Rotary Foundation Month

By PDG Frank Ortiz, District Rotary Foundation Chair

The Rotary Foundation transforms your gifts into service projects that change lives both close to home and around the world.

Since it was founded more than 100 years ago, the Foundation has spent more than $4 billion on life-changing, sustainable projects. With your help, we can make lives better in your community and around the world.

At the 1917 convention, outgoing Rotary president Arch Klumph proposed setting up an endowment “for the purpose of doing good in the world.” That one idea, and an initial contribution of $26.50, set in motion a powerful force that has transformed millions of lives around the globe.

The mission of The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International 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.

The District Rotary Foundation Committee (DRFC) consists of experienced Rotarians who have shown a commitment to the Foundation as demonstrated through program participation and financial contributions. The Committee is led by a DRFC Chair that is appointed for a three-year term. The members of the District Rotary Foundation Committee serve in several capacities as well as sub-committee chairs for several key Foundation functions.  Your DRFC team members are identified from the ‘DISTRICT TAB’ in the ‘Rotary Foundation’ subpage on the District Website.

We continue to support our Foundation for many reasons.  The #1 goal of the Rotary Foundation remains our long-time commitment to the eradication of Polio from our planet.  We need to be certain that Polio is completely eradicated, and that we provide the necessary support to provide surveillance and other measures so that potential out breaks are minimal during this phase of the eradication effort.

Secondly, on a parallel path, Rotarians believe that we have a shared responsibility to address our world’s most persistent issues.  We continue to work together in 1) Providing clean water, sanitation, and hygiene;  2) Supporting education; 3) Fighting disease; 4) Saving mothers and children; 5) Growing local economies; and 6) Promoting peace.  These areas of focus help set Rotary’s global priorities, so that we can harness our collective strength to improve the health and livelihood of communities worldwide. 

These efforts take on-going contributions to our Foundation so that we can continue to witness significant improvements in our local and global humanity.

Our District is very generous.  That being said, I trust that we will continue to set the generous standard that we have established over the years.  At the recent District Conference in Santa Ynez, District Governor Savi Bhim and I were proud to announce a new recognition level for our generous contributors.  This new recognition is called the ‘Triple Crown Donors Circle’.  This is an exclusive Society that is open to all, when you achieve the contribution levels of:  1) Major Donor Level 1; 2) Bequest Society Level 1; and 3) Paul Harris Society membership with current eligible status.  The ‘Charter Members of this Circle will be appropriately recognized at the District 5240 Foundation Gale on January 11, 2020,  held at the Sherwood Country Club in Westlake Village.  More information about the ‘Triple Crown Donors Circle’ can be found from the ‘DISTRICT TAB’ in the ‘Rotary Foundation’ subpage, ‘Fundraising’ related page on the District Website.

November is Rotary Foundation Month.  Use this opportunity to learn more about our Foundation and to spread the work about our collective service efforts both locally and globally.