.jpg) The Allied Health Training activity to be held in Kiribati during May 2020 (dates to be confirmed) will run alongside a surgical team visit who are travelling to Kiribati through the generous support of another donor. This will be the second allied health training activity to Kiribati following an inaugural visit in May 2019. The program will be delivered at the Tungaru Central Hospital in Tarawa, Kiribati. |
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 Sunday was an early-ish start with the Alarm going off at 7am. A quick breakfast and then loading up the car, Rotary's Counties Cycle Classic on the agenda for the day. A quick and easy 52km around the Pukekohe/Waiuku country side. The 565m of climbing a detail forgotten about in the excitement. However the sun was out and the wind minor - good start! |
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 Bert McCollum 1980 saw Bert McCollum in the chair and the Club fully committed to the Ambulance Project which he had initiated the previous year. The city council made available a block of land in Ray Small Drive, Rob Bersma drew his fifth plan for an Ambulance Station in Papakura and the Club set out to raise $200,000 to build the station and equip it with a Life Support Unit. The major fundraising was a direct telephone appeal aimed at soliciting donations and enrolling members. |
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 I started going to Rotary with Steve in mid 2014. Steve was a member of the Porirua Sundowner club, a small but very friendly club Steve had joined a couple of years earlier. I was warmly welcomed and they did lots of social activities so it was very easy to fit in. The big fundraiser each year was Christmas wrapping at the Porirua Mall, which was a lot of fun. So when we moved to Auckland during 2015 we agreed that we'd join a local club as a way to become part of the local community and to continue all the good things we'd enjoyed at the Porirua Club, helping in the community and being with other positive socially minded folk. I enjoy working with and helping people - as I do working at Starship hospital. When I am required and available, I love helping with the Breakfast in Schools programme. I also really enjoyed helping with the youth camp at Kokako Lodge. My shift work at Starship Children's hospital means I am not able to attend as many weekly meetings as I want to so would like to thank you all for your understanding on this. Karen |
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 Lars Lundo-Nielson is welcomed into the Club by President Grant Matheson Born in Denmark 1967, Lars spent much of his childhood living a nomadic lifestyle rarely spending more that 2 years in one place. During the 1st 10 years, he lived in 3 different cities in Greenland. Lars attended high school but decided this was not for him and switched to Tech to have a dabble with electronics. During this time he heard about the Navy looking for people to join their electronics and computing courses. Thinking this sounded great, Lars applied to join and spent the next 7 years training, graduating and working at various positions as a computer technician. Lars met Nicky in 1992, on a holiday to the Greek islands and started a long distance relationship (UK and DK) which eventually took him to the UK for a few years, working in various computing roles starting in retail then big corporates. In 1996 the couple visited NZ and got married. They fell in love with NZ so went back to UK to save up a bit of money. Late 1998 Lars and Nicky arrived back in NZ and Lars got a job with a computing company for a couple of years. He moved to Merck Sharp and Dohme (multinational pharmaceutical) where he has been for the last 18 years, now working for them as a self employed contractor. Along the way Lars and Nicky had 2 lovely daughters, Katrine and Pia. Katrine is currently away on Rotary Exchange to Denmark, sponsored by Pukekohe Rotary club and Pia is in year 12 at Rosehill College. |
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 This is not so much about “why I joined Rotary” but more about “how I joined Rotary”. It was a fine Sunday and with two free tickets to the football at North Harbour Stadium, I took my next door neighbour to see the game. Working for AFF at the time gave me a free car park and entry into the upper lounges. We sat on the balcony next to another Referee, who was also a Rotarian, and started to talk about the game and other things.It turned out that this person’s son in law was also my sons teacher at Auckland Grammar and then the question popped out “do you know what Rotary is about?” |
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 Why I joined ROTARY! Three great men influenced my young life, my Father ,Don Rowlands ( Mr Rowing NZ and MD of Fisher & Paykel ) and Noel Bryant ( Past President of Papakura Rotary and my Father in Law ) Dad was a very practical man and one who was a great Christian who lived his faith by his deeds to others and drummed into me that one did not have to go to Church every Sunday to be a good Citizen but a little bit would help me. His greatest strength that he passed on to me was his belief that you should try to practice a good deed to someone in need every day and I do follow that example. Thanks Dad! Don Rowlands was an incredible man ,mentor and leader and friend ,with his vast Rowing discipline, experience and coaching techniques coupled to his business knowledge he was the pinnacle of our Rotary Motto “ Service above Self “ and really lived the Four Way Test. He invited me to the then Panmure Clubs Luncheon Meeting several times in my early years in Manufacturing and my first contact with ROTARY. The Panmure Club doesn’t exist today as changing demographics play on service clubs and when I look back