Our Weekly Meeting

“Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change — across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.”

We meet every Friday from 1:00 to 2:00pm at Wanderers Club, Illovo, Johannesburg. You can also join us on Zoom - https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86496040522.

Tuesday, 1 March 2016

Vocational Service Awards, Rotary turns 111 & Careers Day, a Preview.

Last Week
Brooke Puttergill, Chibby Clacey, President Neville, Pierre Vercueil, Jean Warburton & Melodene Stonestreet, Chairman, Vocational Services.  In front, Penny Metcalf.
It was Vocational Service Awards Day at Rotary and President Neville handed them out with due aplomb!
Recipients of the awards for 2016 were:

Chibby Clacey for the work she has done in promoting preschool education and in particular for establishing a pre-school in  a very rural community near Rosendal in the  Free State.

 Jean Warburton a retired school teacher for her volunteer vocational guidance and welfare programmes to assist underprivileged children and their families.

Dr Brooke Puttergil for her work in establishing the Champs Organisation which provides a support network for paediatric amputees and their families. The major beneficiaries of these services are people without the financial means to fund the fitting of prosthesis.

Dr Pierre Vercueil  for providing pro bono ophthalmological surgery and care to children from disadvantaged communities thereby giving  them the gift of sight.


Penny Metcalfe, a Speech and Hearing Therapist, for her volunteer work  over many years in giving assistance to young children from disadvantaged communities. Penny has
developed unique methods  for helping those with impaired speech to communicate effectively.

Rotary's 111th Birthday
Ray Klinginsmith
There was a large gathering at the Bryanston Country Club last Wednesday when former RI President and current Chairman of the Rotary Foundation Trustees, Ray Klinginsmith, addressed us on what being a Rotarian means to him.
I think we were all expecting a Foundation speech and we didn't get it.  Instead we had something that was much more pertinent and certainly more interesting.
We were also addressed by Sanjoy Gupta (no relation to our President's friends) CEO of Mahindra SA who had picked up on an Ann's Project to supply thousands of solar lights to disadvantaged communities, particularly for use in schools.
It was a fun evening, the food was great, the company convivial.  Just a pity that there were so few Rosebank Rotarians there.





Above Right, DG David Grant & Sanjoy Gupta.  Below Right DGR Steve & Myrna Margo...and the Rosebank crowd.
Careers Day at Holy Family College, Parktown.  Saturday 27th February
Here are just a couple of pictures.  There will be a proper report next week.  There were about 330 participating Grade 12's.
Some of the Vocation Base People
Jean Bernardo's Bottle Tops
We all know that Jean has been driving round with a boot-load of plastic bottle tops for weeks.  At last she has been weighing them and this is what she has to say....

We have collected 65kg of bottle tops and 10kg of bread tags.

We need another 95kg of bottle tops and 5 kg of bread tags to meet the target required for a wheelchair.

So keep them coming!


