11/15/23

Rotarians around the world chose projects that truly put service above self. Here are just a few that we’re highlighted in The past month:

• In Bowling Green, KY, a tornado and subsequent electrical fire destroyed the African American Museum. The Rotary Club acquired a $10,000 disaster relief grant from their district to donate to the museum. In addition, a dozen local rotarians attended workshops on archiving and helped the museum restore its artifacts.

• In Jamaica, the Rotary Club of Kingston learned there is a shortage of housing for people with limited mobility. With donations from the Rotary Club of Naples, in Florida, the club was able to refurbish a housing complex. They were able to raise the heights of toilets, add support bars in the restrooms and install new countertops, sinks and kitchen cupboards to improve accessibility.

• In Portugal, the Rotary Club of Almancil International is dedicated to serving the needs of youth, especially those with autism spectrum disorders and Down syndrome. Members sponsor activities such as surfing lessons and animal therapy. Recently, they raised money to build a sensory room at a local school. The sensory room includes state-of-the-art music, sensory lights and a soothing waterbed that helps to calm students, improve visual and auditory skills and regulate their behavior.

At the same time, we unequivocally condemn the horrific attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians and are appalled at the number of people who have been injured, killed, and kidnapped.

As the war between Israel and Hamas intensifies, we remain deeply concerned about the potential for further escalation as well as the loss of life and the humanitarian crisis that is occurring in Gaza. We denounce the violence against innocent civilians and support upholding international humanitarian law.

Peacebuilding is both a cornerstone of Rotary’s mission and one of our areas of focus. At our core, Rotary is a common ground for people to come together – across nationalities and religions, cultures and histories – and connect around their shared belief in a better tomorrow. That connection is what humanizes us in times of conflict and builds a foundation for lasting peace.

Rotary remains committed to working with our members, partners, and communities to find long-term, sustainable solutions that support peace and development in the region and elsewhere.

Matt presented to the club on The Science of Pain:

• Pain is a necessary and essential part of life. It's a good thing…really!

• Pain is a complex phenomena meant to act as a temporary deterrent to potentially harmful stimuli.

• Pain is absolutely context dependent and a subjective experience. 

• The longer pain exists, the less likely it is directly attributable to a specific pathology/injury.

• Physical changes within the brain occur with chronic pain (pain in existence >3 months) that can perpetuate the pain experience.

• An elevated sensitivity to a region can be modified in many ways.  Physical therapists use several modalities for treatment, education and movement are the primary.

• The brain is plastic - we can readily make changes in its wiring, resulting in reduced pain levels.

Matt Fackner https://www.willowgrovept.com/

• The Rotary Club of Silicon Andhra, California hosted a webinar about the need for stem cell donors, particularly donors from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Blood stem cells can be used to treat and cure more than 75 diseases, including leukemia, lymphoma, sickle cell disease, inherited immune-deficiency disorders and aplastic anemia. Lack of diversity among donors is a problem because the success of stem cell transplants is dependent on the match of specific genetic markers, and the chances of a match are higher if they are the same ethnicity. A Rotarian from Austin, TX saw the webinar, documented his stem cell donation and, partnering with the organization “Be the Match”, is now spreading awareness to Rotary Clubs nationwide about the stem cell donor registration drives.
• Rotary Youth Exchange builds peace, one young person at a time. As a student in the Rotary Youth Exchange program, a young person can learn a new language, discover another culture, and truly become global citizens. Exchanges for students ages 15-19 are sponsored by Rotary clubs in more than 100 countries.
• *This past summer has seen an unusual amount of climate disasters in many parts of the world. Rotary members across the globe have taken action to aid victims of extreme heat, wildfires, and floods. The Rotary clubs of Rhodes in Greece have started two fundraisers that have raised more than $10,000 for victims who have been displaced by wildfires in Greece. Rotary clubs across Pakistan have worked together to rebuild villages that have been destroyed by massive flooding in their country. Rotary clubs in Korea lending a helping hand to clean out homes that have been destroyed by heavy rains and landslides in July.

• 2-hour Tutor Orientation Class
• (4) 3-hour Tutor Training Workshops (total training = 13.5 hours)

Rotary Moment 7/12/23

Just like Hatboro Rotary welcomed our new president, Lisa Grace, Rotary International welcomed new president Gordon McInally. Gordon is a retired dentist from South Queensferry, Scotland. His theme for the 23-24 Rotary year is “Create Hope in the World”. Gordon explained that the goal is to restore hope to help the world heal from destructive conflicts and to help achieve lasting change.

He has 3 presidential initiatives:

• Prioritizing mental health. Gordon feels passionately about this initiative, especially after losing his brother to suicide in 2014. To prioritize mental health, Rotary Clubs can thinking about ways to 1. Erase any stigma associated with discussion of emotional well-being, 2. Raise awareness of mental health needs, and 3. Improve access to mental health services.

• Building peace through virtual exchanges. Gordon believes that Rotary has a long history of promoting peace through connections. Covid-19 has given us many ways to build connections through innovative technology and we can use virtual platforms for peace building throughout the international Rotary community. Gordon sees virtual platforms within our Rotary Youth Exchanges and Rotary Friendship Exchanges as a great way to improve intercultural dialogue, awareness and understanding.

• Empowering girls. Gordon will continue the initiatives started by past presidents, Shekhar Mehta (2021-2022) and Jennifer Jones (2022-2023) that focused on elevating the voices and unlocking the power of girls and women around the world. He encourages Rotary Clubs to keep finding ways to improve the health, well-being, education, economic security and agency of girls.