The Rotary Foundation and the Development of Rotary

The Rotary Foundation and the Development of Rotary

Our Rotary Foundation is intrinsically connected to the development of Rotary by several aspects, either through its membership growth or through the propagation of principles and core values that govern our institution. We can identify some of these aspects:

The Rotary Foundation as the propeller lever of project that impact our communities

With the help of the Foundation Grants, district or more specifically the Global Grants, we are able to put in practice regional, multidistrict or even national impact and sustainable projects, that keep promoting its effects even after the final use of the financial resources made available.

A well elaborated project allows not only the involvement of the majority of the club members, but also the members of the community, that is able then to understand more what Rotary does and from that, motivate some of its members to join us and give their share of contribution to dignify those human beings in need.

It is sufficiently proved that it is through the participation in projects that we motivate new members to join existing clubs or even to charter new clubs and stay.

Any person exposed to a good project even before becoming a member of a Rotary club, will join it “through the front door”, bring to the club new ideas of similar projects in which he can collaborate with their talents and will not leave our institution. Project leveraged

with TRF grants will then solve the problem of retention at the admission.

Another benefit for those involved in a good project, is to be able to appreciate its results and its value and not only its costs.

The Rotary Foundation as the promoter of internationality and smart partnerships

All the projects granted by TRF supplementary money requires that an international partner be involved. The main reason of this requisite is to develop the consciousness of the internationality of Rotary and also the benefits of collaboration between people of different nationalities.

The international partners even being far apart, will understand that they can do good to a community even if they do not know or maybe never will meet those beneficiary community members. That also explains why it is so important to maintain them well informed on the progress of the project and the effects and consequences to those whom the project is intended to promote its objectives.

Another possible opportunity is the involvement of local partners, which identify the objects of that project with their own business objectives and utilizes this project to exercise their social responsibility. This is what we can call intelligent partnership. This type of partnership, if well conducted, will allow the start of other projects and even incentivizing the participation on them of the employees or managers of this company and also for them to join Rotary.

The Rotary Foundation as a builder of peace and of conflict’s resolution

I have participated in several occasions in the selection of candidates to the Peace scholarships, where man and women from every country in the world register to participate, because of their vocational decision to dedicate their lives to peace and conflict resolution. They are now more than 760 exceptional young adults that graduated in master degree in this area, in the various Rotary Peace Centers and started to act in organizations like the UN or in governments, or even in NGOs, promoting one of fundamental object of Rotary. They do an extraordinary work that all Rotarians should know. This is without any doubt one of the most important programs of Rotary.

The Rotary Foundation as the collimator of Rotary’s action through the areas of focus

The 6 areas of focus open an enormous list of opportunities to the development of humanitarian actions and projects developments in Rotary. We hear many times the question on which will be the next corporate project after the eradication of polio. Many ideas have been passionately sustained, either in the health care or in the educational areas. The areas of focus were devised to shelter all vocations and regional needs and be an umbrella under which encompass our accomplishments giving them focus, continuity and value. Amplifying the value of projects and qualifying their content, apart from establishing evaluation metrics of their impact, we are trying to obtain more consistent success and replicable effects into other communities.

Our Rotary Foundation and the Boomerang Effect

The ownership feeling in relation to our Rotary Foundation creates a very strong link with Rotary and guarantees the propagation of its principles and values, by transforming the lives of the beneficiaries of the projects granted. This notion that we are the owners of TRF is that stimulates us to call it OUR Foundation and creates a kind of obligation to contribute to its development in our effort to complete good projects and to increase our pride when we see independent organisms like Charity Navigator to evaluate it with the maximum grade when compared to the greatest charity world organizations. From the importance we give to do good without selfishness that derives the so called “Boomerang Effect” through which we understand that all the good we do will somehow come back our way.

These reasons and many more gives us the certainty to affirm that The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International is, through the participation of every Rotarian, the main motivational chain that propels and leverage the development of Rotary.

The Pleasure of giving

Every year when we are near Christmas, we are naturaly conducted to reflect in our capability of giving.

More than a self motivation, there is a feeling of happiness in the action of giving. They include gifts that we deliver to our family and donations we give to those in need.

I want to tell you about a personal experience that I lived during this time of the year. I was in the city of Ponta Grossa where my wife’s family lives and while talking to my father in law, who was on his nineties, he asked me to follow him in an activity. He filled a van with toys and clothes for children from the several stores that he had

in town and we went to a very poor neighborhood. There he started to distribute those toys and clothes to very poor children of that area that received them with a wonderful smile in their faces.

On our way back, who showed a smile on his face was Mr. Miguel, my father in law. I asked him: “What is the reason of this smile?” and he answered: “I have learned and experienced the pleasure of giving.” He was teaching me lessons of how to untie yourself from material goods and of how happiness is obtained, coming from whom was in my opinion, a Rotarian by heart. I never forgot those moments.

I was one morning in a ceremony to give.

And between them is Joe Grebmeier and his wife Linda who also demonstrates that they have learned the happiness and pleasure of giving.

Growing a family of 3 children (Carmelle, Dan and Heather), 8 grand-children and 2 great-grandchildren, with values and principles that they also profess in Rotary, they can be considered winners in these times.

Joe has a great involvement in the community, chairing several organizations that render service and help those in need.

His Rotary activities that started back in 1992 (22 years) proves his dedication and loyalty to our organization in his area of action in his clubs and district levels, their programs and projects.

Active in social media he helped to implement their use in several clubs. Pam Russell told me that she is Joe’s Face book friend. One day she posted that she was participating on a walk to raise funds for cancer research. Joe went to the site of this campaign and made a

contribution. When Pam, surprised by his attitude called to thank him, all he said was: “That is what I like to do.” His continued commitment and contributions to TRF are also done with that greatness and the comprehension of how they are going to be diligently used.

Joe and Linda - an example to be followed.

It was with great pleasure that I presented to DG Joe Grebmeier and his wife Linda the recognition for his generous gift to TRF and to do good in the world, the crystal and pin of the Arch Klumph Society.