GOODWILL GAMES

Photo Credit: Na Son Nguyen
The fierce July sun beat down on us as we approached the field where the match was to take place. It wasn’t much of a soccer pitch, with its uneven terrain and rusty poles for goalposts, but the local teens we had met came ready to play. They guided us over the piles of bricks and broken tiles that separate their neighborhood community center from the field behind it and took their positions.
Much like any schoolyard competitors, incursions from grazing cows notwithstanding, players stretched and warmed up, took turns retrieving out-of-bounds balls, and, after the final goal, lined up to exchange high-fives. The Vietnamese contingent handily outscored our group of American Rotary volunteers, but the defeat was far from bitter. The five Rotarians, four Interactors, and two 20-something alumni of Rotary Youth Leadership Awards had already achieved what they had come to Vietnam to do: distribute durable soccer balls to promote play and to spread Rotary’s message of service and goodwill.
The community center sits on the outskirts of Hoi An, a resort town on the South China Sea. Orange and fuchsia bougainvillea blossoms spill over stalls selling scarves and spices at one of Vietnam’s oldest marketplaces, and along the banks of the Thu Bon River, food vendors serve aromatic pho (noodle soup) and banh mi (sandwiches). By night, tourists dine under glowing silk lanterns at the seaside restaurants and hotels.
The kids we met in Hoi An have a few soccer balls on hand, but are just as likely to kick around rocks or bundles of banana leaves. Tim Jahnigen first observed this phenomenon in 2006 as he watched news footage of a refugee camp in Darfur, Sudan. The children on the screen were playing soccer using a bundle of trash tied with twine. Struck by the evidently universal tendency of children to play no matter how difficult the circumstances, Jahnigen set out to develop a soccer ball tough enough to endure the harshest conditions.
Almost 10 years later, One World Play Project – the company Jahnigen founded with his wife, Lisa Tarver – has provided more than 1.5 million durable soccer balls in over 175 countries. The ball itself is made of a proprietary foamlike blend that bounces like a soccer ball but won’t puncture, deflate, or otherwise fall apart.
“Play is vital for humans to thrive,” Tarver says, echoing recent research. “Play is one of the most effective therapies for any kind of trauma or hardship, whether in refugee camps or inner cities afflicted with gang violence – anywhere kids have suffered human rights abuses or the effects of poverty or natural disasters. Play is what allows them to recover and connect with their community.”
Our team of Rotary members and youth program participants from the San Francisco Bay Area brought to Vietnam 2,400 of these balls, bound for schools and community centers. We traveled south from the capital, Hanoi, through the mountains and along the scenic coastline to Ho Chi Minh City and the villages of the Mekong Delta. In each community we visited, we met with local officials, handed out balls, and challenged the recipients to a game – no translation required.
“Play is the universal language,” Tarver says. “You go somewhere and you may not be able to talk to the people, but if you pull out this ball, you’ll be connected, because it’s intuitive. The ball is the connector between the visitors and the community.”
There are no Rotary clubs in Vietnam; they were disbanded in the 1970s. Since 1994, however, when the U.S. government lifted the trade embargo that had been in effect since the Vietnam War ended, Rotary clubs have worked with government approval on several successful projects with local charities.
Sue McKinney, a member of the Rotary Club of Oakland Sunrise, has divided her time between Ho Chi Minh City and her native California since 1994. A lawyer by training and a serial entrepreneur in practice, McKinney has worked on 21 projects in Vietnam, coordinating Group Study Exchange trips, organizing wheelchair distributions and medical camps, hosting dozens of visiting U.S. Rotarians, and tapping into her extensive in-country network to promote Rotary’s work.
The collaboration with One World Play Project also has its roots in McKinney’s Rolodex. She once hosted a GSE participant from California’s District 5170 named Ingrid Fraunfelder, and the two kept in touch. When Fraunfelder went to work for One World Play Project as a program manager, McKinney saw a natural fit for the district’s Interact program. She presented the idea to the district and reached out to contacts at Aid for Kids and Football for All in Vietnam, two local nonprofits that provided logistical support and helped coordinate distribution events.
McKinney also saw an opportunity to expand Rotary’s network and build goodwill through cultural exchange. “Group Study Exchange was my introduction to Rotary 30 years ago,” before clubs accepted female members, she recalls. “I went to Holland on an all-female GSE team, and I’m still in touch with those women. Those connections are for life. It’s a way of networking, and it helped recruit me into the organization. Once I’d seen Rotary at work on the world stage, I wanted to be a part of it.”
For Gloria Garing, a member of the Rotary Club of Freedom, Calif., the trip was an opportunity to honor her late husband, Ward, who served in Vietnam in the late 1960s and died of cancer in 2006. Midway through the trip, Garing made a solo detour down the coast from Hoi An to Cam Ranh Bay, where Ward had been stationed, to deliver soccer balls at a school.
“I wasn’t sure about what it would be like going to a communist country,” Garing says. “Growing up in the 1950s and ’60s with a father in the Navy, the whole idea of communism was, ‘They’re the enemy.’ There was a lot we didn’t know, of course, but there was a real fear.”
Garing met students, teachers, and families in Cam Ranh. “I was surprised by how welcoming everyone was,” she says. Vietnam, she says, is beautiful and interesting, but there was more to the trip: “When we do service work, it’s about the people we meet and the connections we make.”
Vu Dinh, a member of the Interact club at Mount Eden High School in Hayward, Calif., until his graduation last spring, was born in Vietnam, but his family moved to the United States when he was a baby. He had returned to Vietnam only once since then, on a family trip 10 years ago.
“It’s weird to think that one turn of events can change your whole life,” he said as we left a secondary school in Hanoi where he had addressed students in hesitant Vietnamese. “I’m sitting across from these kids, thinking how I could have been in their seats, meeting these American visitors, but instead I’m coming to their school on a tour bus.” Later, after he had reconnected with family members outside Da Nang, he said, “I’m glad my parents came to America, but I’m also glad I have the chance to come back to Vietnam, to spend time with my parents’ brothers and sisters, and see what the world looks like from the back of their motorbike.”
Dinh joined Interact during his sophomore year. He met new friends across the district, participated in leadership development programs such as RYLA, and served as club president in his senior year.
“In high school it’s often repeated that grades stay on your transcript forever. But these clubs teach you that the impact you make stays on these people’s lives forever,” Dinh says. “Interact has given me the opportunity to grow as a person, gain leadership skills, and give back. In Interact we have a structure and a network that allows participants to branch out in different communities and move toward a global community. That’s what sets Rotary apart.”
The way he sees it, our group is bringing that message of inclusion and opportunity to everyone we meet in Vietnam. “We’re giving away these soccer balls, but we’re also giving the opportunity to play and grow as a community through sports,” he says, “and we have the opportunity to let people know Rotary is important.”
The nearly indestructible soccer balls will go on conveying that message, says inventor Jahnigen. “When you go into a community and leave a ball behind, it reinforces the bonds and messages that came with it,” he says. “As long as it’s there being played with, it keeps the connection alive.”
Look for Interactors from District 5170 in the House of Friendship at the 2016 Rotary International Convention in Korea.  about this ongoing project.

