Disaster on Two Fronts

In name perhaps, something of a mystery.  In the realm of fact, The Rotary Foundation is Rotary’s own charity, always top of the charts.

Enough to entice over 60 Rotarians from all over our district to a Rotary Foundation workshop on April 9 at Writtle College to learn more about the Foundation and how to successfully apply for grants.

What did we learn? Immediately from DGE Jed, that Foundation donations in our district are down 30%.  He highlighted how the Rotary Foundation Disaster Response Fund has responded so quickly to the Ukraine crisis, “Foundation is our charity, and it enables us to help round the world.  I want every club to run one fundraising event for Foundation next Rotary year to raise at least £500 to bring in another £30,000.”

Historic Low

State of the crisis - District Foundation Chairman, Martin Sulley said:
“We can be very proud of our historical donations, over 1.5 million dollars in the last 15 years, which has funded $750,000 of worthwhile causes, $145,000 for End Polio Now, and supported Global scholars to the tune of $70,000.”

Then he revealed: “Donations are at a historic low.

Only 13% of members in District actually donate and there are only 105 sustaining members in District (i.e. those giving $100 or more).  (Editor – our club’s members alone are 20% of that total).  We need more donations if we are to continue to fund new projects!”

Three Projects

Three such successful projects which have benefited from Foundation Grants were presented to the participants (Page15):
Feel Inspired Sports Festival – annual sports competition for disabled children jointly with the “Wheelpower” charity
SEADIP – Defibrillators on Southend-on-Sea Sea Front – 14 defibrillators for the seafront between Chalkwell and Shoeburyness, jointly with the Carli Lansley Foundation.
Kigezi Orphanage Ambulance – an ambulance for the Kigezi Orphanage in Uganda.
Fighting a Disaster.

The Disaster Response Fund is an invaluable part of The Rotary Foundation, and has often provided vital support to projects addressing environmental disasters (e.g. Philippines Typhoon, Caribbean Hurricane, Somerset flooding), and health emergencies (e.g. West Africa Ebola, global Covid pandemic).
More recently, it has helped with ameliorating the crisis in Ukraine.

Cheryl Law (District 1260), a Rotary Foundation Assistant Area Coordinator, stressed the value of the Rotary Foundation Disaster Response Fund and how quickly it could dispense funds for projects of up to $25,000 for Ukraine.

Our Rotary Cluster consists of four Districts.  Of the four, District 1080 applied for money from the fund for a project to help Ukrainian refugees; request approved the next day.  Four days later, District 1260 (her District) applied for funds for a project to help refugees arriving in her district; received approval eight hours later. $25,000 available - why aren’t we applying?
NB: You can apply for more than one such grant.

Get a Grant!

David Whitehead Chairman District 1240 Grants Sub-committee detailed eligibility for a grant, and the process for requesting a grant.

• Eligibility – Attend this Foundation Workshop and complete on-line training course.
• Timing – Submit request by June 30 2022; acceptance would be confirmed (or not) by July 31, 2022; money should be received by September 2022.
• Valid Areas of Focus – grants are only available for the seven areas: Water & Sanitation, Basic Education & Literacy, Disease Prevention & Treatment, Maternal & Child Health, Economic & Community Development, Peace & Conflict Resolution, Protecting the Environment.
• Participation – The Rotary club  needs to have active participation in the project.

The workshop ended with a lively and valuable Q & A.