Guests: Our Rotaract Regular, Elizabeth. Also, Joyce Clarke; Rose Thomas and Bud Hallock, parents of our own Barb Thomas. We welcomed a visit from long-time member, Frank Allen. We also welcomed back from his travels, Don Dempson.
Special Guest: ADG Barry Sparkes
Foundation: Colin gave read an inspiring message from a past Ambassadorial Scholar.
Announcements:
Rotary Leadership Institute will be holding Phase I of the leadership training on April 25. For details, please contact Cathy Power (power.consulting@telus.net).
Richard Finnegan and Bob Wilson from the Downtown Club are coordinating a Rotary float for the Heritage Days Parade to be held during the long weekend in May. If anyone is interested in working on the float, they could connect with Richard (250-739-8854 richard@finnassoc.com) or Bob (250-618-9949 wilsor3@gmail.com).
50/50 sales deadline is approaching and we are requested to turn in our $$ and ticket stubs a.s.a.p.
Ed reminded everyone that our next big 50/50 sales day is April 11 when we’ll be at the Country Grocer Customer Appreciation. He’s in the process of creating the shift schedule. Please remember that we are also doing our Community Breakfast that same day and Jeff will be circulating the shift signup sheet. Be sure to mark your calendars and sign up for a shift or two.
Program:
Picture by Don Dempson.
Donya Baker:The Impacts of an Aging Population on the Future of Volunteer Leadership in Community Organizations
This week’s program was the first of a two part series on organizational change. This first part was an overview of some of the research findings from Donya’s MBA thesis.
As members in volunteer organizations retire, there are barriers that must be recognized and overcome. A first step is to consider the various generations that comprise today’s society. Each generation has its own set of values, challenges, interests and motivators.
Generations Overview
Silent Generation
Traditionalists
Strong community support
Serious volunteers
Can be uncomfortable with technology
Born before 1945
Baby Boomers
Born 1946-64
Learned community support from parents
Sandwich generation
Generation X Born 1965-80
Technologically savvy
Discerning about how to spend time
Have different core values than parents
Generation Y Born 1981-1995
Born before 1945
New family demographics
Generation Z Born after 1995
Drivers of Change:
Environmental Drivers
Number of non profit organizations is increasing
Social needs are changing
Technological advancements
Market Requirements
Need to stand out
Social media applications
Need to communicate differently with younger people.
Business Imperatives
Over time organizations can become comfortable and stagnant
Necessity to adapt quickly and appropriately to changes
Organizational Imperative
Younger members may need longer initial engagement
Two main types of volunteers: Long term commitment and Episodic (short term)
Who are we? What do we do?
Consider the “What’s in it for me” reality.
Birthdays/Anniversaries: We sang a rousing Happy Birthday to a smiling Jim Turley. It’s quite remarkable how “special” the Rotary version of Happy Birthday truly is!
Next Week: Guest Speaker – Chris Beaton who will give us a follow-up to last year’s presentation: Helping Though Education. This will be another presentation you won’t want to miss. Don`t forget to let Audrey and/or Barb whether or not you will be attending for the meal.
Happy/Sad: Bill
Door Prize: It’s interesting that we have a door prize draw with no prize. To rectify the sad reality, it was agreed that we would take turns bringing something as a door prize – the prize can be anything from wine, to Nanaimo Bars and cookies. At Perry’s suggestion, we also agreed thatthe person who won the door prize that week would be responsible for bringing the door prize for the next week. If you are not going to be at the next Rotary meeting it is still your responsibility to supply the door prize. So, our door prize is now a two-prong initiative: you win – you bring. As Perry came up with the idea it was only fitting that he should win the draw and be responsible for next week’s prize J Sounds so Rotary!
We are seeking young Rotarians to represent our district at the Rotary Young Professionals Summit in Berkeley, CA on Aug 28-29, 2015. These young Rotarians will be collaborating with district leadership on young professional membership growth initiatives. Here is the website for further information: http://www.rotaryypsummit.org.
We would like you to nominate individuals in your clubs to apply that meet the following criteria:
Rotarians between 25-45 years of age
Demonstrates passion for Rotary and ability to grow membership and interest among young professionals
Exhibits future leadership potential to be a Club President, Club Board Member, or New Professional Chair in our district
While the cost of the conference is covered; our district is unable to reimburse for travel expenses, so the costs related to flight and hotel will be the responsibility of the participant or the participant's club, if funding is available.
