Week 3 of Rotary’s Month of Youth Service.
Most of the activities that Rotary districts and their clubs worldwide are currently engaged in are centered on responding to the Covid-19 pandemic. Rotary International, in response to the ravaging impacts of this virus on the lives of the people world-wide, through its charitable agency, The Rotary Foundation, created the Disaster Response Fund. This fund, with limited financing by TRF, is designed to help districts around the world respond to disasters.
Funds were made available and applications were accepted from many of the 535 Rotary districts as well as many of the nearly 35,000 clubs worldwide. Shortly after the funds were made available the funds were exhausted. Below are two great stories of how a district and some its clubs have made a difference.
The Rotary Club of La Crosse (WI), District 6250, received a $1,000 Disaster Relief Grant from TRF to be donated to the Hunger Task Force’s “Together We Can” Drive-thru Food Drive at the Valley View Mall. The district added a sum of $2,000 to the grant, which will be split among organizations catering to local needs. The New Horizon’s Food Pantry, Gateway Council Boys Scouts Camp Subsidies, YMCA Youth activities are among the beneficiaries.
The six Chippewa Valley Rotary Clubs, (WI) District 6250, also received a $4,200 Disaster Relief Grant from TRF. In addition to the grant from TRF, the clubs have donated $2,500 in relief funds which provides a total of $6,700. All funds will be donated to two different organizations providing Covid-19 relief in the Chippewa Valley. Assistant Governor Michael Kloss stated that the clubs understand the difficulties and hardships caused by the pandemic, adding “ I hope that our help, through the support of Rotary International (The Rotary Foundation), will ease the pain for some and foster others more fortunate to help in any way they can.”
“We have to be open to new approaches and creating unique clubs for younger people is just part of the solution…We will not let rapid change defeat us. We will capture this moment to grow Rotary, making it stronger, more adaptable, and even more aligned with our core values.”
Rotary International President-elect, Holger Knaack.
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thousands of Iowans in the District who have been blindsided by the Covid-19 pandemic. Food Bank network in Iowa, supplies every food pantry in District 6000. The 3 food banks serving District 6000 territory have a coordinated formula which allows contributions to be distributed equitably throughout the Food Banks based in Des Moines, Cedar Rapids area, and Davenport. 