WELCOME TO THE WEEKLY MEETING
FRIDAY, March 18, 2016
In
this meeting:
- A personal greeting
- Rotary Minute
- ABCs of Rotary
- An Update on Polio
- Rotary's Code of Conduct
- Gardening in schools
- World Water Day - March 22
- Water Project in Haiti - September 2015
- What happened on Wednesday, March 16
- Humour
- A recap of our speaker on Saturday, March 12
- Foundation Corner
- Rotary Anthem
- Four-Way Test to close
NOTE: Where links are provided in the meeting, click the link to view the video. To return to the meeting, click either your browser's BACK button or click the previous window or TAB.
OUR GREETER THIS WEEK IS PAUL AMOURY
President's Message
WATER AND SANITATION MONTH
Dear fellow Rotarians and
Guests,
As we continue our
celebration of Water and Sanitation month, it brings to mind the importance of
water in All we do, this holds true to the saying “water is life”. Our own Rotarian. Dawn (yes, we have claimed her
as our own) will share with us the importance of water and sanitation globally
but more specifically in District 7020.
With the recent outbreak
of Chick V, Zika V and Dengue Fever, it reminds us that sanitation and general
disposal of waste are important in our daily lives.
Please join us on a
weekly basis as we fellowship and engage in lively discussions, presentations
by guest speakers on topics relevant to Rotary and our commitment to a worthy
cause.
Let us be the change!!!!!
March
19 – Weekly Meeting – Guest Speaker
March
26 – Weekly Meeting
ROTARY MINUTE
QUOTATIONS REGARDING ROTARY
by
Rotary International Presidents
1946-47 Richard C. Hedke (chemicals and dyestuffs distribution), Rotary Club of Detroit, Michigan, USA. Rotary vision: That it show human beings around the earth how to get along together.
“The entire world is attempting to climb from the bottomless pit of international rancor and strife…our only hope is the very thin thread of international cooperation.”
— Nations Are People, THE
ROTARIAN, March 1947
1947-48 S. Kendrick Guernsey (capital investments), Rotary Club of Jacksonville, Florida, USA. Rotary vision: To train men in every community for strong, unselfish service.
“Enter to Learn — Go Forth to Serve.”
— The Unofficial Motto of Rotary’s
International Assembly
ABCs OF ROTARY
 |
| RI President (1992-93) Cliff Dochterman |
Invocations at Club Meetings
In many Rotary clubs, it is customary to open weekly
meetings with an appropriate invocation or blessing. Usually such invocations are offered without
reference to specific religious denominations or faiths. Rotary policy recognizes that throughout the
world Rotarians represent many religious beliefs, ideas and creeds. The
religious beliefs of each member are fully respected, and nothing in Rotary is
intended to prevent each individual from being faithful to such convictions.
At international assemblies and conventions, it is
traditional for a silent invocation to be given. In respect for all religious
beliefs and in the spirit of tolerance for a wide variety of personal faiths,
all persons are invited to seek divine guidance and peace "each in his own
way."
It is an inspiring experience to join with thousands
of Rotarians in an international "silent prayer" or act of personal
devotion. Usually all Rotary International board and committee meetings begin
with a few moments of silent meditation. In this period of silence, Rotary demonstrates
respect for the beliefs of all members, who represent the religions of the
world.
Since each Rotary club is autonomous, the practice of
presenting a prayer or invocation at club meetings is left entirely to the
traditions and customs of the individual club, with the understanding that
these meeting rituals always be conducted in a manner that will respect the
religious convictions and faiths of all members.
Opportunities for Fellowship
Most Rotarians are successful professional and
business executives because they hear opportunities knock and take advantage of
them. Once a week the opportunity for Rotary fellowship occurs at each club
meeting, but not all members hear it knocking.
The weekly club meeting is a special privilege of
Rotary membership. It provides the occasion to visit with fellow members, to
meet visitors you have not known before, and to share your personal friendship
with other members.
Rotary clubs that have a reputation for being
"friendly clubs" usually follow a few simple steps:
- First, members are encouraged to sit in a different seat or at a different table each week.
- Second, Rotarians are urged to sit with a member they may not know as well as their long-time personal friends.
- Third, members invite new members or visitors to join their table just by saying: "Come join us, we have an empty chair at this table."
