Many of you have heard me say that there are only two parts to The Rotary Foundation – Giving and Getting. Ideally, your club should be participating in both! Here is this month’s update on both:

Giving

We kicked off July with a bang – clubs donated over $39,000 to the Annual Fund in one month. Congratulations!! That is a great way to start the year. We do have one challenge – only 25% of clubs have entered their Annual giving goal in Rotary Club Central. Please take a moment to update your club.

Have you included Polio Plus in your club giving for this year? Please think about it. For every dollar we give, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will give two – you can’t get a better deal for your money! And we are so close to ending polio in the world. In 2016 we had only 37 cases of wild polio in the world. So far this year we have only 8. Victory is in sight.

Our Zone has a new End Polio Now Coordinator, our very own PDG Bob Hagan! Be sure to tell him congratulations on this appointment!

Congratulations to the clubs who have already booked Foundation speakers this year! If you want a speaker at your club, let me know what you would like them to talk about and when you want them there. We have a big team and a lot of Foundation information that we would all love to share!

Getting

All of the District Grant money has been distributed to the clubs and many of the projects are under way! If you have not received your grant check, please contact Will MacArthur of the Sandy Springs club so he can track your check. If you do have your check, it’s time to get busy. Be sure to scan your receipts and post them on the district website for accounting. You don’t have to wait until the end of the year, you can scan as you go. Questions? Contact District Grant chair, Mary Ligon of the Dougherty County club.

Global Grants started with a bang this month as well – congratulations to all of the clubs who submitted and have been approved! Wow! If your club is thinking about starting a Global Grant project, I encourage you to contact the Global Grants Chair, Anne Glenn at Dunwoody as soon as possible. The money is going quick and Global Grants are always easier when you can get a match from the District. To be eligible for a Global Grant, your club has to qualify and this year it is easier than ever! Go to the District website and click Global Grants under Resources. In the top right of the screen is the qualification box. Watch the 4 videos, review the materials and take the quiz to get qualified. Wonder if your club is already qualified? We have made that easy to check as well. Go to the District website, click Club Finder and choose Qualified Clubs. You can see who in your club has passed the test.

This year Jason Binder of the Alpharetta club will be serving as a liaison for Global Grants and the District website. If you are working on a Global Grant and want other clubs in our district to join you, let Jason know and he can get your information posted! It is a great way to get involved with other clubs, share your passion and Do Good in the World.

Update from Our Peace Fellow

We got a wonderful email update from our district’s Peace Fellow Kate Keator:

I apologize for my lack of updates! Beirut has kept me surprisingly busy but I have met lots of Rotarians/Rotaractors here as well.

Concerning Peace Fellowship plans, I am all set to fly to the UK on September 12! I have my visa and I may have found an apartment that I will share with two other women from the fellowship who also have a focus on the Middle East. I will be staying with my host family for a week or so first before moving into the flat. The current peace fellows have been very helpful and accommodating including helping to provide housing supplies, kitchen utensils, etc.

I have been in Beirut studying Arabic for the last five weeks and have been connected with the Rotaract Club of Kesserwein and the Rotary Club of Beirut Cosmopolitan. Both of the clubs and their members have been so welcoming and I have met a ton of interesting people through them. Thanks to the Rotary Club of Beirut Cosmopolitan, I was also introduced to a Peace Fellow from Uppsala University currently doing her AFE (applied field experience) at War Child Holland. She has been great to get to know and has become a friend here. Lastly, I am currently attending a workshop hosted by my former employer, The Carter Center, on constitutional considerations in regard to Syria. It has been wonderful to reconnect with my former colleagues and to sit in on some very insightful discussions.

Hope you're doing well,

Kate

Be sure to keep your eyes open for a Peace Fellow scholar to sponsor. There is no cost to your club and the student could be from any where in the world! Want to learn more? Go to Rotary.org and search Peace Fellows or contact Laura Kann of the Dunwoody Club for more information.

Have you got some Foundation news that you would like to share with the District? Let us know! Send your information, or questions, to Margie Kersey at Margie@callkbs.comI look forward to hearing from you!