As we head towards the end of the Rotary year, I thought I would highlight four varied community project initiatives that Maureen and I have had the privilege to participate in the latter part of May: WERN, Ainger Peck Public Speaking Awards, Rotary Glenferrie and Australian Rotary Health’s Lift the Lid Charity Golf Day, and MentorMatch. 

How to Grow Rotary?  That question is being asked regularly by Rotary clubs worldwide.  In Wyndham, that question is being answered by an innovative project: Rotary in Action Chirnside.  Rotary in Action shares our stories, introduces people to the power of Rotary through causes that involve action, passion and collaboration, and invites them to jump on board the Rotary Action Train.

COVID-19 has had a devastating effect on tourism in Cambodia.  The normally crowded tourist area around Siem Reap is a ghost town.  Due to this lack of tourism-related work, there was a similar effect on the lives of families in Kok Tnoth, a village in northern Cambodia.  Australian, Darrel Steer, a member of Rotary Passport Club of Melbourne, lives in Cambodia and has installed 450 toilets, and 150 clean water bores in Kok Tnoth village and during COVID was supporting village families with rice, cooking oil, seed and soap.

The war in Ukraine has resulted in an unprecedented number of Ukrainians seeking a safe haven from the heartbreaking destruction of their homes and communities, fleeing their homeland to find refuge around the world.

Over the last three years, Rotary Hoppers Crossing's International Committee has provided funding to sponsor eight (8) scholarships for poor, orphaned children in Pakistan.

 

These scholarships aim to transform the lives of students who otherwise would not be able to pay for tuition. The scholarship program involves collaborating with the Ghazali Educational Trust (GET) which is actively involved in running schools for disadvantaged students in Pakistan. These scholarships enable the students to graduate at the end of the 3-year program.

 

Thanks to a RAWCS project of Rotary Keilor East and an organisation in Perth, Wheelchairs for Kids, 140 wheelchairs are in a container on their way to Cambodia. 

 

These wheelchairs will enable children to attend school and become part of their community.

Rotary Kew’s Fair Trade shop in Kew East has established the first International Fairtrade online shop to raise funds to support the training of Timorese youth in the marketing and production of Timor Leste traditional textiles (Tais) and handmade local products. 

 

With Tais weaving skills becoming at risk of being lost through generational change, this treasured cultural activity has recently become heritage listed. Quality Timorese products are now available at www.kortimor.com. 

 

The New Woodend Star is a monthly community paper published by the Rotary Club of Woodend. It has become the Club’s highest-profile and most enduring contribution to the community.

 

It provides visibility for Rotary Woodend and our projects and is a fantastic way to promote Rotary International.

 

 

Scott wanted paid work but because he had an intellectual disability, applying for jobs online as part of a competitive interviewing process didn’t work well for him. 

 

He had been told by Disability Services that the best place for him to work would be a segregated workshop with low wages and no chance of career advancement.

 

Rotary Melbourne continues with its annual Thomas Baker Oration to commemorate the life and works of its 8^th President and is honoured to announce that Dr Cathy Foley AO PSM, Australia’s Chief Scientist, will present at Hotel Sofitel on Wednesday 15 June in the Latrobe Room.

 

Arrivals from 12:30pm for 12:50pm start and completion at 2:00pm.

 

Book now via Humanitix: Thomas Baker Oration 2022, Melbourne, 15th of June | Humanitix

Great value, quality Australian wines with their own distinctive RIMERN label are now available for online order, delivered to your door anywhere in Australia except Northern Territory.