Greetings and Happy February! We wanted to provide you with an update on some happenings with The Rotary Foundation, both internationally and within our District.
Rotary Releases Grant Model Evaluation Results
Recently, The Rotary Foundation released the results of the evaluation of the current grant model. Overall, the Grant Model has been a big success. The size and number of Global Grants and District Grants continues to grow, both internationally and within our District. A summary of the results can be found at this link.
Foundation Contributions Update
\Foundation Contributions in our District for 2019-20 are on pace to exceed last year. That is great news, but no time to let up! Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Foundation this Rotary year. And to all of our Club Foundation Chairs: Be sure to keep getting the word out to your Club of the importance of supporting our Rotary Foundation. Together we can continue to grow our Foundation and all the Good we are doing throughout the world.
Rotary and Gates Foundation Extend Polio Funding Match
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has extended their financial commitment to End Polio Now. Read the separate article in this newsletter or on the Rotary District 5650 website - click here.
An Update from our Scholarship Student
And for our last Foundation item this month, we’d like to give you an update from our Rotary Foundation Global Scholar from District 5650, Hayley Dunlop. You will recall that Hayley is working on her Masters of Public Health this year at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, thanks to a grant from our District and The Rotary Foundation.
“I've just started Term 2 of my studies, and my classes this term are very interesting. Rotary International has been mentioned in multiple presentations as we've discussed eradication campaigns for smallpox and polio at length. There is another Global Scholar from Kentucky who is doing her MPH at the University of Edinburgh, so the two of us get very excited whenever our lecturers mention the PolioPlus campaign! I've also just signed on to assist with a literature review that will be used to inform the UK's national strategy on obesity, so it is exciting to get to contribute in a concrete way to the field of public health and Rotary's area of focus on disease prevention and treatment. I will be meeting my dissertation supervisor within the next week or so as well to discuss plans for a study looking at how deprivation (low socioeconomic status, limited access to healthcare, etc.) impacts breast cancer recurrence in Scottish women. I learned so many essential skills for public health research and practice in Term 1 (and got good marks in all of my classes!), so I'm excited to take advantage of these opportunities to apply those skills over Term 2 and the summer dissertation period.
I'll be sure to keep you updated on my studies this term and any exciting Rotary events! I've thoroughly enjoyed my time in Scotland so far, and am incredibly grateful for Rotary's constant support. I hope all is well at home, and that you're staying warm this winter!” Hayley Dunlop, University of Edinburgh
In Closing
To all the Rotarians in our District: Thanks for everything you do for The Rotary Foundation, and if you have not yet had the opportunity to donate or participate in grant activities – JOIN US! Nothing is more rewarding than knowing we are changing the World through our Rotary Foundation. If you want to know how to get started, if you have any questions about the Foundation, or if you’d like me to come and speak at your Club, drop me a line at paulharrisrocks@gmail.com I’d love to hear from you!
Bill Harvey
District 5650 Rotary Foundation Chair