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.

Monday 22 June 2020

Last Week
It was a Business Meeting and here you can see John Symons, in the middle, giving a financial breakdown for the end of the Rotary Year.  Each member of the board gave a brief résumée of the year but we will have to wait for the Induction this week to hear who is on the new board and what their responsibilities are.

Despite Covid-19 a lot has been achieved by the club and by individual members and though we have lost members at the end of the Rotary year it's not catastrophic and we are gaining some virtual members which will practically close the gap.

This Week

It's the Virtual Induction of Ann Hope-Bailie as our President on Friday evening...6:00pm.
Invitations have been sent out.
Who the President Elect will be to follow her?  We will only find out on the night. This will mean a straight run of 4 years for woman Presidents. Is it going to be 5?



Both Jean Bernardo and Ann Hope-Bailie will be members of the District Youth Committee from 1st July.

Quite a number of us, Jean and myself as AG's and others will be attending a number of on-line Inductions over the next few weeks. I am starting off with Germiston on Thursday.  It will be interesting to make comparisons as any dress code will only be from the waist up!  Whatever you do don't stand up...just sneak out sideways!

Next week's Ramble will be my last one but it will mean that the everything for July will be up to date before I fade into the sunset.

Rotary Great Britain & Ireland are pleased to announce a 12-month partnership with Carers UK. Launching in time for Carers Week the partnership will help make caring visible across the country; working with Rotary members and volunteers to raise awareness of caring and Carers UK.



There are an estimated 6.5 million carers in the UK, supporting a loved one who is older, disabled or seriously ill. With 65% of people likely to care in their lifetime, this is something that will affect almost all of us, often more than once.
Caring is such an important part of life. It’s simply part of being human. Carers are holding families together, enabling loved ones to get the most out of life, making an enormous contribution to society and saving the economy billions of pounds.
Now more than ever it is vital to raise awareness of caring and the work of Carers UK. At Carers UK, we support carers across the UK:
  • Providing expert advice, information and support through our website, helpline, and publications
  • Connecting people through our online forum and community volunteers, making sure no-one has to care alone
  • Supporting employers to make sure carers are able to balance work and caring
  • Campaigning for lasting societal change in areas that make a difference for carers
Our partnership will enable us to reach many more carers though Rotary in Great Britain & Ireland’s active membership and networks, increasing individuals understanding of what support is available to them and connecting carers across the UK, and to raise awareness of caring and Carers UK.
Rotary Carers UK Ambassadors will help spread the word at a time when many carers are providing more care than ever due to the current crisis. Connecting with carers and supporting them is key to our partnership.
We want to ensure that this relationship is reciprocal and raises awareness of the support Carers UK offer unpaid carers nationwide, as well as promoting the community-driven, volunteer-led impact Rotary delivers.
Our partnership will enable us to reach many more carers though Rotary in Great Britain & Ireland’s active membership and networks

Amanda Watkin, General Secretary of Rotary in Great Britain & Ireland:

“Rotary in Great Britain & Ireland is extremely excited to be embarking on a 12-month partnership with Carers UK. At Rotary we are focused on two principles: making a difference and making connections.
It is so important to recognise the contribution millions of unpaid carers make in society, and raise awareness of the sacrifices they make and challenges they face. Rotary is proud to be pledging our support so that carers have a voice, as well as access to the support and connections they need.”
We want to ensure that this relationship is reciprocal and raises awareness of the support Carers UK offer unpaid carers nationwide, as well as promoting the community-driven, volunteer-led impact Rotary delivers.

Helen Walker, Chief Executive of Carers UK:

“Rotary’s active membership  of 1 700 clubs across the country will enable us to reach many more carers at this crucial time, and beyond. We are really excited to be developing and delivering a year of activity with Rotary, an organisation dedicated to tackling some of society’s biggest issues at a local and national level.”

