, now a Rotarian, who was one of our Rotary Peace Fellowship now has a full time job with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

 

Assistant Governor Michael Parker announced a Concert and Dinner I following in local restaurants in Port Hope) in Port Hope and hosted by The Rotary Club of Port hope, is on January 18, 2015 with proceeds going to PolioPlus. Tickets are $65 per person. Watch for more details on the District Website soon. Call Michael for tickets anytime.

 

Thank you to Bill Patchett for making this evening , November 6, 2014, a Rotary Foundation Night to remember.