Dear Fellow Rotarians and Friends of Rotary,
I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you for the hope you've created in our world this Rotary year. It has been truly remarkable to witness the active participation of Rotarians and clubs in our Foundation programs, whether through district grants or utilizing DDF for Global Grants.
To date, 33 clubs have completed their district grant projects, with 5 more nearing completion. These projects have brought hope to communities near and far, from refurbishing parks in Tanzania to combating malnutrition in Sri Lanka. Additionally, 26 Global Grants were approved this year, supporting projects ranging from providing water for farming to constructing toilets and offering medical interventions like HPV vaccination for girls.
This level of participation in our Foundation programs is incredible and is only possible because of the generous contributions that Rotarians and clubs make to the Annual Fund. Without your support, these projects could not have come to fruition. I urge you to consider supporting our Annual Fund to help build our seed fund, enabling Rotarians to continue creating meaningful and sustainable projects locally and internationally, collaborating with the larger Rotary family.
Over the past four Rotary years, our giving to the Annual Fund has totaled close to USD 300,000. This year, we have already reached USD 154,000. While this is a significant achievement, there is still more to be done. I am confident that with your continued support, we will surpass the contributions of previous years.
We are on the brink of eradicating the second communicable disease from our world, giving hope to children that they will not be touched by Polio. Many of us may be unaware of the impact of this dreadful disease, yet it could be just a plane ride away, as seen recently in Canada. I humbly request you and your club to make generous contributions to the PolioPlus fund, as our annual giving has been below previous Rotary years.
Additionally, the RISPPO Grants officer is seeking ideas for projects that can be funded via CSR grants, as well as clubs interested in implementing these projects. These projects could be current District Grant projects that are upscaled or new initiatives. Two areas that I believe we can focus on for CSR grants are Domestic Violence and Mental Health.
To help develop these ideas and projects, the grants office is looking for three people from each district who are passionate about making a larger impact in the community, particularly in the areas of Domestic Violence support and Mental Health. If you are interested, please reach out to me so that we can provide the names of the champions for these causes from our district.
The Rotary Foundation District Team is also looking for members to get involved in shaping our district's foundation goals and improving member participation in our foundation programs. The district team is here to help and support clubs turn their ideas into grant applications. We are also available to share our foundation stories with clubs through speaker programs. Please consider requesting one of the team members to be a guest speaker at your club meeting.
I understand that this message has taken up a fair bit of space in your inbox, as well as your valuable time. Thank you for your continuous support of our foundation. Together, we are making a difference in the world.
Don’t forget you can get the district grant related files from here - https://rotarydistrict9685.org.au/sitepage/club-services-foundation
Thank you
PP Haran Ramachandran
District 9685 Rotary Foundation Chair
0419 980 529
PP David Rivett
Grants Subcommittee Chair
0418 410 106