Monday 15 June 2020

A Social Meeting last week, Discon, Business Meeting Rotary's On-line Learning Centre

Last Week



It was an entertaining social meeting with funny stories and a video of Momo, our long-term Rotary exchange student's experiences in Thailand under lockdown.  She was one of only three students who opted to stay and she said how pleased she is that she made that decision because it has been such a special time with her host family.  She is obviously really enjoying herself and learning so much...including Thai. 
Discon
DG Maurice Stander
Saturday saw the Zoom Discon and it went without a hitch which says a lot for the organisation.  It was a bit like the proverbial curate's egg where content was concerned but the highlights were definitely outgoing District Governor Maurice Stander's comments on his year and the awards he made as well as the induction of our new DG Annemarie Mostert and her response.
We were delighted that one of our members, District Treasurer, Kevin Wolhuter received two sapphire pins for his Paul Harris as it is richly deserved.
I was very pleased that Maurice recognised so generously the work done by Rotarians who have served on District for a longtime as their contribution is often invisible to club members and because the District Governor is only in that position for a year, often a long term contribution tends not to be recognised.

DG Annemarie Mostert..from the 1st July.
Maurice began the work of trying to turn District 9400 in a different direction only to find that many plans were delayed by Covid-19 though, on the other hand, the pandemic has also accelerated change .
Annemarie Mostert definitely intends building on that and moving the District forward even more but the problem any District Governor has is that implementing change is a bit like trying to turn the Titanic round and they are only there for a year.
We are fortunate that Annemarie's progressive approach will be followed up by Stella Anyangwe in 2021/22 so that the three year period, with foundations laid by past District Governors, will hopefully make a radical change to our membership in terms of growth and the way our District functions.  We must be open minded and give District our undivided support.

This Week
It's a Business Meeting just after the joint meeting of the old and new board so it will be interesting to see what change is afoot.  We should have the same approach as District has to people not being in the same position for more than three years.  The following Friday is the induction of Ann Hope-Bailie as our President for 2020/21.


Stay connected through Rotary’s online Learning Centre

Rotary Connects the World — that is Rotary President Mark Daniel Maloney’s theme, and despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, Rotarians are continuing to connect with one another and the world. Rotary’s new Action Plan calls on us to increase our ability to adapt — and members are coming up with innovative ways to serve their communities and create opportunities for fellowship. Many clubs are meeting online for the first time, reimagining fund-raisers and other events, and reinventing planned service projects.
Rotary’s online Learning Centre has resources that can help you stay connected to the organization and to one another. Instead of a meeting one week, for instance, everyone in your club might choose a topic to learn more about and then report back to the other members. You might even decide to develop a webinar using Rotary tips and resources. “The Learning Centre courses could be used for general knowledge and for brainstorming, action planning, and idea sharing,” says Kimberly Kouame, learning resources manager at Rotary International.
Often, the first time Rotarians use the Learning Centre is when they are elected to a club office. But with more than 600 courses in over a dozen languages (including more than 80 in English), the Learning Center has something to interest every Rotarian. Here are a few to pique your interest; find them all at rotary.org/learn.

COURSES

Is Your Club Healthy?
When your club isn’t able to meet in person, it can be a challenge to keep
members engaged. Now might be an ideal time to assess the state of your club and ask members what is working for them and what isn’t.
Your Membership Plan
Perhaps you’ve been thinking about creating a long-term membership plan. This course offers a helpful worksheet and step-by-step guidelines for crafting a strong future for your club.
Building a Diverse Club
In line with Rotary’s focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, this course can help you expand your club’s membership to include people from different walks of life.
Committing to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
This course offers a closer look at Rotary’s DEI statement and how you can put those values into action.
Practising Flexibility and Innovation
This course guides you through some of the ways your club can be innovative, with advice on subjects such as setting up satellite clubs.
Kick-Start Your New Member Orientation
If your club has had trouble retaining new members, with people joining only to leave a few years later, this course can help. Get tips on how to make sure your new members feel welcome and engaged.
All About Rotary Peace Fellowships
Perhaps you know someone who might be a good candidate for a Rotary Peace Fellowship and you want to be able to talk knowledgeably about the program. Or maybe you would like your club to be more involved. This course will give you information on Rotary’s Peace Centers and the requirements and deadlines for applicants.
Building Rotary’s Public Image
Rotarians are people of action, and we want the world to know what we are accomplishing. But how can you get the message out? This course will teach you how to build awareness of Rotary and its work.

