Spencer Anderson, Rotary Club of Rock Hill, greets Phil Lader at the Foundation Banquet Oct. 26 in Spartanburg. Lader, a former ambassadorial scholar and former US Ambassador to Great Britain, spoke at the banquet.
Have you given lately to YOUR Foundation?
Every Rotarian Every Year – Extending Rotary’s Reach Around The World
Your contribution to the Annual Programs Fund can literally be the bridge to a better life for people in need. In El Salvador, a $17,600 Matching Grant Project built three bridges that improved the lives of 2,500 people. Sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of San Salvador Cuscatlan and Warwick (VA), the bridges increased agricultural trade, economic growth and access to health care and education. An unexpected benefit of the project came during the excavation for one of the bridges when a high quality water source was discovered. Using the new bridge, the residents now have access to the water.
Contributions by Every Rotarian Every Year can make a difference in lives around the world. For example, a $100 contribution can provide mosquito nets for 50 children in Tanzania; $1000 provides microcredit loans for 23 women in the Philippines; $10,000 provides two water well to serve villages in Haiti; and $100,000 provides 100 dairy cows and 50 flocks of chickens to farmers in Romania to produce milk and food for area orphanages.
How far will your contribution go?
Setting The Pace In Giving
Major Donors, Bequest Society members, Benefactors and Paul Harris Society Fellows are vital leaders in supporting YOUR Foundation’s programs, helping to save and change lives around the world
| |
Totals in 2008-09 |
Cumulative |
| Major Donors |
1,311 |
11,416 |
| Bequest Society Members |
524 |
6,623 |
| Benefactors |
2,897 |
80,673 |
| Paul Harris Fellows |
61,998 |
1,188,782 |
Have you made your gift yet? What better time than November, Rotary Foundation Month! The Future of Rotary Is In Your Hands, including the ability of YOUR Foundation to save and change lives. Make your gift today!!
Rotary can make you happy
by PDG Myles Golden
District Membership Chair
I came across an article recently titled Why We’re Happy. In dealing with many unhappy people in my career transition business, naturally the article caught my attention. The article was written by Arthur Brooks, PhD, at Syracuse University. Brooks has done an extensive study on what makes us happy and has written a book titled Gross National Happiness. After reading the book I have concluded that Rotary has played a significant role in making me happy and I believe it does the same for many of you. Therefore, let me cut to the chase and give you Gross National Happiness’s five Predictors of Happiness:
- Faith – Brooks’ study concluded that those of us who have a belief system are in the top 1/3 of people who rank themselves as “very happy.” Rotary is an organization that recognizes all faiths. Brooks found out that faith is a common value among happy people.
- Work - That’s where I spend quite a bit of my time. Rotary has, from the beginning, been an organization that recognizes the importance of vocational service. Just look at your fellow Rotarians and you will know you are amongst the best of the best in your community’s workforce.
- Family and Marriage - Rotary is a family organization. Those of you who have heard me speak on how Rotary has impacted my family will know that Rotary can be a moving force for your family and especially for your children. Think of all the activities that your Rotary club is doing for your family and especially for the youth in your community.
- Charity - What civic organization in the world does more for the world at large than Rotary? What our clubs do for our communities and globally is nothing short of a miracle. Eradicating Polio is almost a reality thanks to Rotary. Brooks concludes that “the only way to buy happiness is to give your money away.”
- Freedom - Rotary is not growing in North America nearly as fast as it is in countries that are now experiencing new freedom. I have had the privilege of assisting young people in winning Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarships from former communist bloc countries such as Poland, Bulgaria, Russia and the Ukraine to mention a few. Brooks’ research found out that economic freedom brings happiness as does political and religious freedom.
So what has all this to do with membership? Make someone happy and ask them to join Rotary. It might be the best gift you have ever given to a friend. That’s what my son, Clark, said when he spoke to my Rotary club many years ago. “Rotary is one of best gifts my parents ever gave me.” |
November 2009 