on the meeting formality, pomp and ceremony I can understand why and am proud of Rotary's progress to adjust to the changes. Interestingly they nearly cancelled his membership once because he could'nt meet the Attendance Requirements of the day and yet his Community Service levels could not be matched by anyone as he was deep into building the Rowing facility at Karapiro, laying international courses for Olympics and was Chairman for the Panmure Young Citizens Centre. His favourite saying to me was” when the ball gets close enough son simply kick it away!" He taught me all there was to know about goal setting. Noel Bryant after assessing me from an intention point of view, in respect to his youngest daughter, was an unbelievable Human Being as he could see no bad in anyone ,his compassion was endless and he lived to improve the lot for the disadvantaged and the sick. His work in Rotary was well respected by his peers and I looked up to him as a person that I could really learn from. He did not take kindly to me tearing up his paddocks whilst practicing my Grass Track driving techniques in the hay paddock, but he quickly forgave me as was his great nature. Noel invited me to come along to a meeting of the Papakura Club in early 1975 in the original RSA top story in O'Shannessey Street. I got hooked and was inducted into the Club in 1975/1976 year with Ray Wallace as President. The rest is history and for another day except to say that these three men shipped me into the Rotarian that I am today and I trust that I do them proud and that they can rest in peace in the knowledge that I will carry on their ideals.  |
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 Eric Jerkovich was President in 1977 and it was fitting that in this year we had a double student exchange. Our outward bound student Kim Farmer was hosted by The Rotary Club of Sao Paulo Perdizes in Brazil and we hosted the very popular Cindy Kenoyer from The USA. |
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 President Noel Allington (Brick Laying) A visit was received from a GSE team from California. We hosted Barbara Liedl, an exchange student from Lafayette, U.S.A. and we successfully nominated Phil McConkey for The G.S.E. team to visit the USA. Over four hundred people attended a Bereavement Seminar in the Papakura High School and a further substantial donation of instruments was made to The Papakura Music School. |
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   Week 1 With a great first week complete it has been fantastic to get the program underway, we have had great support to get us to this point and thank everyone who has supported this program so far.
 The young people have shown great tenacity arriving at 5:30am each morning. As the sessions have gone by, we have seen the young people step outside of their comfort zones. They have brought enthusiasm and positive attitudes to each session and have been extremely supportive of each other. As week two approaches, the intensity of the sessions will increase as well as a greater responsibility being placed on the young people to ensure they and their peers are prepared for each session, ensuring each other knows what’s required for each session, deciding on who is going to thank the trainers and speakers on the groups behalf and making sure they are ready on time. |
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 Malcolm Glasgow, member since 1991 "Fellowship!! I used to love the “Barrier Trip” that was held every year around February – April. Three - five boats would head out usually on a Thursday lunch time and head for Fitzroy harbour at Great Barrier Island. The general premise was fishing but there was a lot of laughing, eating, drinking, swimming, diving and generally solving the problems of the world. There were many stories to be told and most of them were in the class of “what happens on tour, stays on tour”. This is something we should try to organise again!" Check out a couple of other photo's below.. |
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 If you close your eyes and imagine the colour yellow, that pretty much sums up my latest month here on exchange. As my sixth month comes to a close, I feel utterly and completely satisfied but not only that, I feel like I’m shining with happiness! When I reflect on the relationships that I’ve made and not only that but the growth I’ve had as a person I feel a sense of pure happiness and overall, just positive about this roller coaster of an adventure. |
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 I have lived in a small community my whole life where everyone knew their neighbours and waved to every other vehicle on the road. If someone in the community was ill, we all pitched in to help with jobs or meals, collected their mail or simply called in for a cuppa and a yarn. I was brought up by my Parents with the same values. I have been accused of being a workaholic and have a huge stamina, energy and pride in what I can achieve. The nature of my job is very solitary with little outside interaction. When Graeme approached me to come to Rotary with him, I initially thought I was going to help him to attend meetings and also to give Robyn a break, however soon after they moved into Pukekohe. I realised I was enjoying the inclusiveness and friendship offered by the club members, the variety of guest speakers and vocational visits, the classical concert which was way outside of my musical preferences, the Motorcycle Show and the interaction with our various Rotary Exchange students, so I stayed. |
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 Shallow trench ground water supply under construction (2011). Water is fresh but non-potable Bruce Hart, Ted Lees and Brian Shove will travel to Vava’u on the 5th of August 2019 until the 13th August 2019. The Rotary Club of Papakura Inc is experienced with carrying out project work in Tonga having completed numerous water supply systems over the last 16 years. |