Planning Your Projects: Service Projects Committee
This course is designed for people serving on a club service projects committee, but anyone can benefit from the ideas about how to carry out effective projects — with tips on doing a community needs assessment and executing the project.
Rotary Foundation Basics
The Rotary Foundation is central to Rotary’s work in the world. This course will walk you through the century-long history of the Foundation and its role in grant-making, supporting polio eradication efforts, and funding the Rotary Peace Centers.
Becoming an Effective Facilitator
Develop your leadership skills for Rotary and beyond through this course, which guides you on how to effectively work with a team to define and achieve objectives.
Mentoring Basics
Mentoring has always been one of the cornerstones of Rotary. This course identifies the traits of a good mentor and suggests some best practices to make sure your mentoring relationship is beneficial to all concerned.
Essentials of Understanding Conflict
We’ve all had to deal with interpersonal conflict, whether the issues are small (who sits at which table at the meeting?) or large (what are our club’s priorities?). This course gives you tools to understand different types of conflict and describes conflict management styles.
Leading Change
Change is hard, especially in a collaborative organization. This course offers ideas on how to lead a group of people through organizational change, how to assess people’s readiness for change, and how to deal with resistance to change.
• Illustrations by Anders Wenngren

Monday 8 June 2020

Melanie Walker, a Social Meeting, Online Discon and Brian Leech RIP


Last Week
 I completely forgot Rotary last week and it was only after receiving a screenshot from President Jean and wondering what it was that I clicked.  One of our members also forgot a meeting and now sets the alarm every Friday for the meeting time!  Many days are much like the others and if you are particularly busy on that day, as I was last Friday, then it's easy to miss the meeting.  It was particularly heinous as I had been asked to introduce Melanie Walker.  My apologies to you all.


Thanks to our President here's what she talked about:

She gave us a run down on living in lockdown – how it has impacted her income, her work attempting to curb the incidence of shot-hole borer and put a halt to the recording of a new gardening program.
She strongly urges us to start growing our own vegetables to support us as life is so uncertain. Interestingly, she found a lot of bartering going on amongst neighbours and friends – she has a peppadew bush and her family are not fond of peppadews, and these have been a great bartering commodity.
A retired plastic surgeon has joined her in her fight against the shot-hole borer and come up with a concoction which seems to be keeping it at bay.
Melanie is a cheerful, interesting and entertaining speaker, and as you can see from the Zoom photo, she had us all smiling.

From Melanie:
Have attached short blurb and cover pic of my book. I’m happy to take orders and sign them individually and get them through to the Club for dispersement!
Usually R350 in store, am doing autographed copies at R300. Let me know if anyone is interested.


This Week
It's a social meeting and Saturday is the online Discon.  If you haven't registered it's at 12:00 and you still can.  Everyone will have received an email from District.


Brian Leech
Sadly, Brian Leech died on Sunday after 42 years as a Rotarian.  I have created a separate page for tributes on the main page so I will not need to edit them. Yours will be there. 

Latterly Brian's big interest has been the promotion of play pumps in rural areas which he and Roger Lloyd, as chairman of Community Service, have been adept at promoting within the club.  Thanks to them working togetherthe club has managed to install seven play pumps.  In March 2017 Brian visited the latest two sites in the Northern Cape to see how the pumps were functioning and the results.  He reported back to the board and here is an extract from one of his reports.  





2.    KEATLHOLELA PS

KEATLHOLELA IS A PRIMARY SCHOOL 45 KM EAST OF KURUMAN. THERE ARE 187 LEARNERS AND 7 EDUCATORS. WATER USED TO BE ACCESSED FROM A BOREHOLE AT THE SCHOOL BUT THE PUMP HASN’T WORKED FOR SEVERAL YEARS SO WATER WAS OBTAINED FROM THE COMMUNITY BOREHOLE ONE DAY A WEEK. THE SCHOOL HAD TO SEND A DONKEY CART TO FETCH THE WATER. 

BEYOND THE GREEN TANK A VEGETABLE GARDEN HAD BEEN STARTED AND AMONG OTHER THINGS GROWING WAS  A GRAPE VINE. IN THE FAR DISTANCE FRUIT TREES WERE ALSO BEING IRRIGATED.  TO THE LEFT OF THE PLAYPUMP AROUND THE BASE AND IN THE SHADE OF THE TREE THE SCHOOL HAD PLANTED ONIONS. ALL IN ALL THE PLAY PUMP IS BEING WELL USED AND THE SCHOOL IS VERY GRATEFUL TO HAVE IT. 


