Castello's Cucina, 123 Fisher Street, Fullarton SA
President John Peacham 0431 618 359
Next week is about Nepal
Last Meeting
Venue: Castello's Cucina
Guest Speaker: Jerry Casburn
Our Guests: AG n CGL Di Clements, Alice Edge, Dave and Diana Palmer
Attendance: 25 members 4 guests
Welcome
President John Peacham welcomed our guests and invocated us about reaching dizzying heights. He is taking $2,500 from the President's fund (not to be confused with a slush fund) to enable our club be a gold sponsor of the Mosaic multicultural event in September. We are able to have a presentation table there. He is also inviting nominations for the conduct of the meeting on June 25 while he is in Bali.........perhaps we could have 16 chairs for 5 minutes each>
Guest Speaker: Jerry Casburn - The Rotary Foundation
Jerry Casburn informed that Rotary was launched in 1905...news to all of us. Arch Klumph established an endowment fund in 1917 to create a capital base for good deeds, and this became the Rotary Foundation in 1929. Since inception, over US $4b has been invested in projects. Arch had a vision of using this fund to create 'immortal minds' rather than edifices. Jerry waxed lyrical about strengthening clubs and their outreach.
The areas of focus of the Foundation are Peace Building and Conflict Resolution, Disease Prevention and Eradication, Water and Sanitation, Maternal and Child Health, Basic Education, Community Economic Development and most recently Environment.
Polio Plus has been by far RF's major area of investment; the project to eradicate polio across the globe was launched in 1979. In 1988 there were 350,000 cases detected world-wide, down to 30 in 2022 and only 2 so far this year. The approach adopted to reach this milestone provided important lessons for dealing with Covid. Since 2016 the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has been providing $2 for $1 subsidy. When the war against polio is finally won it will be only the second virus ever eliminated (after smallpox). With changes in the delivery of the drug much of the vaccine derived polio has disappeared.
95% of Rotary Foundation donations get to the main cause and Charity Navigator has designated RF as a most effective charity over the past 14 years. With the Peace Building and Conflict Resolution program there are universities delivering programs in the US, Australia, England, Sweden, Japan, Thailand and Uganda. Remarkably 93% of graduates continue into peace keeping roles. Perhaps we could borrow techniques for marital harmony.
There are 5 designated funds into which donations are deployed:
Annual Fund which accumulates with donations and interest (capital backbone of Rotary)
Endowment Fund which is the source of Global and District designated funds and which helps clubs finance significant local and international projects (eg our Solomon Islands project). Half of the money club's donate to the Fund comes back after 3 years to the District. 34% of our District's clubs benefitted from this in the last year
Polio Plus
Disaster Response Fund which makes available up to US$25,000 for quick response disaster relief
CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Fund.....a best kept secret
While the club donations dominate the RF receipts, other fund-raising avenues include the Centurion Club ($100/member each year), Paul Harris Fellow (can be awarded or bought for US$1000). Paul Harris Society (US$1000 per year for a minimum of 3 years) and major donor status. District grants are allocated once each year for local or overseas projects. Training is applied to recipients to improve effectiveness.
Jerry was thanked for his presentation and the Prez took the opportunity to conduct a Q&A on RF focus areas.....twas an excuse to relieve himself of surplus water bottles.
Spots
Ken Haines needs a whole lot of help next Sunday - we have been allocated an extra BBQ day at Bunnings.
Chris Davis explained that:
POOTY (SA Police Officer of the Year) is now underway
Pride of Work distribution has been held up with QR code and printing problems......hopefully next week
Documentation of the best Teachers Awards is progressing......will need help soon for school distribution. See article in the latest edition of Unley Life.
Ross Burton is very pleased with the donation of a dozen wine by Kate for the quiz night.
Rhonda Hoare informed that:
the Youth Music Awards is being launched on 1 June with the poster available for distribution next week.
Fish Tank (also mentioned in Unley Life) will be held on June 6 at Unley Town Hall......would be good to have more Rotarians attend.
Our amazing quiz night is on June 29. To date 6 out of 20 tables booked. Members who cannot raise a full table can be accommodated.
Young Friends of Rotary are holding a film fundraiser for ROMAC on 20 July......Inside Out 2 is the star attraction for those young at heart.
Christina Way thanked members who had donated to her Soup and Sleep adventure.....on her way to a target of $500. Any further assistance would be appreciated.
Finale
Vera-Ann scored the cash while Ross managed to win a small parcel of something
The meeting closed at 8pm while the Prez was launching his R-rated video for the Thrift Shop. For those in any doubt, the R refers to Rotary.................