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Counties Manukau South Police and Blue Light are introducing the Blue EDGE ( Educate Develop Grow Empower) 'in school' leadership and team building programme to Rosehill College with financial support from both Drury and Papakura Rotary Clubs. |
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 Each year, Rotary awards up to 100 fully funded fellowships for dedicated leaders from around the world to study at one of our peace centres. Through academic training, practice, and global networking opportunities, the Rotary Peace Centres program develops the fellows into experienced and effective catalysts for peace. The fellowships cover tuition and fees, room and board, round-trip transportation, and all internship and field-study expenses. |
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 Funded by District 99209, an Interplast team departed on 15 May 2019 and concluded on 23rd May 2019. It comprised of two surgeons, two anaesthetists, two nurses and one physiotherapist. A total of 64 patients were consulted, 41 were selected for surgery, and 41 procedures were performed. |
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 Lisa,Vicki, RYE Inbound Coordinator Robyn Ingram and the Lundo-Nielsen family were up bright an early Sunday morning to welcome Tijn van Eeden to D9920 as he starts his year long adventure. Tijn is one of 7 Inbound student's in the district this year and the first Dutch student in D9920 since 1995. |
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 So my 5th month on exchange has drawn to a close. Sometimes, the days seem to drag out and other days I feel like I’ve blinked and it’s over! I remember when I first came, and the other students were saying they only had 5 months left and now they’re gone, and it just makes me realise how crazy the whole concept of time is while on exchange. It’s been a pretty quiet month, just fitting into life here, seeing my school friends when I can, doing my Spanish homework and just being with my family. |
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 DG Gary Langford and Immediate Past DG Ingrid Waugh The District Governor Changeover was held at the Remuera Golf Club this year and was a great chance to hear some amazing D9920 stories from our outgoing District Governor, Ingrid Waugh and the vision for the coming year from DG Gary Langford. The clubs in our District have worked hard to make significant changes to their communities both locally and globally and was very clear that "Service Above Self" is not just our Rotary motto but a way of life for a great number of D9920 Rotarians. |
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 Donna, David, Peter and Martin with our RYLArian's and ROTApacific awardee's Willow Park Christian Camp was the venue for the week long RYLA programme which ended in a superb Graduation Dinner on Friday evening. Over 230 guests celebrated with the RYLArian awardees who were clearly elated with their achievement of completing the challenging programme. Our club chose to send 3 remarkable young local's to RYLA this year and we look forward to hearing them share their stories and experiences at this week's meeting. |
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 Rotary’s activities and celebrations to mark 100 years of Rotary in Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific Islands were officially launched at Government House in Wellington on 20 June 2019. An audience of more than two hundred were introduced to Rotary’s plans which will lead up to the celebration of 100 years of Rotary achievement in Auckland in 2021. Most importantly, it is the impact we have in our communities that we should celebrate during this time. Read the entire Rotary Oceania article here |
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 Peter and Bernie spent the day on Wednesday at Hobbiton with the delegates Papakura has had the pleasure of hosting this years ROTA Pacific Tour delegates in the week prior to RYLA. The delegates Tabtiha Berg (Rarotonga) and Porani Tapari-Pin (Tahiti) staying with Donna and David, Veronica Reddy (Fiji) and Priya Chand (Fiji) staying with Warren and Jackie and Seforan Fatiaki (Fiji) and Shrivneel Kirpal (Fiji) staying with Tracey and Jon, have had a full on first few days and all the while trying to adjust to the climate! In the first 3 days they have managed to fit in two Rotary meetings, a Vocational morning, Laser Tag with the RYE students, a trip to Hobbiton, and 8 km walk, a visit to Hamilton Gardens and getting all their gear sorted for RYLA! A huge thank you to Peter Wilcock who has worked tirelessly to co-ordinate with other clubs and put together a week that has given the delegates experiences they will never forget! |
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 Kiribati is one of, if not THE, poorest nation in the Pacific with communities in desperate need of a helping hand. District 9920 has recently initiated two major undertakings that will help these communities substantially. Here District 9920 Governor Ingrid is shown a community garden during her April visit. |
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 Jenni (Germany/Half Moon Bay), Viki (Austria/Pakuranga), Tracey Faber, Lily (France/Papakura) and Maria (Denmark/Sommerville) Friday night saw the celebration of another year of Rotary Youth Exchange in D9920. Four of the five current inbounds have almost completed their year and the Counsellors and Host families joined the girls to reminisce over the wonderful year that was. There were plenty of stories, photos, tears and food so all in all a great night. Lily did a super job of sharing her experiences, feelings and gratitude of her year in New Zealand. Make sure you are at the meeting on the 20th June as she will give her farewell presentation to the Club. Lily will be sorely missed by the Club; her 'one minutes' have just been priceless! |