That Brian is your memorial.  Requiscat in Pace

Monday 1 June 2020

Lorna Wridgeway and a Link with Toastmasters, Making Masks in Alexandra, Madiba Buggies, Melanie Walker & Rotaract into the Future

Last Week






















As you can see, 26 participants last week which is the average for a normal meeting.

Our speaker was Lorna Wridgeway of The Sage Toastmasters Club.
She gave us an insight into the cooperation that was envisaged by the link between Toastmasters International and Rotary International about which we knew practically nothing.
Toastmasters is more than improving speaking skills it is also involved in Leadership Training and there we have some synergy as both organisations have training schemes in that regard but very different approaches.  She hoped that we would be able to support each other in the future and would find areas of cooperation socially as well.

Here's the embryo mask factory at work in Alexandra...an initiative of Jeannette Horner.  Hopefully it will develop into something sustainable after the need for masks evaporates.






Here's an example of the Madiba buggies that Community Service are busy with.  Jerry Bernardo and Costa Qually are the ones who have really worked hard on this project.  The buggies are designed for small children with disabilities.











This Week
Our speaker is Melanie Walker.  She last spoke to us just over a year ago when her subject was the infamous Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer Beetle that was a tremendous treat to our urban forest.
As you can see it's smaller than a sesame seed.  Fortunately South African scientists have found a way of treating the trees as you have probably noticed when driving around.

I don't know what she is going to talk about this time though if you are of a certain age you will remember that she became famous  on television for doing apparently dangerous things such as jumping out of aeroplanes.  Now she is more of a gardener and that includes writing  for SA Garden and Home,  scriptwriting and researching for a couple of shows on DSTV (including Studio 53 – lifestyle and entertainment show that goes out on M-Net Africa); scriptwriting and doing voice-overs for Bike SA TV; organising the Momentum 94.7 Cycle Challenge Experience; teaching on Show Garden Design at Lifestyle College.

I am not sure whether there will be a meeting next week because Saturday will be Discon On-line.  I imagine we will be having a Social Meeting.  The following week it's Virtual Induction Day.



The ongoing evolution of Rotaract is redefining its place within Rotary. “It’s a new era,” says one enthusiastic Rotaractor

At midnight on 30 June, hundreds of Rotaractors will ring in the new Rotary year together. They’ll also be celebrating Rotaract’s ongoing evolution, including the expansion of Rotary membership to include Rotaract clubs.
A countdown celebration is scheduled for the last night of Interota 2020, Rotaract’s triennial convention, which will be held in Hong Kong next month.
“It’s really exciting,” says Ignacio González, a member of the Rotaract Club of Oriente de Talca in Chile. Until recently, Rotaractors have been considered Rotary program participants. “Now,” says González, who serves on the Elevate Rotaract Task Force, “we are a part of Rotary. It’s a new era for Rotaract.”
Rotary President Mark Daniel Maloney and President-elect Holger Knaack, strong champions of Rotaract, will be at Interota this year. It may be the first time a presidential changeover ceremony has taken place at a Rotaract event.
Rotaract’s elevated status within the organization was approved by Rotary’s Council on Legislation in 2019 as part of an ongoing effort to make Rotary more appealing and welcoming to young professionals. “We keep telling Rotarians to find a way to bring in young people, when we have them already and we seem to forget them,” says 2018-19 Rotary President Barry Rassin. It was Rassin who formally proposed expanding the definition of Rotary membership to include both Rotary and Rotaract.
After the Council approved revising the RI Constitution and Bylaws to include Rotaract as a membership type, the Elevate Rotaract Task Force — made up of both Rotaractors and Rotarians — was formed and began surveying members to come up with policy recommendations for the transition. “We’re hearing from Rotaractors all over the world,” says David D. Stovall, RI treasurer and chair of the task force.
On the advice of the task force, the RI Board of Directors in October approved several changes to Rotaract — the most notable being the removal of Rotaract’s upper age limit. As of 1 July, members of Rotaract will no longer be required to leave their club when they turn 31. Clubs will still be able to set their own age limit, if they wish.  
Elyse Lin, a member of the Rotaract Club of Taipei Tin Harbour in Taiwan who is also on the task force, says the age limit was an obstacle for Rotaract members who wanted to stay involved with Rotary but either didn’t feel ready for a traditional Rotary club or found the expense of joining one out of reach. “Once those members leave, it’s very hard to get them back into the Rotary family,” Lin notes. Although some Rotaract alumni continue to participate in Rotaract events, she says, they often no longer feel like a true part of the organization. With the rules change, she predicts some recent alumni will rejoin Rotaract. 
Other changes: New Rotaract clubs won’t have to rely on a Rotary club to sponsor them; they can now sponsor themselves or choose another Rotaract club as their sponsor. And Rotaractors are now eligible — and encouraged — to serve alongside Rotarians on district and RI committees. “Elevate Rotaract is really a call for a closer partnership between Rotary and Rotaract,” explains Clement Chinaza Owuamalam, a member of the Rotaract Club of Apo, Nigeria, who serves on the task force. 
Rotaract clubs will also gain more support from Rotary International, including access to administrative tools on My Rotary and the option to subscribe to the digital edition of The Rotarian magazine. As the transition from Rotary program to membership type gets underway, the Trustees of The Rotary Foundation also plan to discuss whether Rotaract clubs should be eligible to apply for Foundation grants. 
One thing Rotaractors are looking for, says Ronald S. Kawaddwa, a member of the Rotary Club of Kasangati, Uganda, is more professional development opportunities. To meet this demand, a leadership training program Rotary is rolling out with Toastmasters will also be available to Rotaract members. “At age 30, you are launching your professional career,” says Kawaddwa, who is on the task force. “If Rotaract provides a better package in terms of professional development, that adds value.”
In 2022, annual dues of $5 per person for university-based Rotaract clubs and $8 for community-based clubs will be introduced to cover the cost of additional support for Rotaract clubs. RI will work to develop and promote alternative funding sources to help Rotaractors pay dues, including fundraising opportunities.
Kawaddwa says that shifting the public perception of Rotary is particularly important to attracting more young people in his region. “On the African continent, most of the population is below the age of 30,” he says. “If Rotary remained the way it was, it would soon become irrelevant.”
Letting Rotaract members stay in their clubs longer gives them more time to learn about Rotary, Kawaddwa adds. “We hope that these changes will produce stronger Rotarians, members who have served longer and gotten more experience and mentorship while in Rotaract.”

