Tuesday April 26th Lunch Meeting

 
 
Past District Governor Raj Bhatia who is a member of the Northern Valley Club and is District Committee Chair for the Rotary International (RI) Foundation, gave a presentation about the foundation.
 
 
    
 
Thank you, Raj.
 
 
 
 
Spoke
 
Englewood Rotary Club – April 26, 2016
Meeting Location: Crowne Plaza Hotel
Presiding:  Eileen O’Driscoll
Recorder:  Steve Wiessner
Birthdays/Anniversaries: Enilsa Lora observed her birthday on Friday, and Susie Schneider’s will be on Monday
Visiting Rotarians and Guests: Visiting Rotarian Raj Bhatia.  Guest, Vito Mazza
Announcements: 
Eileen announced:
  • The 59th annual District Conference is taking place at the Inner Harbor of Baltimore on April 28 – May 1.  Many of our club members are attending
  • On Wednesday, May 18th the Walter D. Head Foundation will host the annual Presidents’ Ball from 6:30 to 10:30 pm at the Westmont Country Club in Woodland Park.  Business attire/black tie suitable.  $125 per person, checks made out to the Walter D. Head Foundation and mail them to Past District Governor Emil Geering at 1 Nydam Lane, Wyckoff, NJ 07481.  Please put Rotary Club of Englewood in the memo line so we will be seated together. For more information, contact Georgianna Hutter at (201) 483-3686 or fghutter@msn.com
  • The District Assembly will occur on Saturday, May 21st at the Trinity Presbyterian Church, 650 Pascack Road in Paramus from 8:30 a.m. to noon. All incoming Presidents must attend, and Secretaries, Treasurers and Assistant Governors are also invited.  If you plan to attend, e-mail District Governor Nominee Designate Nikki Mederos at nmederos@palisadesmedical.org by May 17, $15 to be paid at the door for breakfast
  • The Interact Conference will occur on Thursday, May 26th at Bergen Community College, more information to follow, contact Yvonne Hassett at info@chairsnmore.com
  • Our club’s Business Mixer Get Together occurred on April 26th at the Crowne Plaza.  We will continue to meet at 5:30 to 7:00 pm on the last Tuesday of the month with the next get together to occur on May 31st     
  • A Board meeting will occur after the luncheon
 
Some of the District Resolutions that will be voted on at the District Conference include:
  1. Waiving district dues for members under 35 years of age
  2. Designating the District as “Stigma Free”
 
Other Club Announcements
  • Eddie Hadden announced that the International Projects Committee will be presenting the report on the recent Jamaica Project at the luncheon on May 24th
 
Program:
Past District Governor Raj Bhatia who is a member of the Northern Valley Club and is District Committee Chair for the Rotary International (RI) Foundation, gave a presentation about the foundation.  He noted that the foundation started nearly a century ago with a $26.50 initial deposit and has grown to over $1 billion in assets today.
 
The RI Foundation’s goals align with RI’s Six Areas of Focus:
  1. Supporting Education
  2. Providing Clean Water
  3. Promoting Peace and Conflict Resolution
  4. Saving Mothers and Children
  5. Growing Local Economies
  6. Fighting Disease
 
Raj stated that the RI Foundation has been recognized as one of the top 5 foundations in the world, with over 98% of the funds received from donors going to charitable activities and less than 2% for program administration.
 
The Foundation has a goal of raising $123 million this year, which essentially is $100 for each of Rotary’s 1.2 million members. 
 
Raj noted that there are three ways to give to the Foundation:
  1. To the Annual Fund
  2. Make a donation to the Bequest Society/Endowment
  3. Become a Major Donor by giving $10,000 or more
 
Raj mentioned that 50% of the donations that club members make to the Annual Fund come back to the District in 3 years to be allocated for District Grants or Global Grants.  Our club has recently used both grants from the District for club projects and activities.
 
District Grants are typically between $500 and $2,000, and this year the District awarded $16,000 in grants to District clubs.  Global Grants are typically between $5,000 and $200,000.
 
Florence Marchi asked Raj about our Jamaica Project, asking him whether we could seek both District Grant and Global Grant funding.  Raj noted that we could only apply for one, and he recommended the Global Grant for this project.  For more information about the Rotary International Foundation, visit https://www.rotary.org/myrotary/en/rotary-foundation    
 
50-50: With $32 in the pot, Jay Wolf did not pick the winning card
 
Attendance:  25 out of 72, 35%
 
Upcoming Programs/Events:     
May 3         George McKenna of the Office of Concern
May 10       Lois Horowitz of the Maywood Rotary Club will discuss the Fellowship Exchange program
May 17       None Noted
May 24       Jamaica Project