Dear Editor,
Service and generosity describe the 2,000+ Rotarians in Northeast Ohio. These are civic-minded community members in the counties of Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Medina, Portage, Summit, and part of Lorain.
These Rotarians belong to 53 different Rotary Clubs in these counties. They are part of Rotary International which is in over 200 countries. The motto of Rotary International is Service above Self. Rotarians are committed to doing good in their communities and in the world. On a weekly basis, they come together in fellowship to break bread, join leaders, share ideas, and take action.
Giving dictionaries for third graders, scholarships to high school students, beautifying communities, building safety towns, feeding the hungry, working with and helping special needs individuals, adopting families at the holidays, giving food baskets at Thanksgiving, honoring dedicated community members, supporting programs for children, supporting local schools, helping with community events, supporting non-profits and local charities are just some of the activities that Rotarians do in their communities.
They partner with clubs in other countries to help with disease prevention, maternal and prenatal health, literacy and education, clean water and sanitation, and economic development. In the most recent disaster in Nepal, Rotarians in this district committed to over $52,000 to send shelter boxes to Nepal. These shelter boxes are used for temporary housing.
This year, so far, our Rotarians have contributed over $90,000 to our communities by using club funds and matching funds from Our Rotary Foundation. In addition, they have spent over $150,000 in International Projects and donations. The more impressive number is $750,000+. That is the amount of funds that local Rotarians raised and spent locally in Northeast Ohio. So when you contribute to a Rotary fund raiser, or attend one, you are part of this very generous aid to our local communities.
The most celebrated international project of Rotary is the effort and commitment to eradicate polio from the world. Rotary is so close to achieving this goal as there are only three countries left where Polio is endemic. According to the latest report, this year, only 28 new cases were found. This is great news considering that when Rotary started the quest to eradicate polio there were 350,000 cases of polio world wide.
Perhaps you have heard of the group, been asked to go to a fundraiser, donate to a fundraiser, or sponsor an event. Rotarians are busy (over 28,000 volunteer hours) and they raise money to help locally and internationally. Most recently, our clubs participated in Rotary Days, where Rotarians invited their communities to be part of a fun-filled day.
Rotary also has many programs for youth. There is a high school Interact Club, a college level Rotaract Cub, foreign exchange student opportunities, speaking contest, and leadership development.
As the 2014-15 District Governor of this District 6630, I am proud and humbled to represent this organization and very excited to share our vision with you.
If you would like more information about Rotary, please contact me at mdavanzo@zoominternet.net.
Thank you
Michael P. Davanzo
District Governor 2014-15
