Rotary Service Activities During a Time of COVID-19
April 2020
What can Rotarians do to help in this time of crisis?
Ideas gathered by the District 5495 Governor Line
This is our time! Rotarians rise to challenges. Consider what we have done in polio eradication! No one — not even the World Health Organization — thought back in 1985 that we could accomplish what we have. Now we are faced with a new challenge — helping beat back a novel coronavirus that is keeping us from working like we are used to, shoulder to shoulder in fellowship, friendship and with Rotary’s trademark determination.
We have been on the phone and videoconferences with Rotarians from in and out of our District, learning about service opportunities from Districts across the country. You will find a list of THE best ideas that we have encountered for how we can serve others in these difficult times.
Please consider these and any other ideas that demonstrate what Rotarians are — PEOPLE of ACTION!
Rotary’s Volunteer Surge Program to Support our Health Care System: Spread the word about Rotary’s new Volunteer Surge Program. Rotary has partnered with Amazon, Salesforce, ADP, the Yale University School of Health and GoFundMe in a program designed to support our health care system. Volunteer Surge is a free, online training program that teaches you to help professional healthcare workers from your home or in the field. The free, online training program is for any adult age 18+ and requires no special skills. The training is adapted from Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) online courseware. It includes educational videos, self quizzes, and checkpoints. Rotarians and friends, family, and coworkers have a unique opportunity to recruit one million volunteers to reduce suffering and save lives during this crisis by participating in Volunteer Surge. Once trained, you can choose to apply your new skills by providing phone or online support from your home or by assisting healthcare workers in the field. The software will then assign you to individuals in need of check-ins, followups, and other minor health issues. Please use these networks to seed interest in Volunteer Surge by directing them to this website: https://theglobalimpactgroup.org
April 13, 2020 - We didn't have a speaker today so the club proceeded to have a lengthy Happy Bucks session during which members also described a favorite movie. The attendance was excellent (20 members) and spirits were high. There was a Foundation Board meeting after the regular meeting to discuss the status of the golf tournament.
April 6, 2020 - Today two librarians from the Roosevelt School District, Pam Hulin and Nancy Schwartz, gave us an excellent overview of how the dictionaries which our club provides each year are used and appreciated throughout the 3rd Grade classes. To learn more click on "Read More" below.
Nancy and Pam told us how much the students love the dictionaries. They explained some of the exercises that challenge the students to use the dictionaries most effectively. They assured us that, even though the schools now had laptops in the classrooms, the dictionaries are still very important to the students. The following video is the powerpoint presentation they used for their presentation. President Wally Stuebner told Pamela and Nancy how much the club enjoyed coming to the schools to deliver and briefly explain how to use the dictionaries. (These books are also almanacs - not just dictionaries). Wally assured them that our club has secured funding for next year's dictionaries and support for their Spelling Bee. The librarians emphasized that the schools would prefer to have the dictionaries distributed as early as possible in the fall. We will try to accommodate that request. The beginning of the presentation is a bit choppy - hang in there, it improves.
If you are a busy person who wants to have fun while making a difference, then be our guest for lunch on Monday (not holidays) from 12:10 to 1:15 pm at the Kobe Japanese Steakhouse. We are men and women in ages from 30's to retired. Check our Facebook page - Kyrene RC as well. The URL for this page is KyreneRotary.org
The most common form of despair is not being who you are.” “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.” Soren Kierkegaard
March 30, 2020 - Today Lisa Schmitt, Executive Director for New Song Center for Grieving Children, told us about this program which is part of the Hospice of the Valley organization. To see a video of her presentation click HERE
New Song has been around for 30 years and Lisa been with them for the last twenty years. New Song provides on-going support groups for families that are grieving the loss of a loved one. They rely on 200 trained volunteers to reach all the needy families in our community. They provide all their services at no cost to the families. Reactions of children vary by age level so children are placed in groups according to ages: littles, middles, tweens, and teens. The parents are in the adult group. Children typically don't understand life and death so the opportunity to meet with peers who are grieving like them helps them cope. This is an impressive program that supports hundreds of grieving families in the Valley. To learn more please click HERE
Joint Statement from Kiwanis International, Lions Clubs International, Optimist International, and Rotary
About Kyrene Rotary Site
Our club members are dedicated people who share a passion for both community service and friendship. Becoming a Rotarian connects you with a diverse group of professionals who share your drive to give back. Our club accepts new members by invitation.
Rotary at a Glance
Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders who dedicate their time and talent to tackle the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary connects 1.2 million members from more than 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work impacts lives at both the local and international levels.
Keep in touch, or reach out to us from via our social media websites!
All materials and photos, unless otherwise specified, copyright of the Kyrene Rotary Club.
All Rotary marks, logos, and copyrighted content is owned by Rotary International, used with permission.