Monday 25 May 2020

A Business Meeting,our first Prospective Virtual Member, Lorna Wridgeway of Toastmasters & Rotary and Covid-19 in Kenya.

Last Week

Masego Matiko
It was a Business Meeting but there was little business to discuss, primarily because we are coming to the end of the Rotary Year and owing to lockdown cancellations of our Art Festival and various social functions.  There was discussion on the mask-making project which is turning into entrepreneurship and job creation in Alex. but it will be next year's board that will need to think creatively where projects are concerned as we have no idea what the corona virus situation will be long term.
Lozenzo Locatelli-Rossi a
Given Mahlaba
James Croswell talked about his position as Chairman of the District Health Education & Wellness Committee next Rotary Year and he would be approaching healthy people, presumably, to be on the committee from across the District.

We had three visitors, PP Lozenzo Locatelli-Rossi from Italy, a past member and a prospective Virtual Member, our Rotary Exchange Student, Masego Matiko and a first time visitor, Given Mahlaba.


This Week
Our speaker this week is Lorna Wridgeway who is a socal worker and lectures on social work at UJ.  She joined Toastmasters in 2018  and belongs to the Sages Club in Emmarentia.   As a relatively new member it will be interesting to hear what she has to say.  Rotary and Toastmasters ahave established a working relationship at an international level and, as a club, we are encouraged to establish contact locally.


Rotary clubs in East Africa are forging partnerships to provide hand washing stations and food in areas where social distancing is a luxury that few can afford