Please respond to Amanda Carroll, acarrollx@gmail.com, with the names and contact information for individuals that you wish to nominate. Thank you!
Members of the Rotaract Club of Monrovia conduct a door-to-door outreach campaign aimed at raising awareness about Ebola prevention.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Rotary Club of Monrovia, Liberia
After the first cases of Ebola reached Liberia's capital, Monrovia, last June, local Rotary members feared that the city's limited health care system wouldn't be able to contain the highly infectious, often-deadly disease.
Those fears were realized when infections quickly multiplied, underscoring the speed with which Ebola can spread in an urban center. It was the first time the hemorrhagic fever had threatened a major city since it erupted in West Africa last March.
Now, after months of crisis-level response, and with the number of new cases declining, club members are looking to the long term, planning three projects that will have a sustained impact in the Ebola fight in their community.
"We were at the mercy of Ebola," recalls David Frankfort, a member of the Rotary Club of Monrovia and chair of its Ebola committee. "We didn't have enough trained health personnel or proper medical equipment to handle the onset of the epidemic here."
The Monrovia club quickly stepped up efforts to control the spread of the disease in the city. By October, members had donated 220 noncontact infrared thermometers, 10,000 examination gloves, 100 plastic buckets with spouts for handwashing, 120 pairs of rubber boots for health care workers, 80 mattresses, fuel coupons for Ebola response vehicles, and books for students who had to stay at home after the government ordered the closing of all its schools in June.
The 53-member club is also working directly with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to enhance local support for Ebola patients, health workers, and support staff.
"When this crisis hit, we weren't going to stand by and wait for help to arrive; we created our own emergency action plan," says Frankfort. "We felt a responsibility, as a Rotary club, to show our community that responding to disasters like this is what we are all about."
The Rotaract Club of Monrovia also pitched in, conducting a door-to-door outreach campaign aimed at raising awareness about Ebola prevention and home management. The effort was co-sponsored by the Liberian Nurses Association.
In addition, Frankfort says that dozens of clubs worldwide have assisted Rotary members in Monrovia, including the Rotary Club of Marlow, in Buckinghamshire, England, which raised more than $113,000 for the effort.
Cases drop, response stays strong
The Ebola epidemic, the worst on record, has claimed more than 3,600 lives in Liberia. In the three worst-hit countries -- Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea, -- the death toll is more than 8,620, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Ebola, which causes vomiting, diarrhea, and internal bleeding, is spread through direct contact with blood or other bodily fluids. It has no known cure.
However, the rate of new cases has declined in recent months, prompting the government to end the country's state of emergency in November. But William Martin, senior adviser to Liberia's Health Minister and a member of the Monrovia Rotary club, says more has to be done to end the epidemic.
"Our biggest concern is that this disease doesn't stop at the border. The boundaries of these three countries are poor. People migrate back and forth all the time," says Martin, who serves on the Presidential Advisory Council on Ebola. "Eliminating cases in Liberia isn't enough. We [the government] must continue to prepare for cases."
His club, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, is also ready to continue the fight. "I'm extremely proud of what we've been able to accomplish so far. Every one of our members agreed that this outbreak is something we must take on as a challenge," he says. "But we can't stand down."
The Monrovia club plans to institute three major projects for long-term relief. Members will donate $80,000 to an orphanage caring for children who lost parents to the disease. They are buying an oxygen machine for the John F. Kennedy Medical Center, one of Liberia's largest and oldest medical facilities, which lacks proper equipment for Ebola patients. Martin says the machine will be crucial to the hospital's treatment of infected patients. The third initiative is to provide scholarships for people to study health and social work subjects.
Ebola's impact on Liberia was magnified by its deadly reach into the health care system. More than 300 medical workers contracted the disease, and 178 of them died from it. This was a significant blow in a country whose population of 4.4 million was served by only one doctor for every 100,000 people before the outbreak started, according to WHO. That compares with WHO's recommendation of at least one doctor for every 600 people.
As the club's efforts transition from emergency response to long-term relief, members will focus on filling gaps the government can't address, Frankfort says.
"There is going to be a strong focus on community outreach and awareness," he says. "It's crucial that people are educated on Ebola, because taking even a small step back can be disastrous for this country."
