Newsletter - Archive  Jan 15, 2010

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Rescuers cheer and cry with tears of joy as a woman is pulled alive from the rubble of her home in
quake-ravaged Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (Kansas City Star/McClatchy photo by Patrick Farrell)

Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund set up by RI; JC West to donate $1,000

A Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund has been established by Rotary International to streamline the flow of contributions from Rotarians around the world, looking to assist victims of the catastrophic Jan. 12 earthquake that reduced cities and villages to rubble.

               Jefferson City West Rotary Club announced it would contribute $1,000 from its International Projects Fund to respond to the Haiti need. Club President Steve Houser on Friday, Jan. 15, said the club board approved the action shortly after Rotary International announced its relief fund had been established.

               RI funds will be used in the relief effort for projects that provide long-term support and development, said Annie Palubicki at Rotary's headquarters in Chicago. Such an effort will be coordinated with District 7020 Governor Errol Alberga, the Rotary district serving Haiti.

               "This is the most tragic situation that you can imagine," said Past District 7020 Governor Dick McCombe. "The support from Rotary and the world has really stepped up to help, and thank you for it."

               Individual Rotarians may contribute to the Haiti Earthquake Relief Fund by check, credit card, wire or the transfer of stock. Checks should be made payable to The Rotary Foundation Donor Advised Fund, and should be sent to Rotary DAF, 4A Gill Street, Woburn, MA 01801. The check should be referenced to Haiti Earthquake Fund #296.

               All individual contributions of $250 or more will be sent a charitable tax receipt, RI's news release noted. The IRS will accept contributions of less than $250, but donors will have to have cancelled checks to use as their charitable receipt.

January Students of the Month

Ashley Schwarzer (left), a senior at Helias High School, and Kelly Johanna Strope (right), a senior at Jefferson City High, have been selected as Students of the Month for January by the Jefferson City West Rotary Club. Ashley is top-ranked scholastically in her class and is a 2009 National Merit semi-finalist. She is listed in Who's Who Among America's High School Students, Who's Who in Journalism, and a member of the National Honor Society. She is a member of the Helias girls' volleyball team and a tri-captain, an associated editor in the Journalism Club, and active in community projects such as Special Olympics and Challenger Baseball, and is a volunteer at St. Mary's Health Center. Kelly is on the school's Honor Roll and is a member of the National Honor Society. She is the community service chair for the JCHS Student Council, and active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She is also active in varsity soccer where she was second team all-district in 2007, 2008 and 2009. Congratulations to Ashley and Kelly!

A Good Samaritan in Belize

Erin Graham, a senior biology student at the University of Missouri and daughter of Rotarian Richard and Sally Graham, just returned from an International Service Learning mission trip to Belize to help evaluate health issues in that Central America country and assist in medical outreach efforts like taking blood pressure and screening children for medical needs. Her program on Jan. 15 featured many of her own photographs of the backwoods of Belize where nearly 80 percent of the citizens live below the poverty line. She loved working with Belize children and her photos showed how much they enjoyed the attention they received. Erin was an exchange student to New Zealand last year and says she is eager to go back. But maybe another slide show with her pictures first?

Rotary Conferences coming up!

Here are three key Rotary conferences and special events coming up in the next few months. Put them on your calendar.

  March 26-27: PETS/SETS Training for club presidents-elect and secretaries-elect, at Capital Plaza Hotel in Jefferson City.

  April 15-17: All-Missouri Rotary Conference, involving all four state Rotary districts, at Springfield, Mo. More details to come, but this is a great event for all family members!

  April 23: Rotary Trivia Night, sponsored by the JC West Rotary Club, 6 p.m. at Capital Ritz, a fun fund-raiser for a local non-profit, to be determined later. Open to the community.

  June 20-23: Rotary International Conference in Montreal, Quebec. Canada.

Upcoming Programs

Jan. 22 - Paul Reinert, Springfield Rotary, to discuss his trip to Ecuador and our club's newest international project.

Jan. 29 - Special Learning Center presentation.