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 Hello again from Argentina! I am here to say once again, that time really does fly, because the fact that I am already one third of a way through my exchange is absolutely - loco - ! My month began with my counsellor, which is so fitting as he has become such a nice and comforting person in my exchange. 1 de Mayo is ‘workers day’ and a public holiday for Argentina. The argentinian’s eat ‘locro’ on this day, which is a traditional dish in Argentina that is almost a combination of a stew, a curry and a soup and is one of my all time favourites! I went to my counsellor’s house and spent time with his family and I felt so welcomed, and it was nice to be treated like a ‘granddaughter’. |
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 Inbounds and RYE Applicants getting ready for team building on the High Ropes course The 2019 RYE Selection Weekend was held at Kokako Lodge over the weekend. We were blessed with stunning weather (but VERY cold nights) and were incredibly well fed thanks to Lisa van den Brink and Vicki Jones! We spent the weekend getting to know the applicants, delivering presentations on the details of the programme and interviewing both them and their parents. At the conclusion of the weekend, we are tasked with making the 'final' selection of who would be our 2020 Outbounds. |
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 George, Bernie and Ash got a chance to catch up on the night Papatoetoe Central Rotary's Indian Diaspora night was a great success. It was the perfect combination, guests had a wonderful night and a significant amount of money was raised to support four charities: The Rotary Foundation, Cure Kids Fiji Oxygen Project, The Middlemore Foundation and Kids Can. Read more on this amazing event here rotarydistrict9920.org/Stories/papatoetoe-central-rotary-s-colourful-indian-diaspora-dinner-was-a-runaway-success |
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 Lily, along with her fellow Inbounds students of both D9920 and D991, spent last week at Challenge camp. Definitely out of her comfort zone but she rose to the challenge, gave service above self and thoroughly enjoyed her week! The week-long camp provides an environment that will physically, intellectually and emotionally challenge young people who may not otherwise have the opportunity to attend such a camp. It is a wonderful experience for our RYE students and often one of the highlights of their exchange. In typical Lily words "It was so cool"! |
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.png) The Papakura Rotary Christmas Parade is a Community Event proudly supported and run by our club for the last 40 years, along with the Papakura Business Association. There is always plenty of community spirit and a wonderful atmosphere on the day which is filled with spectacular floats, happy faces and family fun. This year the parade will be at 3:00 p.m. on December 2nd. Teams of Rotary volunteers are involved with Traffic and Float management to ensure the day runs smoothly. Make sure to stop in and see us, we are renowned for having best BBQ on offer at the parade. The parade leaves from Central Park, travels down Great South Rd to Broadway and into Railway St and back to Central Park. You can download a registration form for 2018 here, or register online here. Registrations close on Friday 16 November. |
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Kootuitui Ki Papakura is a charitable organisation comprising of collective communutity representatives including Mana Whenua and was established in 2015 to provide services for a cluster of schools in Papakura. The purpose is to support Whanau and schools to enable better life outcomes for tamariki. |
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 On Thursday night we inducted two new members to Papakura Rotary. Welome to Lisa and Paul. |
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.JPG)  On Thursday evening Anne shared her story about life growing up in Northern Ireland, living in London and meeting a Kiwi boy. |
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  Wonderful work being done by our Rotarians at Edmund Hillary School. This week they have been working on the planter boxes. |
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 Well done to George who has completed Dry July. George has raised $1376.74 in his Dry July efforts. It is not late to make a donation to help George and the Look Good Feel Good Charity, supporting people living with cancer. Click the link below to donate today. https://www.dryjuly.co.nz/users/george-wilson-2/donations/new |
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 This week marks the beginning of Rotary Youth Exchange Student Lily's 4th week in New Zealand and with our Club. Read on to find out how she has settled with her Host Family and what she has been up to! |
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 Our leader Dennis Millard instructing the ladies from the Newmarket Club on the intricacies of the packing line During this last week the ERK packing tempo lifted with Auckland, Parnell and Newmarket Clubs setting a blistering pace! Each Club packed close to 175 units, a wonderful result of which they should all be very proud. There is only 73 boxes left to be packed on Wednesday night from a total of 750 units. |
