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In September, Chittenango
Rotary club members helped kick off the Community Campaign for Love with the donation of personal care items for teens in need. The items were donated to Rise Above Poverty Syracuse, an organization that works to alleviate homelessness and poverty in the Syracuse City School District. A year-long initiative of Interfaith Works, the Community Campaign for Love aims to build understanding, compassion and unity in our regional community.
Rotary club members helped kick off the Community Campaign for Love with the donation of personal care items for teens in need. The items were donated to Rise Above Poverty Syracuse, an organization that works to alleviate homelessness and poverty in the Syracuse City School District. A year-long initiative of Interfaith Works, the Community Campaign for Love aims to build understanding, compassion and unity in our regional community.
The Chittenango Rotary Club celebrated its annual "Changing of the Guard" ceremony on Thursday, June 25 at Rotary Park. An annual event that occurs at the end of the Rotary year (which runs from July 1 to June 30), the Changing of the Guard ceremony features the swearing in of the club's next president, and celebrates the accomplishment of the outgoing president and the club over the past year. At this year's ceremony, our outgoing president, Barb Devendorf, handed over the gavel to our incoming president, Jim Eklund. Congratulations, Jim and Barb!
For years, Angalia Bianca had slept in abandoned buildings throughout Chicago. She stole. She did drugs. She spent time in and out of jail for forgery, theft, trespassing, and possession of narcotics. But after she landed in prison for the seventh time, something changed -- Bianca knew she wanted a better life. She just didn’t know how to make it happen.After serving her time, Bianca sought help from a local homeless organization, A Safe Haven, and moved to its shelter in the Rogers Park neighborhood. Bianca followed the program closely -- she attended all the required meetings, passed drug tests, and volunteered at every opportunity.
Throughout India and around the world, Rotary clubs are celebrating a major milestone: India has gone three years without a new case of polio. The last reported case was a two-year-old girl in West Bengal on 13 January 2011. To mark this historic triumph, Rotary clubs illuminated landmarks and iconic structures throughout the country with four simple but powerful words, "India is polio free."The three-year achievement sets the stage for polio-free certification of the entire Southeast Asia region by the World Health Organization. The Indian government also plans to convene a polio summit in February to commemorate this victory in the global effort to eradicate polio.
What is it like taking a large team to Africa? It has probably been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. In mid February, I began leading Rotary members from all over the East Coast of the United States through Ghana. I’ve tried to give the team a warm Ghanaian welcome like I’ve received on my earlier trips. A large trip is a real blessing because each person sees Ghana and our work in a different way.A highlight for the team was greeting the chief of Sagadugu. The team got excited about buying goats and food for children in the villages where I support eight churches. It was good to see the pastors of most of the eight churches, and I had to explain that we were just passing through on our way to Bolgatanga.
Music has been an important part of leading an ordinary life for students at the Music School for Children With Disabilities in Honor of Paul Harris in Lublin, Poland. Founded by Rotary members, the school serves 20 students with various disabilities, including Down syndrome, autism, and visual impairments. The Rotary Club of Lublin-Centrum-Maria Curie-Sklodowska has provided funding with help from Rotary Foundation Matching Grants and the Henryk Wieniawski Musical Society, which houses the school.After their son Mateusz was born with underdeveloped eyes, Mariusz and Joanna Kania looked for ways to help him be active. When he showed an aptitude for music, they looked for a teacher and were thrilled to find the Paul Harris music school.
Chittenango, NY 13037
United States of America