- Fourth, members share the conversation around the table rather than merely eating in silence or talking privately to the person next to them.
- Fifth, Rotarians make a special point of trying to get acquainted with all members of the club by seeking out those they may not know.
When Rotarians follow these five easy steps, an
entirely new opportunity for fellowship knocks each week. Soon Rotarians
realize that warm and personal friendship is the cornerstone of every great
Rotary club.
Editor’s note:
With our Rotary E-Club, attending a Wednesday evening HHH – a more
informal get-together – you can meet and get to know some of our members in a
very comfortable manner! Join us on a
Wednesday evening!
AN UPDATE ON POLIO
PREPARATIONS FOR THE SWITCH ACCELERATE
The world is fast approaching the largest globally
synchronised project in the history of vaccines. Between 17 April and 1 May
2016, every country in with world using the oral polio vaccine (OPV) will
switch from the trivalent vaccine (tOPV), which protects children against all
three types of the virus, to the bivalent vaccine which protects children
against type one and three.
Now that type two wild polio has been declared
eradicated, this is an essential part of the work that needs to be done to
secure a polio-free world by phasing out oral polio vaccines to prevent future
outbreaks of vaccine-derived polioviruses.
Find out more about why the switch needs to happen
to stop vaccine derived polioviruses, how it will be done and the
risk mitigation measures
being put in place to help it run smoothly.
With just a few weeks to go until 17 April,
preparations for the switch are gathering
momentum, with several important activities underway:
Getting the bivalent vaccines to health care
centres
In April, the oral polio vaccine currently used in
routine immunization programmes, which protects children against all three
strains of the virus, will be replaced by an oral vaccine which protects
children against type one and three.
As part of the preparations for the switch,
countries are working to ensure that every health care and facility has a
sufficient supply of the bivalent vaccine at least two weeks before their
chosen switch date, so that they are ready to switch over completely to this
vaccine with no interruption to their ability to protect children against
polio.
Planning for the removal of the trivalent vaccine
Each health care centre or facility that currently
uses tOPV has been carefully planning to ensure that their supply of the
vaccine didn’t take them far beyond the switch. However, where there is vaccine
left over, WHO guidelines are being communicated to countries, districts and
facilities so that these stocks can be disposed of after the switch dates. Once
the switch has taken place, countries will need to carefully monitor every
facility to check that they have stopped using and destroyed their stocks of
tOPV.
Communications and Training
Regional workshops are taking place in February and
March, to help countries to finalise their plans. In addition to topics such as
micro-planning, monitoring and validation, the workshops will explore
challenges and gaps related to switch implementation, as well as potential
solutions to address these issues.
Introducing the Inactivated Polio Vaccine
As of 2 February 2016, 156 countries have
introduced the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) into their routine immunization
systems, to help boost immunization against all strains of polio and to ensure
that children have some baseline immunity against type two following the switch
as a risk mitigation measure. This means that 81% of the global birth cohort
are receiving IPV. All countries are expected to introduce IPV by the end of
2016; countries are being prioritised for introduction based on their level of
risk for polio outbreaks.
With careful planning and thorough oversight, the
switch will represent a huge achievement for the polio programme and will
provide a basis for the eventual withdrawal of all OPV, following eradication
of poliovirus types 1 and 3.
THE IMPORTANCE OF GARDENING
Published on Mar 3, 2016
The
First Lady visited unsuspecting gardeners to check out their backyard
and school gardens in an effort to highlight gardens across the country
that are helping kids and families lead healthier lives.
Read more at this link -
WORLD WATER DAY
MARCH 22, 2016
World Water Day is held annually on 22 March as a
means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and
advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.
An international day to celebrate freshwater was
recommended at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development (UNCED). The United Nations General Assembly responded by
designating 22 March 1993 as the first World Water Day.
Each year, World Water Day highlights a specific
aspect of freshwater. In 2015, World Water Day has the theme "Water and
Sustainable Development".
In 2016, the theme is "Water and Jobs," in 2017 "Wastewater" and in 2018 "Nature-based Solutions for Water".
************
World Water Day takes place on the 22 of March every year to bring
awareness about water crises around the world.
The theme for 2016 is Water and Jobs.
