For the 14th consecutive year, The Rotary Foundation has received the highest rating — four stars — from Charity Navigator, an independent evaluator of charities in the U.S.
The Foundation earned recognition for adhering to sector best practices and executing its mission in a financially efficient way, demonstrating both strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency. Only one percent of the organization's Charity Navigator evaluates have received 14 consecutive 4-star evaluations.
“We are honored to have been recognized and to be among the top 1% of charities evaluated,” said Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair John Germ. “Our donors can feel proud knowing that their gifts will allow them to make an impact in their communities and the world for years to come.”
The rating reflects Charity Navigator's assessment of how the Foundation uses donations, sustains its programs and services, and practices good governance and openness.
As an imported case from Pakistan, this detection of type 1 wild poliovirus in Malawi does not affect the WHO African region’s wild polio-free certification status.
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has confirmed a case of type 1 wild poliovirus (WPV1) in a child suffering from paralysis in Malawi. Analysis has shown the virus is genetically linked to WPV1 that had circulated in Pakistan’s Sindh province.
Detection of WPV1 outside the world’s two remaining endemic countries of Pakistan and Afghanistan is a serious concern and underscores the importance of prioritizing polio immunization activities in countries such as Malawi to prevent future instances of importation.
While the news from Malawi is disappointing, the polio program has seen importations from endemic countries to regions that have been certified wild polio-free in the past, and has moved quickly to successfully stop transmission of the virus in these areas. Now is the time for all parties — Rotary members, communities, government leaders, and global partners — to recommit to ending all forms of polio for good.
This report is from Judy Charnaud, our Environment and Sustainability Chair.
As you know Rotary now has 7 Areas of Focus, having added a new one, in June 2020, Protecting the Environment.
This means that the Rotary International Areas of Focus now align with all 17 of the Sustainable Development Goals which were adopted by the United Nations in 2015.
District 9685 now has an Environment Chair, Melanie Lewis, on the Board of Directors and I have agreed to be part of her working group.
Protecting the environment remains integral to all other Area of Focus but grants can now be applied for specifically for environmental protection.
Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group, ESRAG, has developed 6 broad themes under the heading Environment:
Biodiversity
Circular Economy
Climate
Food Systems
Pollution
Sustainable Living.
I have recently completed the very interesting and comprehensive ESRAG Environmental Ambassadors Training program so the e-club can expect to hear a lot more from me in the coming months.
District Environment Awards.
The District EnviroClub Awards have been adapted from a successful environmental awards program in the United Kingdom. In this initiative, clubs register environmentally sustainable activities, projects, programs and events and are encouraged to improve these through a series of awards, starting with a Bronze Award and moving towards Silver and Gold Awards. Individual Rotarians are also encouraged to be catalysts for environmental action in their communities.
We are all aware of the many environmental problems facing the world, such as climate change, pollution, water shortages, loss of habitat, energy security, loss of biodiversity and waste management. Rotary is in an ideal position to take leadership to ensure that the world we leave to the next generations is no worse, hopefully better, than when we inherited it.
Benefits of being an EnviroClub
It will give recognition to your club for its existing environmental activities and the incentive to further develop these initiatives.
Environmental sustainability is an important and current issue worldwide, affecting everyone. Being a recipient of EnviroClub Award may help to make your club more relevant to your members and better engage and retain members.
Recognition of your environmental initiatives through the EnviroClub Award may also attract new members, increase income to your club through community grants and lead to new partnerships with Rotary clubs, businesses and community groups in your local community.
Or club is well on the way to the Bronze and Silver Awards!
Our club has 16 RAWCS registered projects and many of them have an environmental aspect e.g. vegetable gardens, recycling used sewing machines, sustainable bee keeping, water management and tree planting. With this in mind I have completed the application for a Bronze Award for our club and I am certain once that has been attained, we can go for the Silver then Gold Awards.
I only referred to 5 of our Club Projects for the Bronze Award, choosing them in order of registration with RAWCS. Other projects with an environmental aspect will be mentioned in the Silver and Gold applications.
As well as club projects we have to demonstrate that members are engaged in environmental initiatives at home or in their local district, e.g. Installation of solar panels, Clean up Australia day, community tree planting, World Water Day, bird watching, liaison with other Rotary Clubs or schools. I am sure many of us are doing some of these things already so please let me know what specific actions you have taken in regards to environmental sustainability.
We aim to be the first club in the District to attain the Gold Award. Your environmental working group, Judy Charnaud, Ross Johnson and Doug Vincent, are working on it! If you have anything you want to add please do so – all comments welcomed!
Our club Environment and Sustainability Chair Judy Charnaud, submitted the efforts of club members in this category. We were awarded a Silver Certificate.
Here's a photo of the results during the Award Ceremony at the Conference.
I’m pleased to announce D9685 has been granted a Rotary Foundation Disaster Response Grant of US$25,000 (AU$34,500) to provide prompt relief to people in D9685 in urgent need as a result of the current flooding. Rotary Clubs with members in the Windsor area (Windsor and The Ponds) are already planning to distribute Bunnings and Woolworths Gift Cards to impacted families.
This Disaster Grant is very welcome, but it won’t go very far in meeting the needs of people in the area.
Clubs in D9685 have asked how they can support people in our local area mainly centred along the Nepean and Hawkesbury River system.
RAWCS has now approved our application for a District 9685 Rotary Australia Benevolent Society project to raise funds for flood victims in our local area.
