Jul 29, 2015 | General News, Service Projects, Youth Programs
The Rotary Club of Sandusky has received a Significant Achievement Award from 2014-15 Rotary International President Gary Huang in recognition of outstanding and significant community efforts with their annual “Rotary Clothes Kids” program. The nomination was submitted by Immediate Past District Governor Rex Engle. Assistant Governor Maris Brenner was the 2014-15 President of Sandusky Rotary.
Over the course of five weekends in November and December 2014, Sandusky Rotarians shopped for more than 200 children. According to Past President Brenner, “What’s special about these children is a lot of them have never gotten the chance to go shopping and pick out what they want. Their guardians will send them with a list of sizes and stuff they need. We spend between $125 to $140 on each child.” Sandusky Rotary also involved young people by partnering with students from Margaretta, Perkins, and St. Mary’s Central Catholic High Schools.
According to RI President Huang, “the Significant Achievement Award recognizes outstanding Rotary club projects that address the most pressing needs of their local communities. These projects illustrate Rotary’s avenue of Community Service in action and they provide successful models for other Rotary clubs to replicate.”
Congratulations to the leaders in Sandusky Rotary for making such an impact in the lives of young people in Sandusky!
Click HERE for a photo gallery of the 2014 “Rotary Clothes Kids” event.
Jul 23, 2015 | General News, Service Projects
My name is Brad Rubini and I’m a past president of Toledo Rotary and your Literacy Chair for District 6600. I’d like to Share My Story with you about why I believe in Rotary literacy projects and how I became so passionate about literacy.
As a child I was always in the back of the class, I was always being tested – strange glasses with color lenses, color strips to put on paper and other tests. I was a great student in art, shop, gym, cooking but not in English, math and history. Finally in my senior year of high school they figured out what was wrong- I am dyslexic. I did graduate from high school and attended college but had to take remedial English and Math 90 that is below college level. The funny part about this is my wife was a straight A student but when the children asked history questions, I remembered the answers. I just learned in a different way!
July 6, 2000, was the worst day of my family’s life. Our oldest child, Claire, died at Girl Scout camp in Defiance. Claire LOVED to read and at age 7, as I was reading to her before bed, she said, “Daddy, why are you reading the words wrong?” Boy, did that hurt! So I explained to her what my problem was and for the next three years she read to me on most nights while my wife read to our other two children.
For many years in Northwest Ohio, the third Saturday in May is now “Claire’s Day,” the largest children’s book festival in Ohio and maybe the whole country (visit Claire’s Day for more information). One of the highlights of the event is recognizing the most improved reader in the classroom. We presented over 800 students this award last year. I am passionate about literacy!
Many clubs in the district do a great job promoting literacy in their communities. If your club doesn’t have an active literacy program or you’d like to enhance your current program, you can get started for as low as $60. Here are some ideas that may help your club:
The Dictionary Project. A case of 24 student dictionaries for presentation to classrooms your club might sponsor to promote literacy and the work of Rotary – all for $60!
Apple Dumpling Book Program. This Literacy Project was developed by the Rotary Club of Fairborn, Ohio and is centered on a children’s picture book featuring, Andy and Elmer, designed to promote literacy, ethics and the Four-Way Test. The Fairborn Rotary Club was awarded the 2006-07 North American “Lead The Way” Literacy Award from the Rotary International Literacy Resource Group for this project.
Four-Way Test Bookmarks. Spread the word with these inexpensive royal blue ribbon bookmarks that feature the Rotary International emblem and The Four-Way Test hot-stamped in gold. Sold only in packs of ten.
Create a Rotary Club-sponsored “Little Free Library” in your community.
Start your own Rotary Club Claire’s Day Event. Click HERE or contact me for more information.
I’m excited about what we can do to promote literacy through Rotary. And I’m here to help. Please let me know how I can work with you in this vital area of focus.
Brad Rubini
District 6600 Literacy Chair
brad@toledospring.com
(419) 704-3890
Apr 3, 2015 | General News, Service Projects
Medical Equipment and Supplies Abroad (MESA) is encouraging all Rotary Clubs in District 6600 to consider holding a clothing drive. MESA is District 6600’s largest service project and yearly collects medical supplies and equipment and ships the containers all over the world. Last year shipments from MESA reached Jamaica, Honduras, Mongolia, Belize, Nicaragua, Nigeria, and Guatemala. The sometimes fragile equipment and long trips require each container to be packed with care and clothing is the solution. According to MESA Operations Manager Gary Davis, “We generally put 1,500-2,000 pounds of clothing in each container.”