Monday, 22 February 2016

My Rotary, Our Vocational Service Awards & the Rotary Foundation prepares for its Centenary.

Last Week 
Jane Sims & Joan Sainsbury
Our usual Business Meeting.

It was enlivened by the presence of Joan Sainsbury and Jane Sims as well as Gregory and Susan Howes, our President's son and daughter-in-law!

Jane is one of our "Rotary Artists" and she is standing next to one of her paintings.  The idea that the artists who exhibit at our Art Festival should visit the club is a very good one and it they seem to appreciate it.....we certainly do!  Thanks to Joan Sainsbury and Mark Franklin for this initiative.

My Rotary
Les Short raised the issue at the Business Meeting that less than 50% of the club had registered with My Rotary on the RI website.  Here's the LINK.  Now click on the My Rotary tab at top right and you will then be able to register.  I automatically go through to my page but I think you have to register with your RI number and automatically the club details come up.  You can then fill in your own profile.

This Week
It's an important meeting, the presentation of our annual Vocational Service Awards.
The recipients are:
Dr Pierre Vercueil for his pro bono paediatric ophthalmological surgery on young patients.
Dr Brooke Puttergill for her dedication to young amputees and their families.
Mrs Jean Warburton for her volunteer vocational guidance and assistance to underprivileged children and their families.
Mrs Penny Metcalf, a Speech & Hearing therapist, for her volunteer work.
Mrs Chibby Clacey, for her volunteer service as a teacher in setting up a pre-school for disadvantaged families.
There will be more about them next week as a short sentence doesn't provide an adequate summary of their worthiness for these awards.

Don't forget to let Les Short know if you are bringing anyone extra for lunch.



DISTRICT LEADERS SET TO CELEBRATE FOUNDATION’S CENTENNIAL

The Rotary Foundation has been improving lives since 1917. Learn about our work and help us celebrate 100 years of doing good in the world.
Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair Ray Klinginsmith asked district governors in training at the International Assembly to lead the celebration of the  year, 2016-17.
"You are the primary contacts between the Foundation and our 34,000 Rotary clubs in the world. The success of the centennial celebration is largely in your hands," said Klinginsmith at a 19 January general session. "Catch the spirit and spread the word about the importance of celebrating our success."
Since the Foundation was established in 1917, it has spent more than $3 billion on programs and projects to improve the lives of millions worldwide, said Klinginsmith.
The centennial celebration officially kicks off in May at the Rotary Convention in Korea and culminates at the 2017 convention in Atlanta.