Rotary International News
Purple walk raises awareness for epilepsy treatment
Posted on May 23, 2024
By Surhuda Kulkarni, Rotary Club of Pune Baner, India
I remember the day clearly. It was 1 July 2021. The world was unshackling itself from the clutches of the pandemic. Everything was slowly starting to move back to in-person. My club arranged a meeting between the doctors of the Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital and its epilepsy patients. More than 40 anxious parents of epilepsy patients attended the screening and free consultation camp. It was a remarkable day for many reasons. The biggest reason was that the camp was the beginning of our project to provide free surgeries for epilepsy patients. We kick-started the project with the Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital.
A printed announcement for the walkathon, held two days before Purple Day.
There are 50 million people living with epilepsy worldwide. Until recently, the condition was thought to be untreatable. But with advances in medicine, a surgical procedure has been developed that can reverse the symptoms of epilepsy in some patients. Our project allows needy or underprivileged patients who are a good match for the procedure receive free surgeries, at a cost of about Rs. 6 lakhs (about US$7,185), paid for through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds and other Rotary donations. The surgeries are done by Nilesh Kurwale, the hospital’s head of epilepsy surgeries, who has carried out more than 800 of the procedures.
Our club helped fund 15 surgeries in Rotary year 2023-24. The results were remarkable. Each of the patients recovered completely. To create awareness about this program, we held a unique and innovative event on 24 March: a free walkathon involving our entire community. We called it “Purplethon” because we held it two days before Purple Day, 26 March, which spreads awareness of epilepsy worldwide.
Working with the Indian Institute of Education & Business Management (IIEBM) and IndusChamps School, we organized a 5-kilometer (3-mile) walk at Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune. On the morning of the event, nearly 450 people gathered at the stadium with great enthusiasm. Many youth participated. We provided water, refreshments, and first aid. Doctors were on hand at various points along the walk. Afterward, District 3131 Assistant Governor Smeeta Shitole, a fitness consultant and certified Zumba trainer, conducted a Zumba demonstration. It was a great day for our club and for epilepsy awareness.
Coffee Chat at Impressa, Unley Shopping Centre
10.30 am on the first Friday of the month is good for a chat with Rotary friends and a caffeine fix - Next one is Friday 7 June 2024
Upcoming Meetings
Tuesday 4 June 2024 6 for 6.30pm Castello's Cucina
Guest Speaker: Raj Gautum From Nepal
Welcoming team: Judy Barton & Graham Beckett
Tuesday 11 June 2024 6 for 6.30pm Castello's Cucina
Guest Speaker: Jo Baxter Addiction Prevention
Welcoming team: Judy Barton & Graham Beckett
Apologies and Meeting Enquiries to: Secretary Greg McLeod on 0417 811 838 or email to secretary@unleyrotary.org.au
Venue Set-up Enquiries to: Bulletin Editor Stephen Baker on 0403 687 015
Saturday Thrift Shop Roster
Early Shift: 10.00am to 1.00pm Late Shift: 1.00pm to 4.00pm
Week 1: 1 June 2024
Early: Stephen Baker (Jerry Casburn) & John Kikkert (Haydn Baillie) | Late: Robyn Carnachan & Marie Rothe (Leonie Kewen)
Early: David Middleton & Nathan White | Late: Vera Holt & Rhonda Hoare
Week 4: 22 June 2024
Early: Stephen Baker & Judi Corcoran | Late: Jason Booth & Vera-Ann Stacy
Week 5: 29 June 2024
Early: Bob Mullins & Wendy Andrews | Late: Virginia Cossid & (Paul Duke)
Rotarians, who are unable to attend as rostered, please arrange a swap or as a very last resort contact: Vivienne Wood 0408 819 630; e-mail: vwood@ozemail.com.au [Note Vivienne is away from 28 May to 25 June......please arrange a swap!]
Mitre 10 and Bunnings Barbeques
The Mitre 10 BBQs are the first and third Saturdays of each month. Morning shift 8.30am - 12 noon; afternoon shift 12.00 - 3.30pm, then clean-up.....next one is Saturday 1 June 2024.
ALL the Bunnings Mile End Barbeque shifts are from 8am to 5pm
Jerry Casburn informed that Rotary was launched in 1905...news to all of us. Arch Klumph established an endowment fund in 1917 to create a capital base for good deeds, and this became the Rotary Foundation in 1929. Since inception, over US $4b has been invested in projects. Arch had a vision of using this fund to create 'immortal minds' rather than edifices. Jerry waxed lyrical about strengthening clubs and their outreach.