Almost 80 percent of the population in Nairobi, Kenya, lives in informal settlements where it’s not unusual for families of day labourers to live together in one house. Surviving day to day on the meager wages they typically earn as shop assistants, construction workers, or domestic employees, as many as eight people cook, do homework, eat, and sleep in these tight quarters.
In short, social distancing is a luxury that many poor Kenyans can’t afford.
“If the [COVID-19] pandemic hits here, like it has in North America and other places, it will be just catastrophic” because of the inability to social distance, says Geeta Manek, a Rotary Foundation trustee-elect and member of the Rotary Club of Muthaiga, Kenya. “We’re working very hard, through preventative measures, desperately trying to keep this thing away from us.”
Shortly after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, Joe Otin, governor of Rotary District 9212 (Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, and South Sudan), formed a district-wide response team. Chaired by Nairobi-East Rotarian Joe Kamau, the team is working with clubs across the district to provide hand washing stations, deliver food to families who have lost jobs, and raise money for personal protective equipment.
“When [Kamau] asked what we wanted to do first, we said let’s go with hand washing stations,” says Manek, a member of the response team.
Manek led a fundraising effort in Ethiopia and Kenya that raised more than $21,000 within 20 days. Prime Bank in Kenya offered to match all contributions 1-to-1. The team used the money to purchase 100 water tanks and then persuaded the supplier to donate an additional 100. The 100-litre tanks rest on metal stands and have brass taps at the bottom and ledges for soap. The response team has distributed these hand washing stations in Kilifi, Mombasa, and Nairobi and is now working with national health departments to decide who to help next. The tanks are being refilled by trucks, but local authorities are also discussing ways to pipe in water.
The Rotary Community Corps, groups of non-Rotarians who work alongside Rotary members on service projects, are teaching people effective hand washing techniques, counting the number of times people come back to wash their hands, and collecting other data. Clubs are also partnering with Shofco, a grassroots organization that provides critical services, advocacy, and education for girls and women in Kenya’s urban slums, to monitor the stations.
The response team is also using the stations to ask people coming to wash their hands for information about families who are short of food. Manek says work-from-home orders made it impossible for day laborers to earn a living. Clubs have distributed packages of sugar, maize meal, rice, lentils, salt, and soap.
Purchasing personal protective equipment for frontline health care workers has been more difficult. Manek says they’ve been able to negotiate with vendors and donors to get some surgical masks and gowns, but supplies are scarce and much of it is available only by airlift, which makes it too expensive.
If there is a positive side to the crisis, it’s been the way it has energized Rotarians and attracted the attention of partnering organizations.
“We’ve been the first ones on the ground,” Manek says. “We’re getting invitations from corporate partners like banks and insurance companies who are seeing what we’re doing and want to work with us.”

Monday 18 May 2020

Jerry Selwane, a Business Meeting and Shredding as an Environmentally-Friendly Fund Raiser

Last Week
 Jerry Selwane spoke to us about Soweto Animal Rescue.  There was a lot about it in last week's Ramble so I am not going to repeat it.  Jerry spoke about the problems that they experience in the townships and rural areas and how often there is a degree of intimidation.  He sees his vocation as educative as well as dealing with rescued animals.  Owing to lockdown there are increasing numbers of abandoned animals which increases the demands on such organisations as his and obviously the SPCA.
 We had a very good Zoom turnout with 28 people present including a number of visitors:
Visiting Rotarians:                                            Rotary Anns :
Nigel Bellamy - Selibe Pikwe                            Diana Serrurier                       

Rita Millan - Kyalami                                         Liz Short
Rainer Bertram - Zambia                                    Margie Austin
Ann Townsend - Brisbane                                  Penny Robinson     

I am sure we are going to find that more and more Rotarians and others will join us on line.

This Week
It's a Business Meeting.  I think we will discover that there are other ways of serving the community that we have never thought about before.  Covid-19 provides us with opportunities we haven't really digested yet and others we haven't even thought about.  It's very necessary to discuss the way forward.

Why no items on Covid-19?  I think that you hear so much about it that something different would be a change.....see below.
The Rotary Club of New Milford, Connecticut, has been shredding for over a decade. So has the Rotary Club of Madison, New Jersey, which hosts two events a year. Every summer, the Rotary Club of Grand Island, New York, is out there shredding, and in the spring and fall the Rotary Club of West Seneca, New York, gets to work. You can shred with the Rotary Club of Encinitas, California, or the Rotary Club of Owatonna, Minnesota. The first shredding day held by the Rotary Club of Great Falls, Montana, was so successful that the club added another one four months later.