DISTRICT PLANS FOR THE CENTENNIAL

Governor-elect Tom James Markos of District 5100 in Oregon, USA, says he is proud to be serving during such a historic year. He plans to promote the centennial not only to his district's members, but also through local media.
"We need the public to be aware of what we've accomplished," says Markos, who has set a district goal of raising $1 million for the Foundation during the centennial year.
Bill Proctor, incoming governor of District 7080 in Ontario, Canada, believes the centennial year is an opportunity to "refocus and reeducate" members on the importance the Foundation's work.
"We have so many accomplishments to celebrate," said Proctor. "We need to use the momentum of the celebration to strengthen the Foundation's future."
Share your centennial photos and stories on social media using #TRF100.

Wednesday, 17 February 2016

Welcome Hugh, Literacy, Food, and Even More!

Welcome Hugh
Hugh Rix was inducted as a member of our club last week.  The camera carrying man forgot to photograph the event and thought that a hot air balloon or three was appropriate instead.

Welcome, Hugh.  It's a great pleasure having you as a member of the club and we are delighted that you have agreed to take on the Public Relations portfolio.


Last Week
Megan Maynard spoke to us about The Link Literacy Programme.  The programme is heavily dependent on volunteers and was really enlightening that a number of Rosebank Rotary Anns are volunteers for The Link.  I think that's wonderful and it shows how little we as club know about some of their projects...unless you are married to one, of course.
I was particularly interested in the mental arithmetic programme because every day I experience young people's inability to add up quite apart from anything slightly more complicated.  It is so important not to be dependent on a calculator...applause!

We were also joined by our ADG Brian Humphries and his wife, Hilary.


Food!
It was the second week of the new lunch system with ordering from Chariots.  The burden very much falls upon Les Short who juggles attendance and food orders plus collecting the money.  He was helped by Merle Langenegger last week but it is an arduous task even for two people, especially when we have such a large number of people attending our meeting as well as the England/SA ODI filling up the bar!

This week we will assist Les when the food arrives by a couple of us serving it to the tables as this will be less disruptive and if there is a speaker it will mean that the food can be served straight away.

 This Week as President Neville pointed out is a Business Meeting.

Rotary's 111th Birthday
Last week's Ramble gave the details of the event on Tuesday 23rd.  Several of us will be going so please book directly and join us at the Rosebank Table!

Blanket Drive
You will all have received a preliminary notice for the Blanket Drive as mentioned by President Neville.  We are fortunate that David Bradshaw is on the committee so let's hope that we get a better shopping centre this year!

Rotary Peace Scholars
The Board is exploring the possibility of proposing one so the article below is particularly apposite.