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 Bernie Kay and a local Eua family at the completion of new spouting on their house. Last Thursday evening, Tim Wilcock (International Committee) presented on the latest Fresh Water project in Eua, Tonga. Another outstanding International Project by some extremely passionate Rotarians and Volunteers. A huge Thank You to all involved. Click the 'Read More' tab to view Tim's presentation. |
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.jpg) Happy 17th Birthday to Lily. |
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 Dear Rotary Club of Papakura, I would like to sincerely thank you for sponsoring me to attend the RYLA course of 2018. I greatly appreciate the opportunity you have given me to gain valuable knowledge and tools to help me realise my potential and develop my skills as a leader. The course was extremely worthwhile and I have taken away so much to reflect on and implement in my personal and professional life. |
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Roger's quote of the week ... One of life’s most painful moments comes when we must admit that we didn’t do our homework, that we are not prepared. |
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 A giant artificial reef in the shape of a Rotary wheel restores marine life and protects the livelihood of several fishing villages in the Philippines
In the calm blue waters of Lamon Bay lies a source of pride for local fishermen and a submerged salute to Rotary: an artificial reef in the shape of a Rotary wheel. The wheel has helped restore the local fishing industry, which was devastated by large-scale commercial fishing vessels that used dynamite, cyanide, and fine mesh nets from the late 1990's through the early 2000's. |
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A wonderful charitable event is being planned which will help save the lives of a million babies. Sir Ray Avery’s LifePod Appeal is to be held at Eden Park on Waitangi Day, 2019. The Live Aid style concert will feature a star-studded cast including a performance by an unrevealed music icon who has never before performed in New Zealand. The charitable event aims to raise $4 million to produce 2,000 LifePod incubators to be sent around the world as a gift from New Zealand to save the lives of one million babies. LifePods are Sir Ray Avery’s incubator invention manufactured at a fraction of the price of alternatives. |
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Those of you who have been to previous District Changeover events will have images of a breakfast that seemed to go on forever with endless formalities and awards and people falling asleep over their coffee and tea. This year, DGE Ingrid decided to change it up a little and instead held a cocktail function at the Barrycourt Motel in Parnell – home of the Rotary Club of Parnell. Papakura was represented by George Wilson, Peter Wilcock, Allan Mackay and John Fothergill. |
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 “The Rotary Foundation is the most visible expression of Rotarian generosity – a generosity that not only brings benefits but also brings help and cooperation to solve the problems that affect mankind.” – Paulo V. Costa, 1995-96 Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair in a speech to the 1996 convention The Rotary Foundation of RI is a not-for-profit corporation whose mission is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty. Through our Foundation, Rotary members have supported thousands of projects to provide clean water, fight disease, promote peace, provide basic education, and grow local economies. We’ve also been a leader in the fight to eradicate polio worldwide. For every $1 Rotary commits to polio eradication, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has committed $2. |
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 We came together last Thursday to celebrate some stars in our Community. These are people who go out of their way to make a difference in other people's lives and clearly share our belief of 'Service above Self'. |
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 As we wrap up another amazing year of contributing to our Local and Global Communities, it is time to celebrate our achievements. Being part of one of the most active clubs in the District, having an Outstanding Annual Fundraiser, the time you have given and the service you have provided, have made the following achievements possible. |
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Papakura Girl taking the Rotaract reins in Wellington.jpg) Madison Faber, one of our 2016 Education Trust Scholarship winners, is excited to taking on the role as President of the Wellington Rotaract Club in July 2018. Madison and her team are looking forward to embracing this year's Rotary theme of 'Be the Inspiration' and are focussed on encouraging young people to take the opportunity to make a difference to their community by embracing Service Above Self. |
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RYE student Caitlin - Having the time of her life April has been a very eventful month. I have moved families, celebrated my birthday, travelled, attended a baptism and rotary events and met many new people. Moving families has been so easy. My new host family is amazing and so Kind hearted. I have two host brothers (both in their late twenties) and my host mother is a gem. The house I live in currently is massive. I have to climb four sets of stairs just to get to my room. The house is situated in the middle of the city which makes it so much easier to get to school (it used to take me an hour on the bus, now it takes 15 minutes to walk) and I have the opportunity to see friends on the weekends because I don’t have to rely on buses (which don’t run in the weekends). My host family have also organised for me to start rowing (my home is also right next to the river) and possibly swimming. I can’t wait to see what’s to come and to get even closer with my current host family. |