Flood Relief for Families in the Sydney Region of NSW (RABS)Project 53-2021-22 is now open to support from clubs and receive tax deductible donations from Rotarians and the public.The QR Code above will take you to the Donate page for this project.low
The D9685 Grants committee will work with clubs in the impacted areas as a panel to determine how relief will be urgently distributed and managed.
Over the coming months you will notice our monthly newsletter will start to look slightly different as we aim to bring you the most newsworthy sound bites from our teams in Uganda and Australia.
We get that your time is precious and limited, so we want to ensure you are receiving the most relevant news and updates to your inbox so you can immediately see the impact you are having on our students and communities.
We love hearing from you, so if you have any feedback you'd like to share about the changes to our monthly newsletter, simply get in touch with us by replying directly to this email.
It is time to think about the future leadership of our great District!
Nominations opened on Feb 6 for Past Club Presidents interested in taking on the role of leading our District in 2024-25. Please click here to see the Information Packfor further details.
Applications close Mar 30.
Interviews will be conducted on Sunday April 10.
If you qualify and would like further details, or if you know the ideal candidate, contact PDG Kalma 0417 696 156 kalmamclellan@optusnet.com.au
In the mid-18th century, Benjamin Franklin wrote: “When the well’s dry, we know the worth of water.”
Right now, in the 21st century, many of us take water for granted because we have been fortunate to live in places where clean water is plentiful. But that’s not the case for millions of others around the world. The United Nations estimates that 2 billion people — about 1 in 4 people on the planet — lack safely managed drinking water. Just under half of the world’s population lives without access to safely managed toilets and sanitation systems, and nearly a third lacks basic hand washing stations with soap and clean water.
Isn’t it astounding that, in an age of instant information and space tourism, we still haven’t managed to guarantee the necessities of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) to so many?
Rotary is doing something about it; WASH projects are among the most funded within our areas of focus: Since 2014, Rotary clubs have carried out more than 2,100 global grants related to WASH by using $154 million in Foundation funding, impacting countless people.
In addition, Rotary’s WASH alliance with USAID, more than a decade strong, is considered Rotary’s largest partnership outside of PolioPlus. Rotary and USAID have committed a combined $18 million in WASH funding to large-scale strategic efforts at the national level in countries such as Ghana and Uganda. The partnership unites the technical expertise of USAID’s development professionals with the local leadership and advocacy of Rotary members to find workable, sustainable WASH solutions in hundreds of communities. You can learn more at riusaidwash.rotary.org.
The theme of World Water Day, 22 March, is Groundwater: Making the Invisible Visible. This is an opportune time for clubs to learn more about WASH issues and take action collectively to create and sustain momentum for expanding access to universal WASH services. Rotary members can bring attention to the WASH challenges that impact us locally by sharing the stories, experiences, and WASH needs of those we serve globally.
We can be proud of the work that Rotary clubs and our Foundation continue to do to provide communities with clean water and working sanitation and hygiene systems. But let’s not stop there.
This month, let’s look out for our neighbors around the world whose wells are running dry or who lack toilets or soap. Rotary has the resources, partnerships, and passion to improve WASH services for millions in need worldwide. And most important, we have the people who can make it work — you and me.
Our member David Dean is the District Rotary Foundation Chair.
The Rotary Foundation has just approved a Disaster Response Grant of US$25,000 (AU$34,500) to provide relief to people in D9685 who are in need because of the recent flooding.
We plan to supply clubs in the Windsor area with gift cards from Woolworths and Bunnings to distribute to those in need. These cards will be only available for essentials and cannot be used for liquor, tobacco, or cash.
In recent weeks, two other Rotary Foundation Disaster Response Grants have been provided in northern New South Wales and south-east Queensland, and another one has been made to the District in Tonga.
Districts in Europe are also receiving Disaster Fund grants to support refugees fleeing the conflict in Ukraine.
These grants have been made available by the generosity of Rotarians like us around the world who made contributions to The Rotary Foundation Disaster Response Fund.
Please consider donating to enable The Rotary Foundation to be ready to help with future disasters. To donate, click here, or scan the QR Code shown
Did you know Clubrunner has an App for your phone?
Install the Clubrunner App and you can have access to our club members and other clubs in District 9685.
This App makes phone calls, text or email easily sent directly the the Clubrunner App. Technology apps are designed to help us and this one should be a valuable one for Rotarians
As Rotary members, we use our connections to create lasting change in our communities and around the world. And although we’ve all faced the challenges of the pandemic for the past year and a half, we’ve continued to take action, solve problems, and make a positive impact. So we are optimistic that we can gather in person to explore new opportunities for friendship and service at the 2022 Rotary International Convention, 4-8 June in Houston, Texas, USA. We invite you to join us! At the convention, you will:
Develop new friendships and strengthen old ones
Share your Rotary experiences and learn more ways to get involved
Find inspiration in the family of Rotary
Register now to take advantage of our reduced rate, available until 15 December. You’ll be able to cancel for a full refund, minus a $50 per person administration fee, until 30 April. Don’t miss this chance to strengthen your passion for Rotary.
ROTARY VISION: The application of practical action in solving problems, locally and worldwide
" The prevailing Rotary attitude is rendering service is practicality. Its aim in performing a useful action is to be helpful and serviceable, not sentimental...As Practical idealists, we temper the fanciful flights of the dreamer with the limitations of common sense."
- Address to 1943 Rotary Convention, St Louis, Missouri, USA