PRESIDENTIAL CONFERENCE EXPLORES ROUTES TO PEACE

Actress and humanitarian Sharon Stone gives the peace sign after speaking at the Rotary World Peace Conference on 15 January in Ontario, California, USA.
Photo Credit: Rotary International/Ryan Hyland
On 2 December, a terrorist attack killed 14 people and wounded more than 20 others in San Bernardino, California.
Less than two months later, an event nearby focused on peace: the Rotary World Peace Conference. The two-day meeting on 15-16 January brought together experts from around the world to explore ideas and solutions to violence and conflict.
The conference was the first of five  planned for this year.
San Bernardino County official Janice Rutherford, a member of the Rotary Club of Fontana, California, told attendees at the opening general session that the conference couldn’t be timelier.
“Now more than ever, we need to come together and create peace and reduce human suffering,” said Rutherford, who declared 15 January 2016 Rotary World Peace Day and a Day of Peace for San Bernardino County. “We appreciate your commitment to exploring these options and taking them back to your community and the rest of the world.”
More than 150 leaders in the fields of peace, education, business, law, and health care led over 100 breakout sessions and workshops. Topics ranged from how to achieve peace through education to combating human trafficking to the role the media has in eliminating conflict.
Hosted by Rotary districts in California and attended by more than 1,500 people, the conference is an example of how Rotary members are taking peace into their own hands, said RI President K.R. Ravindran.
“We can’t wait for governments to build peace, or the United Nations. We can’t expect peace to be handed to us on a platter,” said Ravindran. “We have to build peace from the bottom, from the foundation of our society. The valuable information you leave with at the end of this conference will aid you in managing conflict in your personal lives, local communities, and potentially around the world.”
Actress and humanitarian Sharon Stone urged conference attendees to find tolerance within themselves as a way to develop compassion and understanding for others. Noting that today’s technology makes it easy to learn about diverse cultures and beliefs, Stone encouraged Rotary members to embrace differences while learning about others’ work.
“The more we understand the darkness of our enemies, the better we know what to do, how to respond and behave,” said Stone.
Rotary is inching the world closer to meaningful change, said the Rev. Greg Boyle, executive director of Homeboy Industries, a Los Angeles-based gang intervention and reentry program.
“Rotary decided to dismantle the barriers that exclude people,” said Boyle, a bestselling author and Catholic priest. “You [Rotary members] know that we must stand outside the margins so that the margins can be erased. You stand with the poor, the powerless, and those whose dignity has been denied.”
Rotary’s most formidable weapon against war, violence, and intolerance is its Rotary Peace Centers program. Through study and field work, peace fellows at the centers become catalysts for peace and conflict resolution in their communities and around the globe.
Dozens of Rotary peace fellows attended the conference to promote the program, learn about other peace initiatives, and help Rotary clubs understand the role they can play.
Peace Fellow Christopher Zambakari, who recently graduated from the University of Queensland in Australia, said the conference is a chance to increase awareness of what others are doing to achieve peace.
“Some people have only a local view toward peace,” said Zambakari, whose  in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, provides advisory services to organizations in Africa and the Middle East. “An event like this, with so many diverse perspectives, can open up connections and different possibilities to how we all can work towards a more peaceful world." 
Other speakers included Carrie Hessler-Radelet, director of the U.S. Peace Corps; Judge Daniel Nsereko, special tribunal for Lebanon; Gillian Sorensen, senior adviser at the United Nations Foundation; Steve Killelea, founder and executive chair of the Institute for Economics and Peace; Dan Lungren, former U.S. representative; and Mary Ann Peters, chief executive officer of The Carter Center and former U.S. ambassador to Bangladesh.
Rotary News


Tuesday, 9 February 2016

Civil Service in Denmark, the Link Literacy Programme, Rotary's 111th Birthday and Next Year's Rotary Theme.

Last Week
Edward James-Smith spoke to us about the role of the Civil Service in Denmark. He also talked about the common questions people ask him about living there, the high rate of income tax, VAT at 25% on everything, all the advantages and disadvantages of living in Denmark.  As he has lived there for nearly 20 years it was interesting from all points of view.  What was particularly interesting was the contrast between his friends' experience of child rearing in South Africa and the Scandinavian experience....much more male involvement on an equal level with female involvement!  Quite a surprise.

This Week
Megan Maynard will be talking to us about The Link Literacy Programme. The Link is a Non Profit Organisation which supports the development of literacy and numeracy for second-language English learners. The link to their website is http://www.thelinkliteracyproject.co.za/ 

Literacy is one of the main foci of Rotary International that clubs are specifically asked to show an interest in.


Discon
By now you will all have received forms or the Rotary Conference at Misty Hills, Muldersdrift in June....the dates are in the Future Events column.  We will be discussing Discon at the Board Meeting.  It is important that we get our bookings in as soon as possible so that we can all stay in Misty Hills and be together as it makes attendance so much simpler.  Please do make an effort  to attend.

Rotary Careers Day
The number of featured careers continues to grow and I will be having another meeting with Holy Family College soon to finalise arrangements.

Special Event
Lyn Collocott has circularised everyone about this.  No doubt it will come up at the Board Meeting.

 DGR  S F Margo Region 2


Join us on TUESDAY 23RD  FEBRUARY AT 18H30 FOR 19H00

At the        BRYANSTON COUNTRY CLUB

                   To Celebrate
 Rotary’s  111th  Birthday and
To meet Past President of R I and chairman of Foundation

       Mr Ray Klinginsmith who will give a short talk on Foundation, also to
Meet Mahindra’s CEO who has donated R400,000,00 worth of solar lights
and then to join us in the presentation of a Paul Harris Fellowship

To avoid having cash on the property please deposit your fee into the 
Rotary Awareness Account / ABSA Bank , Oakdene
Acc no :  38036930290                     Branch no :  632005
And e-mail proof of payment to both :
Peter Soester : peter@mbservices.co.za and Paul Westcott : pwestcott99@gmail.com.
Reference :  your name, your clubs name and  B111

