GUEST SPEAKER –PRID Dr Ken Collins - “The Rotary Foundation”

Ken commenced with the statement that “Peace is Possible” which is the slogan of the Trustees of the Rotary Foundation. The question “why peace is not possible” is answered “while there is poverty peace is not possible”.

The Rotary Foundation supports the efforts of Rotary International in its mission toward the achievement of world understanding and peace through local, national and international programs to promote humanitarian, educational and cultural causes.

Some of the programs supported by the Rotary Foundation are
a) Ambassadorial Scholarships.  Over 900 scholarships are awarded annually to allow students to spend a year studying in another country.
b) Group Study Exchange. Teams of young people travel between countries to gain experience in their respective vocations and gain understanding of different cultures.

c) Polio Plus Program. Polio eradication is the highest priority for the Rotary Foundation and through its efforts the number of polio cases has dropped by 99% worldwide over the last 20 years. US$120m has been raised to immunize over 600,000,000 children. There are now only 4 endemic countries worldwide (reduced from 150 at the start of the program). National immunization days now treat 160million children in one day, a task which could only be achieved by an organization such as Rotary. It would be far too expensive to be done by private business.

d) Matching Grants. This program allows clubs to access funds to double their own contribution for specific programs such as providing water wells for clean drinking water, supporting local business development, sending medical specialists to carry our surgery, wheelchairs for kids, special nutrition cereal foods for malnourished  children, providing centres for Downs Syndrome children & equipment for sheltered workshops.

There are many many more programs available thanks to the Rotary Foundation and Ken challenged us to make the Rotary Foundation our own personal charity. Contributions are tax deductible and it is one of the only charities where there are no deductions for administrative costs.

Ken finished his talk by reciting a beautiful poem written by his daughter. The poem was titled “To The Children of Smokey Mountain” which was dedicated to children living at a rubbish dump in the Phillipines.