One problem many people face when they try to declutter and get organized is how to get rid of sensitive documents — old bills, bank statements, and the rest of the detritus that builds up in home filing cabinets. In an era of identity theft, people are cautious about what they throw in their garbage or recycling.
Carmela and Hal Moeller, members of the Rotary Club of Madison and former business owners, were thinking about their customers’ privacy when they came up with the idea of a document shredding fundraiser. “When my husband and I were closing down our bookstore, credit card receipts were still printed with the entire account number. Obviously, the threat of identity theft was great,” Carmela Moeller says. “We were using a home shredder to destroy the receipts. When we learned about commercial shredding companies, we thought of our Rotary club doing this as a fundraiser.” Document shredding events became a fixture on the club’s calendar. “People were invited to watch their documents destroyed. It became like a neighbourhood block party.”
The idea has obvious appeal. When The Rotarian ran a brief item in 2010 about the Rotary Club of New Milford’s document shredding event, the club started hearing from other Rotarians seeking to adopt the idea. “It generated inquiries from Rotary clubs as far away as Australia,” recalls New Milford Rotarian Arthur Klein. Since then, the idea has taken hold in many Rotary clubs.
The events are a hit with the community and an easy way to raise awareness of Rotary. “Cars line up a half-hour before it begins, and it runs like a well-oiled machine for three hours,” says Klein. “People love having a place to bring their documents to be destroyed securely and cost-effectively. They also love the idea of saving trees and landfill space since the shredding is recycled.”                                                             
                                                                            
                                                                            


Tuesday 12 May 2020

Isabella Holden of Lifeline, Packing Food Parcels, Soweto Animal Rescue and an Innovative New Rotary Club




The problem with Zoom meetings is that everyone looks as if they are the accused at Nuremberg....count the smiles.

Last Week
Isabella Holden, Executive Director of Lifeline, gave us talk on everything that Lifeline is involved with and, generally speaking, it's anybody that has problems and needs counselling as well as companies and organisations that require assistance with counselling or training internally.

What has made a huge difference is electronic and social media.  I suppose the image of Lifeline tends to be Lifeline at the end of a telephone line without any thought to who is phoning up.  It's pretty obvious that the other person is not phoning from a public call box!  No, so much is done on WhatsApp with the counsellor sitting at home and it's free.

It was a very impressive talk and we were amazed at the variety of the work done and also the lack of geographical boundaries.

Food Parcels

As you read in Jean's column packing of food parcels took place last week and finished during the Rotary meeting.  200 were produced and the beneficiaries were:

  • Gracepoint Church
  • Rosettenville Baptist Church
  • Northcliff High School
  • Boeregemeenskap Transvaal

Rotary Exchange Student Masego Matiko in Thailand
Every month Momo has to send in a report.  So far we have received April and a project she has been involved with.  I have set up a page so that you can read and at the same time, see, what she is up to and what a good ambassador she is for the club and Rotary International.

A Word from the Anns
Life under lockdown has highlighted how important a part the whole fellowship aspect of Rotary is.  We have missed two monthly meetings.  But thank goodness for the Rotary Anns’  chat group on WhatsAapp!  We only got it going in 2020 and it has been most useful in this isolated time.  We have exchanged business news, but also shared some inspiring videos and writings.  The next step is to get going with Zoom as Rotary has.

Reluctantly we have cancelled the fundraising Bridge Drive scheduled for 13 May and in the true spirit of Rotary most of the ‘tables’ have opted to donate the money they had paid to book, to charity.  So some of the money will go to the Animal Shelter in Soweto but some will go to hunger relief in this very fraught time among the poor and unemployed.  
To any Rotarians who had planned to donate prizes  for the Bridge Drive, thank you for your generosity.  Perhaps next year.  .. . ..
Liz Short has collected a lot of knitted items from various knitters who support the Anns projects and we have decided that they need to be out the warming people who would otherwise be very cold.  We contacted the Gift of the Givers who will collect and distribute the stuff where it is needed.  
To any who are reading this we send love and best wishes for your safety and good health as we adjust to all the changes that will need to be made to the new ‘normal’.

