enero 2017

From the March 2016 issue of The Rotarian
Actor Joel Jackson grew up amid the red dirt and 100-degree-plus temperatures of sparsely populated Western Australia, a talented kid in a harsh land. Head of his class at school, soccer star, promising musician – it was all nice, but at age 17, he felt no particular pull in any direction. Until Rotary came along.
A conversation with a Rotarian during a break in a performance at a birthday party launched him to Brazil through Rotary Youth Exchange, where he stayed in the southern city of Londrina hosted by Rotary District 4710 (Brazil, part of Parana…

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From the December 2015 issue of The Rotarian
In Cuernavaca, Mexico, cobblestone streets and sidewalks can wreak havoc on wheels and bearings. For people who get around using a wheelchair, a mechanical breakdown only exacerbates the social isolation they often face. But an enterprising group is training people with disabilities to fix wheelchairs – and even bringing the concept of roadside assistance to wheelchair users in other cities.
Erik Friend, a member of the Rotary Club of Cuernavaca-Juárez, Mexico, had been volunteering with a group called Autonomy, Liberation Through Movement (ALEM)…

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From the March 2016 issue of The Rotarian
The fierce July sun beat down on us as we approached the field where the match was to take place. It wasn’t much of a soccer pitch, with its uneven terrain and rusty poles for goalposts, but the local teens we had met came ready to play. They guided us over the piles of bricks and broken tiles that separate their neighborhood community center from the field behind it and took their positions.
Much like any schoolyard competitors, incursions from grazing cows notwithstanding, players stretched and warmed up, took turns retrieving out-of-bounds balls,…

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Interact clubs are making a positive difference in schools and communities around the world. Leaders of sponsor Rotary clubs and districts should make sure their Interact clubs get the recognition they deserve by verifying that they qualify for a Presidential Citation.
First, ensure that the Interact club status is active in Rotary’s database by checking the Listing of Club-Sponsored Organizations report in Rotary Club Central. If a sponsored club is not listed, submit the Interact Club Certification Form by 1 March.
Then, verify by 15 April that your Interact clubs have qualified for the…

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Rotary members worldwide are invited to join President K.R. Ravindran in Rome on 30 April to celebrate the Jubilee of Rotarians, a special event hosted by District 2080 and the Vatican. His Holiness Pope Francis will celebrate a Jubilee mass in St. Peter’s Square, where 8,000 seats will be reserved for Rotary members, friends, and family.
This Jubilee, as established by Pope Francis, is a commitment to serve with joy and in peace across the world.
More information is available on the Jubilee of Rotarians website. Seats are still available. Register now!

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Are you seeking inspiration for ways to mark Rotary’s 111th anniversary on 23 February? Here are some thought-starter ideas:
Host a celebration party at your next club meeting.
Inform your social media followers on 23 February that it’s Rotary’s anniversary by changing your Facebook cover photo to a birthday cake. 
Encourage club members to bring a friend to your next meeting or to hear your next guest speaker.
Plan a project and invite community members to volunteer their help.
Sponsor a local event and use the opportunity to tell people about Rotary and about the work your club is doing in…

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A new email purporting to be from Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair Ray Klinginsmith is targeting Rotary members. The email falsely claims that members can become End Polio Now ambassadors if they email club information to a Gmail address within 48 hours.
The fraudulent email has the subject line “BECOME AN END POLIO AMBASSADOR” and is sent from a fake email address.
This is a scam. Rotary staff is working to resolve the issue. Avoid being the victim of scams by deleting any email that appears suspicious.

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From the January 2016 issue of The Rotarian. In this issue, we kick off 2016 with first-person accounts of Rotary members’ most harrowing and heartfelt personal experiences. Pick up the issue to explore more stories.
Naing Ko Ko
Rotary Peace Fellow
University of Queensland, Australia, 2012-13
In 1988, when I was 16, I began to protest with other students for democracy, human rights, and social justice in my home country of Burma, now called Myanmar. Four years later, I was arrested and tortured for two months in an interrogation camp. I was shackled and beaten. I was not allowed to sleep….

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From the March 2016 issue of The Rotarian
When John Germ takes office as Rotary International’s president in July, it will mark his 40th year in Rotary. In that time, he’s likely best-known for leading Rotary’s $200 Million Challenge, a fundraising effort sparked by a challenge grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Rotarians surpassed that goal in 2011, raising $228.7 million toward polio immunization activities. “I never questioned that we would raise the funds,” he says. “Rotarians have been so generous.” In fact, raising money for polio was one of Germ’s first leadership…

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From the March 2016 issue of The Rotarian
Anne Marie called her home “the abandominium” – an abandoned building without heat or lights – to make it sound more posh. She told me that the man who said he loved her turned out to be a pimp and forced her to stand on Philadelphia street corners. After a while, she couldn’t remember how many times she was beaten or raped. Anne Marie taught me what it really means to be a victim of human trafficking – to live in captivity by the invisible chains of fear and psychological control, and to endure terrible violence.
For years, she did not make her own…

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