Cost :  R190,00 PER HEAD (All-inclusive gratuity and vat) plus a cash bar
Dress : Formal –Black Tie or dark suit

GERM REVEALS ‘ROTARY SERVING HUMANITY’ AS 2016-17 PRESIDENTIAL THEME

Rotary International President-elect John F. Germ announces his presidential theme 'Rotary Serving Humanity.'
Rotary’s founder, Paul Harris, believed that serving humanity is “the most worthwhile thing a person can do,” RI President-elect John F. Germ said, and that being a part of Rotary is a “great opportunity” to make that happen.
Germ unveiled the 2016-17 presidential theme, Rotary Serving Humanity, to incoming district governors on 18 January at the International Assembly in San Diego, California, USA.
“I believe everyone recognizes the opportunity to serve Rotary for what it truly is: not a small opportunity, but a great one; an opportunity of a lifetime to change the world for the better, forever through Rotary’s service to humanity,” said Germ.
Rotary members around the globe are serving humanity by providing clean water to underdeveloped communities, promoting peace in conflict areas, and strengthening communities through basic education and literacy. But none more important than our work to eradicate polio worldwide, he said.
After a historic year in which transmission of the wild poliovirus was stopped in Nigeria and all of Africa, Germ said we are closer than ever to ending polio.
“We are at a crossroads in Rotary,” he added. “We are looking ahead at a year that may one day be known as the greatest year in Rotary’s history: the year that sees the world’s last case of polio.”
Last year’s milestones leave just two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan, where the virus still circulates. Polio would be only the second human disease ever to be eradicated.
When that moment arrives, it’s “tremendously important” that Rotary is ready for it, said Germ. “We need to be sure that we are recognized for that success, and leverage that success into more partnerships, greater growth, and even more ambitious service in the decades to come.”
Germ, a member of the Rotary Club of Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA, encouraged attendees to return to their clubs and communities and spread the word about Rotary’s role in the fight for a polio-free world.
“People who want to do good will see that Rotary is a place where they can change the world. Every Rotary club needs to be ready to give them that opportunity,” Germ said.
Enhancing Rotary’s image isn’t the only way to boost membership. “We need clubs that are flexible, so our service will be more attractive to younger members, recent retirees, and working people.”
He added: “We need more willing hands, more caring hearts, and more bright minds to move our work forward.”

Monday, 1 February 2016

Edward James-Smith, Vocational Service Awards, Rotary Careers Day, Rotary & Gender and RAGE!

Last Week
It was our belated AGM and we got through the business relatively quickly.  I'm not going to dwell on it as you will receive the minutes in due course.

This Week
Our speaker is Edward James-Smith who will talk on The Role of the Civil Service in a Democracy.
Edward was educated at Rondebosch Prep School and St Andrew's School, Bloemfontein.  
He graduated with a BSc in Biochemistry and Microbiology from the University of the Free State and then acquired an MSc, Technology and Socio-Economic Studies at the University of Roskilde, Denmark, graduating in 2005.  He subsequently worked for Ramboll and Ea Energy Analysis specialising in electrical energy policy and planning before moving to the Danish Energy Agency in Copenhagen as an Adviser to the Danish Minister of Energy.  He lives in Espergærde, Frederiksborg, Denmark with Tina Sommer Kristensen who is a Climate-Change Specialist and they have two children.

Rotary Club of Rosebank Johannesburg Vocational Service Awards
This is a very special meeting when our Club recognises people who exemplify the Rotary Motto of Service Above Self by using their vocation as a platform for the service of their community.  The award goes to those who have never been recognised for what they do and Melodene Stonestreet, Chairman of Vocational Service, and her committee will present these special people to us and honour them personally.

Rotary Careers Morning Saturday 27th February
We are really making good progress here with Grade 12 learners from 5 participating schools.  We currently have 19 different Career Bases plus 4 Tertiary Institutions.  many thanks to Club members who have volunteered their services and expertise.


Rotary Anns' 100 Club  
Some of the Rotarians have very kindly already bought tickets to support our fund-raising this year for which we thank you most sincerely.  We still have 8 tickets to sell at R360 for the year and you will be in the draw to win R350 or R150 every month, with big prizes at the end of the year (September) of up to R5000!  If anyone is interested, please would they contact President Shirley.