Once the containers arrive at their destination, the second purpose for the clothing is realized. MESA Chairman and Past District Governor Bob Vincent shares, “Because the packing materials themselves are also needed by people in the area where the containers are going, they are our lagniappe, which is a French word that means ‘something extra’. The clothing sent creates a lot of excitement, joy, and goodwill as the local Rotarians in the final port unload the medical equipment and supplies.”
Gary Davis also shared that when containers are going to specific areas where we already have partnerships, sometimes the clothing is more specific. “In the last shipment we sent to Honduras we packed the container with clothing specifically for a girls’ orphanage there. It costs MESA $5,500 to send a container and we want to use every inch of that container to make a difference.”
If you or your Rotary club would like to participate in the MESA Clothing Drive, here are some recommendations from MESA:
- Clothing and bedding of all sorts is accepted.
- Children’s clothing and shoes are an important need.
- Winter clothing is accepted but should be marked as such.
- An ideal donation would include clothing in a sturdy garbage bag with no more than 20 pounds of clothing per bag. Each bag is moved and transported over eight times from donation to destination so tough garbage bags are a must.
- Bring your donations to the Rotary District Conference at Kalahari on April 17-19th, 2015. A MESA truck will be parked near the conference center to drop off your donations.
For more information about organizing your clothing drive please contact Gary Davis at logistics@rotarymesa.org or 419-348-7719.
Mar 31, 2015 | Service Projects, Youth Programs
#MealsThatMatter15 will build 40,000 meals for victims of ISIS
On Saturday, April 11, 2015, at Gateway Middle School in Maumee, Ohio, area high school students will join together to help erase hunger in one part of the world in an event called #MealsThatMatter15. Student organizations from four area high schools have raised over $10,000 to build 40,000 shelf-stable meals through ISOH Impact’s Kids Against Hunger program. The meals built by students that day will be sent to refugee camps outside Israel threatened by ISIS.
The meal-building initiative has been a collaborative effort between Anthony Wayne, Maumee and Perrysburg Interact Clubs and Eastwood and Perrysburg Key Clubs. Leaders from Interact and Key Club have been meeting regularly to organize the fundraising efforts as well as the logistics for the meal build.
Perrysburg student Lauren Piezer said, “As high school students, the biggest misconception is that we are only the future. We aren’t waiting for the future to make a difference. We are here now and we’re ready to do big things.”
Anthony Wayne Interact advisor Deb Cheney has been meeting with these student leaders and said, “It’s inspiring to see how much can be accomplished by a motivated group of teenagers. These students have worked tirelessly to break down school barriers and organization barriers in the name of making a difference in our world.”
For information about this project please contact Waterville Rotarian and District Governor Nominee Designate Debra Cheney at deb.l.cheney@gmail.com.
Mar 26, 2015 | Service Projects, Uncategorized
What is Rotary? We can struggle with our answer to that question.
“A group of leaders…”
“A service organization…”
“A community service group…”
Sometimes words aren’t the answer to the question. Sometimes the answer is a picture:
Little Dresses that represent teamwork between churches, schools and organizations. Little Dresses that connect people in Northern Ohio with children in Northern Uganda. Little Dresses where the common thread is Rotary.
What is Rotary? We are Little Dresses on Little Girls in Uganda.
Congratulations to the Rotary Club of Avon/Avon Lake for an impactful service project. What started out as a small project to make simple pillow case dresses grew into embellished dresses lovingly made from pieces of heirloom fabric, some with hand painted designs. The dresses were made by beginner to highly experienced seamstresses who ranged in age from age 14 to age 93. Local newspapers covered the project and Rotarians helped deliver fabric, pillow cases, notions and patterns to those doing the sewing. In January 2015, the dresses were delivered to children in St. Monica’s School for Girls in Gulu, Northern Uganda. To learn more about this project contact Rotarian Linda Rakvic at rakvic@wowway.com.
