President's Message NOVEMBER 2015

November is Rotary Foundation Month

It's a good time to reflect on the great Rotary Foundation sponsored programs we support and on how each of us can contribute to make sure these programs continue.

Our Rotary Foundation sponsors a broad range of Educational and Humanitarian programs that save and change lives here and abroad: Group Study Exchange (GSE), Ambassadorial Scholars, Polio Eradication, District Matching Grants and Health/Hunger & Humanity (3H) Grants, to name a few. These programs are the lifeblood of Rotary, creating world peace and understanding through the lives touched by the programs. Ask any past GSE team leader or any Rotarian who has visited/worked on an international project about the difference made by these programs… there are many wonderful stories of saved and changed lives around the world.

Our contributions to The Rotary Foundation fund these Rotary programs. While our Foundation is quite healthy (one of the largest Foundations in the world), there is so much more we need to do. Your annual contribution and/or a contribution to the Foundation permanent fund (through a major gift or benefactor contribution) fuels our Rotary programs. A contribution to the Foundation is one of the best investments you can make with nearly 100% going to Rotary programs that save and change lives.

I encourage each of you to learn more about The Rotary Foundation and make a contribution to continue saving and changing lives.  These programs work and are a great investment for a better and safer world.

The mission of The Rotary Foundation is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty.

The Rotary Foundation earned a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, the largest and most prestigious independent evaluator of nonprofits in the United States.

This year’s top distinction is the Foundation’s eight in a row, which places the Foundation in the top 2 percent of U.S.-based charities. In a letter to the Foundation, Charity Navigator President and CEO Michael Thatcher wrote, “Receiving four out of a possible four stars indicates that your organization adheres to good governance and other best practices that minimize the chance of unethical activities and consistently executes its mission in a fiscally responsible way.

“This exceptional designation from Charity Navigator differentiates The Rotary Foundation from its peers and demonstrates to the public it is worthy of their trust,” Thatcher said.

President Emmanuel

Rotary eClub One, "The Club that never sleeps".