Rotary & Gender
Rotary’s policy on gender equality is absolutely clear. Yet nearly one-fifth of our clubs today continue to exclude women, usually by claiming that they simply cannot find women who are qualified for membership. 
I would say that any Rotarian who makes this argument, or believes it, lacks the two most basic qualifications for Rotary membership: honesty and good sense. 
Equality for women is not just a nice extra. It is absolutely essential to our service, to our future. If we don’t put it front and centre, we are dead in the water before we even begin. A club that shuts out women shuts out much more than half the talent, half the ability, and half the connections it should have. It closes out the perspectives that are essential to serving families and communities effectively. It damages not only its own service, but our entire organization, by reinforcing the stereotypes that limit us the most. It makes our partners take us less seriously. And it makes all of Rotary less attractive to potential members, especially the younger people who are so crucial to our future. 

Endangered Species
Click on here to visit their website RAGE  Rage is Australia based and this is one of  the projects they support.
We appreciate any help or support you can provide towards our efforts to helping endangered species by supporting our projects in partnership with Roots & Shoots Kenya, the Chipembere Rhino Foundation in South Africa and the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya. 
SAVE OUR RHINO SOUTH AFRICA.
The project of the Rotary Club of Kenton-on-Sea in South Africa:
Rotary Kenton takes up the challenge to save the Rhino. In existence for over 50-million years, rhinos are global symbols of nature’s right to life –  the shocking plight of rhinos led to the  Rotary Club of Kenton on Sea donating Rand 23,250 to Brent Cooke of theChipembere Rhino Foundation for tracking collars. At the handover of the cheque, world renowned veterinarian and expert on rhino conservation, Dr William Fowlds, talked about the fight to save the Kariega rhinos after the brutal poaching attack on them. When asked what the Kenton Rotary Club could do to help, he answered “create awareness across the world.”
Rhino poaching has reached a crisis point, and if the high levels of poaching continue, rhino populations will be seriously affected. In South Africa if the killing continues at this high rate, we could see rhino deaths overtaking births in 2016-2018, meaning rhinos could become extinct in the very near future.
Somewhere in the bush a rhino nudges and nuzzles her newborn calf, blissfully unaware of the frenzy she’s created. In the darkest of times, she unknowingly gave us something so beautiful and tender-hope. Simply by choosing to survive, by going on each day, and by being..well, a rhino. Thank you Thandi. We will not give up.
RAGES July 2ThandiDr Fowlds of Kariega Game Reserve and  Wildlife Veterinary Surgeon, comments: “I am sure that the whole rhino caring community will share in the joy of this amazing birth. Thandi’s story has always been an incredible testimony of the will to survive against all odds. She represents so much of what her species faces under the current poaching crisis. Her survival has already given us inspiration but the birth of her calf brings a new dimension of hope to the crisis showing us that a future generation of life is possible if we put our minds and hearts to it.”
South Africa has the largest population of rhinos in the world. However, figures compiled by the South African Department of Environmental Affairs show a dramatic escalation in the number of rhinos being poached. During 2014 a staggering 1116 rhinos were killed. Over the past five years 3569 rhinos have died at the hands of poachers.
Together with the Rotary Club of Kenton-on-Sea South Africa and our Projects Director Jo Wilmot, we are developing Rhino International Survival Kits or RISK Boxes.  These boxes or kits will be available for Rotary and Rotaract Clubs and Districts to support.
DSCN2601
These RISK Boxes will contain equipment that will go to various projects engaged in the protection and survival of rhinos in areas of South Africa that are currently under attack by well organised poaching gangs and syndicates.
RAGES is looking at sourcing these RISK Boxes in the area of most need so as to keep the economic benefits in that country.  These RISK Boxes will start at US$500 for the entry level.  There are three other levels that will be available.
*BRONZE RISK BOX LEVEL 1     US$500
*SILVER RISK BOX LEVEL 2   US$1,500
*GOLD RISK BOX LEVEL 3      US$5,000
*A full list of what is contained in each level of the RISK Boxes will be made available on our RAGES web site and via our newsletters.