Anna Nylander Noren, Communications Specialist for UN-Water explains, “Water
and Jobs…highlights how both water and jobs have the power to transform people’s
lives: Water is central to human
survival, the environment, and the economy and decent work can provide income
and pave the way for broader social and economic advancements.”
World Water Day began in Rio de Janeiro, Brail, in 1992 when March 22
was designated to be the international observance day for water by the United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development.
The global purpose of World Water Day is to inform, engage, and act in
order to make a difference for those in need and for future generations.
Indonesia is the fourth most populated country in the world with over
250 million citizens, hosting Southeast Asia’s biggest economy. Yet, more than 37 million Indonesians lack
access to safe water, 100 million lack sanitation and 43 per cent of the total
population lives on less than US$2 per day, water.org states.
In Indonesia, Rumyati’s story consists of an old rusted cart that
brought her family out of poverty with safe water. For Rumyati, the only water source in town
was the mosque. Every day, before
sunrise, she would walk down a long, dirt path to wait her turn for water while
her husband was out searching through other’s trash to sell what someone else
had discarded.
The hike to the mosque is a job for Rumyati, but their lives depend on
it. By creating better access to water,
Rumyati’s job and livelihood will be better.
After some time of hard work, they were able to take out a small WaterCredit
loan to construct a tap in their own home.
Now that they have easy access to water at their own home, Rumyati feels
full of vivacity, spirit, and passion.
There are several stories like Rumyati’s, but it still isn’t
enough. Water.org began working in
Indonesia in 2013 and has since partnered with four microfinance institutions
to provide water and sanitation loans to those in need. Water.org is also present in Bangladesh,
Cambodia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Kenya, Peru, Philippines,
and Uganda. Their Facebook shares
several success stories with the hashtag #StoriesWeLove.
“Today, almost half of the world’s
workers - 1.5 billion people – work in water-related sectors and nearly all
jobs depend on water. Yet, the millions
of people who work in water are often not recognized or protected by basic
labour rights,” Noren said.
In Bangladesh, the water crisis affects both rural and urban areas with
water scarcity and quality. Bangladesh
has improved the way they supply safe water to its people, but still only 16
per cent of the population uses latrines in rural areas; not using latrines can
lead to diarrheal diseases which are killing 100,000 children each year.
In the 1970s, four million wells were drilled to replace the
traditional, contaminated water sources, but in 1993, high arsenic
concentrations were discovered in groundwater of several wells.
Long-term intake of arsenic gives rises to several health
complications. As well began to be
painted red, signifying the arsenic levels have increased above the national
standard, they were no longer available for use. For
this reason, the amount of water available is diminishing quickly.
Many citizens are having to walk several miles or use traditional water
sources such as ponds or ditches to retrieve water.
The urban population in urban areas is also beginning to rise as the
poor from rural areas migrate. Water and
sanitation levels are then affected by the increase in poverty, overcrowding,
poor housing and unhealthy disposal of waste.
Water.org offers grans and WaterCredit programs to address these safe
water needs in urban areas and the slums in Dhaka, the capital of Indonesia.
“Water and sanitation also has a
strong impact on worker’s lives and health.
Two million work-related deaths happen every year. Out of those, 17 per cent are water-related
(poor quality drinking water, poor sanitation, poor hygiene and related lack of
knowledge),” UNI Water Day Fact Guidelines states.
WATER PROJECT IN HAITI - 2015
...Felix Stubbs, DG D7020, 2015-16
On this day, beside this river bank, the young, old and in-between had gathered to see what miracle was to take place and to meet those responsible for the water plant's existence.
After a heart-warming welcome ceremony, the Rotarians took us on an orientation of the plant. Everything was in place technically to turn brown water into clear, chemically-safe, potable water.
I cut the ribbon to the plant and declared it open. The water tap was turned on and the miracle happened.
A Rotarian filled a jug with water and put it to his lips much to the delight of the attentive crowd. The jubilation and gratitude in the air was palpable.
An overjoyed community leader in his speech thanked God for water and thanked God for Rotary. He sometimes spoke in Creole but in clear, perfect, English he exclaimed, "Thank God for Rotary!"
Old women smiled, children danced, young mothers hugged their babies, and young men shook hands. In that moment, I could think of no other place that I would have preferred to be. It was clear that the choice made by countless selfless men and women who used their time, resources, and talents for a people they did not know, was the right and responsible choice that would affect generations to come.
