Updates from Larry Dimmitt at the RI Convention

Terry and I met with the District Governor from Bangladesh, Md. Hafizullah mphf, where our club helped purchase an ambulance--he is Rehan Reza's cousin. Today--Tuesday--we hear Mia Farrow, who works with UNICEF, regarding children's issues

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Makes New Gift to RI

Yearn for nostalgia?
Fans of classic radio will love the old-time organ music and blast-from-the-past characters in this Rotary radio show episode, the first of about a dozen produced in 1955 for Rotary International's 50th anniversary. So set your dial back in time, and stay tuned -- more episodes are coming soon.
Episodes can be listened to online or downloaded to a portable device such as an iPod.

Click here to listen to any of the episodes.

RI president-elect’s theme speech

The Rotarian Video Magazine

Without leaving home, you can travel from South America to Africa through RVM: The Rotarian Video Magazine, which lets you see the global impact of Rotary's humanitarian projects.
Current video: Because the foothills of India's west coast are too rocky to retain rainwater year round, villagers must often walk for miles to fetch water for their families. Since 2003, the Rotary Club of Bombay Metropolitan, Maharashtra, partnering with local and international groups and supported by Rotary Foundation Matching Grants, has launched scores of water harvesting projects that preserve this precious resource. Watch the video.

Paul Harris 1933 Rotary International Speech

I found this video of Paul Harris making a speech to Rotary International in 1933.

Rotary Literacy Campaign

The Computer-Assisted Literacy Solution (CALS) program helps both children and adults with individualized training programs to teach English and math skills. This computer-based method of training motivates the user, building self-esteem and confidence.
View RI President Wilfrid J. Wilkinson’s literacy page for more information about CALS and other literacy programs.

Need More Rotary News?

Can't get enough Rotary news in your daily life? The Rotary Internation website has links to various other Rotary publications for programs like Interact, the Rotary International Foundation and vocational services. To learn more, visit http://www.rotary.org/en/MediaAndNews/Newsletters/MoreNewsletters/Pages/ridefault.aspx to sign up.

Make Dreams Real

Rotary International President-elect Dong Kurn Lee addressed incoming district governors today at the 2008 International Assembly, urging them to use their resources to help curb child mortality. Lee said he was in disbelief when he learned that 30,000 children under the age of five die every day from preventable diseases such as pneumonia, measles, and malaria.

The theme for the 2008-2009 Rotary Year is Make Dreams Real. (Read More) or here to watch the speech.

January is Rotary Awareness Month

Wanting to learn more about what Rotary is doing around the world? Click here for some PSA's.

Rotary International on MySpace

I just noticed that Rotary International has a home on Myspace. If you, your children or others are into the new social networking on the internet, check them out at http://www.myspace.com/rotary_international or click here.

Rotaractors Seek Aid for Flood Victims in North Korea

Several Illinois Rotaract clubs are raising money to provide medical assistance for flood victims in North Korea. Working with Rotarians in Shanghai, China, as well as the Red Cross, and other groups, the Rotaractors hope to raise US$10,000 to send medical supplies to this non-Rotary country.

Current relief efforts have not kept up with the demand for antibiotics, food, medical supplies, and other essential humanitarian items. Heavy monsoon rain storms began sweeping the country on 5 August, and continued until 17 August. The rain submerged more than 11 percent of the nation’s rice and maize fields as well as part of Pyongyang, the nation’s capital. According an estimate by the United Nations, more than 200 people died and more than 300,000 have been displaced from their homes.

The Rotaractors hope to raise the money needed in the next month, calling the fundraiser “Operation Flood Relief Now.” The deadline to donate to this project is 15 October 2007.
To help, contact:Gary D. Permenter of the Rotaract Club of Chicago, Illinois, USA at: gary.permenter@gmail.com or 415-670-9160

U.S. ShelterBox Response Team delivers landmark aid

On her first trip delivering disaster relief for ShelterBox, Trannie Lacquey encountered Maoist guerillas, crossed swollen rivers on foot, and hiked miles in a remote, tension-filled corner of Nepal.
But the toughest challenge, says the grandmother of five, was clearing customs at the airport for 410 ShelterBox relief kits, which would help hundreds of families trapped by the monsoon floods that swept Nepal in August. It took 10 days.

Read More (http://www.rotary.org/newsroom/programs/070906_shelterbox500.html)

Third group graduates from Rotary peace program

The Rotary Foundation’s third group of students studying peace and conflict resolution at a university in Bangkok, Thailand, will graduate from their intensive, three-month program on 14 September. More. Read more about the Rotary Peace and Conflict Studies Program here.

Club Responds to Peru Earthquake

Rotarians are moving into action following a powerful earthquake that rocked Peru on 15 August, killing more than 500 and destroying some 35,000 homes (Read more). See where it happened on Google Earth. For more information, visit the Disaster Relief and Recovery page.