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Education Trust Scholarships 2018Applications are now open for the Education Trust Scholarships for 2018 Closing Date for Applications: 19 October 2017 Please click the link below to download the Application Form: |
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Changeover 2017.jpg) Papakura Rotary Changeover 2017 was the stuff dreams are made of! There was plenty of laughter, good food and even better company as we celebrated the 16/17 Rotary year in style. Hosted by outgoing President Noeline Westley, the theme for the evening was set on arrival, as we were surrounded by fairy lights and dream catchers all handmade by incoming President Bruce Hart’s daughter, Anna. MC for the night, Morris Jones had us roaring with laughter and kept the evening running smoothly. |
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Jacqui says "Amazing is an understatement" I’ve had so many new experiences, from meeting all the exchange students, to spending two weeks on a bus with them all, to preparing to say goodbye to everyone as they head back home at the end of their exchange.The first time I met all the exchange students was at the orientation weekend in Capilla, 95 both inbounds and out bounds. I knew I would become good friends with a lot of our group, the excitement for the north trip was contagious, and I found myself unable to wait for two weeks of crazy. |
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Trees for Survival.jpeg) If you would like to be involved, please contact us |
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Vaea Little Vaea has had his cleft lip repaired, he has recovered well and he is eating and drinking without problems. Since his last visit to the club, there is a significant difference in his appearance and he has grown into a full blown toddler who entertained us all with his hijinks at our evening meeting. Donna and David Cox were up at 4.30am on Tuesday morning to get the family to Auckland airport, and he has now flown home to Tonga to await his cleft palate surgery. There were plenty of tears when he was greeted by his family, who didn't recognise him! A truly wonderful result. |
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Our Outbound Student, Jacqui Philp has had an exciting last month in Argentina. She has settled into school, is enjoying plenty of game time on the hockey field, is coming to grips with the language and loving the culture. Jacqui has spent her first 4 months with the Sanchez family and has certainly been made to feel at home. Take a look at a snippet from her latest report. |
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Music has been an important part of leading an ordinary life for students at the Music School for Children With Disabilities in Honor of Paul Harris in Lublin, Poland. Founded by Rotary members, the school serves 20 students with various disabilities, including Down syndrome, autism, and visual impairments. The Rotary Club of Lublin-Centrum-Maria Curie-Sklodowska has provided funding with help from Rotary Foundation Matching Grants and the Henryk Wieniawski Musical Society, which houses the school.
After their son Mateusz was born with underdeveloped eyes, Mariusz and Joanna Kania looked for ways to help him be active. When he showed an aptitude for music, they looked for a teacher and were thrilled to find the Paul Harris music school.
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 For years, Angalia Bianca had slept in abandoned buildings throughout Chicago. She stole. She did drugs. She spent time in and out of jail for forgery, theft, trespassing, and possession of narcotics. But after she landed in prison for the seventh time, something changed -- Bianca knew she wanted a better life. She just didn’t know how to make it happen.After serving her time, Bianca sought help from a local homeless organization, A Safe Haven, and moved to its shelter in the Rogers Park neighborhood. Bianca followed the program closely -- she attended all the required meetings, passed drug tests, and volunteered at every opportunity.
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 What is it like taking a large team to Africa? It has probably been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. In mid February, I began leading Rotary members from all over the East Coast of the United States through Ghana. I’ve tried to give the team a warm Ghanaian welcome like I’ve received on my earlier trips. A large trip is a real blessing because each person sees Ghana and our work in a different way.A highlight for the team was greeting the chief of Sagadugu. The team got excited about buying goats and food for children in the villages where I support eight churches. It was good to see the pastors of most of the eight churches, and I had to explain that we were just passing through on our way to Bolgatanga. |
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 Throughout India and around the world, Rotary clubs are celebrating a major milestone: India has gone three years without a new case of polio. The last reported case was a two-year-old girl in West Bengal on 13 January 2011. To mark this historic triumph, Rotary clubs illuminated landmarks and iconic structures throughout the country with four simple but powerful words, "India is polio free."The three-year achievement sets the stage for polio-free certification of the entire Southeast Asia region by the World Health Organization. The Indian government also plans to convene a polio summit in February to commemorate this victory in the global effort to eradicate polio.
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