- Clean water meant that young babies had a chance to grow into mature adults, free from avoidable disease.
- Clean water meant that these residents could cook and bathe and clean and live healthy, productive lives.
- Those of working age would be less sick, which meant that they could work for their families and build their communities.
At that moment, I stood proudly as a Rotarian with my District 7020 family. The attached video showing that moment should also make you proud.
Water project St Marc Haiti Sep 11, 2015 from Rotary District7020 on Vimeo.
WATER AND SANITATION
WHAT HAPPENED ON WEDNESDAY!
March 16
Al Gore
has three questions about climate change and our future.
First: Do we have to
change? Each day, global-warming pollution traps as much heat energy as would
be released by 400,000 Hiroshima-class atomic bombs. This trapped heat is
leading to stronger storms and more extreme floods, he says: "Every night
on the TV news now is like a nature hike through the Book of Revelation."
Second question: Can we change? We've already started.
So then, the big
question: Will we change?
In this challenging, inspiring talk, Gore says yes.
"When any great moral challenge is ultimately resolved into a binary
choice between what is right and what is wrong, the outcome is foreordained
because of who we are as human beings," he says. "That is why we're
going to win this."
Nobel Laureate Al Gore focused the world’s attention on the
global climate crisis. Now he’s showing us how we’re moving towards real
solutions.
Why you should listen
Former Vice President Al Gore is co-founder and chairman of Generation Investment Management. While he’s is a senior partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and a member of Apple, Inc.’s board of directors, Gore spends the majority of his time as chair of The Climate Reality Project, a nonprofit devoted to solving the climate crisis.He is the author of the bestsellers Earth in the Balance, An Inconvenient Truth, The Assault on Reason, Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis, and most recently, The Future: Six Drivers of Global Change.
He is the subject of the Oscar-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth and is the co-recipient, with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2007 for “informing the world of the dangers posed by climate change.”
Gore was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1976, 1978, 1980 and 1982 and the U.S. Senate in 1984 and 1990. He was inaugurated as the 45th Vice President of the United States on January 20, 1993, and served eight years.
What others say
“The only vice president ever to mock his stiff image by [imitating] a wax-museum figure, Gore turns out to be the best professor you never had -- easygoing, knowledgeable and funny.” — Rolling StoneAn article posted this week on the climate crisis. Click the link below for more.
Here's a photo from Wednesday's get-together! Attendees included Keturah and her guest, Bonita; Kitty, John, Lou, Wein, and Dawn.
And Dawn shared a photo (below) of her make-up this week, helping at the fundraiser at the Rotary Club of Bridgewater, Virginia! Well done, Dawn!
Plan to join us on Wednesday to learn and to enjoy Rotary!
HERE'S A LAUGH
DID YOU KNOW THIS?
WHAT HAPPENED LAST SATURDAY
March 12, 2016
SPEAKER - DAWN JOHNSON
in case you missed it...
A good turnout
FOUNDATION CORNER
WHAT
IS THE ANNUAL FUND
ANNUAL
FUND is the
primary source of funding for all Foundation activities. Our annual
contributions help Rotary Clubs take action to create positive change in
communities at home and around the world. Our gift helps strengthen peace
efforts, provide clean water and sanitation, support education, grow local
economies, save mothers and children and fight disease.
The
EVERY ROTARIAN every year (EREY) inigtative asks every Rotarian to support The
Rotary Foundation every year.
Through
our annual Sustaining Member contributions of $100 or more, the Rotary E-Club
of the Caribbean, 7020 has been a 100% EREY contributor since we
were chartered in 2013. Let us continue to support The Rotary Foundation
(TRF) through our annual donations. We have been and continue to “Be a
gift to the World."
THE ROTARY ANTHEM
Rotary Anthem from Rotary International on Vimeo.
THE ROTARY FOUR-WAY TEST
To
close the meeting...
ROTARY
FOUR-WAY TEST
of
the things we think, say, or do...
Rotarian Wein Dimetros leads us.
Rotarian Wein Dimetros leads us.
And
the final bell with our own John Fuller...
Thanks for stopping by!
Enjoy your week, and all that you do for Rotary!
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