This Week
Our speaker is Jerry Selwane who started Soweto Animal Rescue


Selwane is a former SPCA inspector who now runs his own animal rehabilitation centre, the Soweto Animal Rescue and Advisory Centre (SARAC), from his Zuurbekom home, South of Johannesburg, which he established in 2011.
He has many kennels full of healthy dogs that he rescued from negligent owners, he has hectares of space he intends to put to good use in the future.
It is all part of his dream to give back through education and prosecute those who disregard animal rights.
His dream is to turn a part of his home into a fully fledged animal clinic, while continuing with his plans to run a mobile clinic so that he can take his work to communities in and around Soweto.
There was the time when Selwane got hold of a YouTube video where a man was beating up his goat for the supposed “crime” of eating his maize crops. Selwane did not see this viral video as just another video. Armed with his best private investigative skills, acquired through years of practice, he went out of his way to find and apprehend the man who had shown terrible cruelty to an animal.
“I could not sit and fold my arms. I drove 600km to Tonga and spoke to the person who had posted the video. After a few phone calls, l finally tracked down the person responsible for the worst form of animal abuse.”
With the help of the police, Selwane was able to apprehend the culprit, who was charged, and later fined and told to apologise for his behaviour.
Not one to wait for hand-outs, Selwane continues educating young people about caring for animals.
He has recruited his wife and three sons to spread the word. But his other soldiers are young people who constantly keep an eye out for lost and neglected animals in their communities. He calls these spirited soldiers Jerry’s Rangers, and says teaching young people about animal care is more immediately effective than rehabilitating older minds about the importance of taking care of animals.
For their efforts in reporting animal neglect and abuse, Jerry’s Rangers are rewarded with colouring books, pens and pencils.
“While it is important to reform old habits through speaking, teaching and motivating older people, there is no greater comfort than teaching young people, as they are the future and receptive to new information – more than old people who are set in their ways.”
His vision is to educate and change people’s attitudes towards animals by teaching the young the value of animal care, and making them aware of how wrong it is to be cruel to those without a voice.
Once a month I try to include a relevant innovative new club hoping that it might strike a chord with someone who receives The Ramble.
Rotary Club of New Voices, District 7780
Chartered: 2019
Original membership: 22
Membership: 37
Camp fires: Every year, dozens of District 7780’s Rotary Youth Leadership Awards alumni ages 17 to 27 return to Camp Hinds near Portland, Maine, to serve as staff. The Rotarians who oversee the program created a Rotary club tailored to these RYLA champions, with the operation of the four-day summer camp as a central part of its mission. Club members get invaluable experience in matters such as applying for grants.
Club innovation: The club, with a widely scattered membership, relies on digital tools to connect. There is a monthly online meeting, and members conduct frequent chats using the Google Hangouts app. The club is tailored to RYLA alumni but is open to all.
Phil Giordano, a member of the Rotary Club of Scarborough, Maine, and the executive director of the Camp Hinds RYLA, noticed the chemistry among program alumni who serve as camp staff. “Instead of just coming together one week out of the year, they started getting together many times during the year,” he says. “They wanted to do more and be more.” So he broached the subject of chartering a Rotary club tailored to them. “I started texting, and within 15 minutes I had 10 to 15 people wanting to start.” He and Marty Helman, a past district governor and member of the Rotary Club of Boothbay Harbor, Maine, saw an opportunity to create a club built around these highly engaged members of the Rotary family.
“Rotary has some absolutely marvelous youth programs,” says Helman, a staunch proponent of Rotary’s evolution. But once the program is over, she says, too often “we say, ‘Have a nice life. Go look for a Rotaract club, if there is one.’ There’s no reason why a young person has to go through Rotaract to become a Rotarian.
“Members are in their first adult experience in a volunteer organization, so they need some guidance,” Helman adds. “Not in how to run a meeting or work with each other. But in expectations, how to communicate with other Rotary clubs, process points. That’s why we’ve got tenured Rotarians helping.”
After attending RYLA camp in high school, Sam Klemarczyk, now the club’s co-president, remained active in Rotary through college but was struggling to stay involved. “I moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, and I’m transitioning into a new job. The flexibility of New Voices was a big thing. It helps open a lot of doors,” says Klemarczyk, 25.
New Voices requires five hours of service a month, not counting the work overseeing RYLA. “We’ve completely gotten past the obstacle young professionals face, which is the idea that they are not ready for Rotary,” Klemarczyk says. One club initiative is a project to raise awareness of Lyme disease, a potentially debilitating infection transmitted by tick bites. “The focus is on creating a coloring book targeted to elementary school students about when you’re outside in the fields and woods,” says Caitlin Morrison, co-president-elect and a cellular and molecular biology student at the University of Rhode Island. “It also consists of informational posters and cards at RYLA each year. In Maine and New Hampshire, everybody knows five-plus people who have been affected by Lyme disease.”
While the camp “defined the kind of person I wanted to be and my commitment to others, I like how being a Rotarian is a long-term commitment,” says Morrison. “I have something I can stay with for many years to come.