International Projects and Rotary Foundation Chair: Alan Chapman

Every Member, Every Year contributing to The Rotary Foundation – Dave Shulman, Chair (The Rotary Foundation, TRF, is the mechanism whereby Rotary carries out much of its international work. Ideally, every member will contribute at least $100 to TRF every year, above and beyond their contributions to the Normal Rotary Club. See World Community Service below as an option to giving to the Foundation.)

The Normal Rotary Foundation – Gene Gudeman, Chair. (The Normal Rotary Foundation was established to accept donations and gifts to our Club, and is tax exempt. It is separately incorporated from the Normal Rotary Club.)

International Projects – Every year our Club supports one or more international projects. In the recent past we have supported in Nigeria: a school supplies project and water well; in India: desks and school supplies for a school in Sankatch City, and eye services; in Zambia: a hospice; the Polio Plus Project of Rotary International; an orphanage in Romania; and the efforts to counter malaria by promoting the use of bed nets, among other approaches. This year we have partnered with the other Bloomington-Normal Rotary Clubs to support the development of a Peace Park in Palestine. Click here for one perspective on Rotary Against Malaria.)

World Community Service – We have seven members on the District WCS Committee. By working together the clubs in the district can support specific international projects. Examples of these projects are: Ghana Projects; Malaria bed-nets worldwide; Malawi Water Project; Nigeria Water Wells Project; Zambia Water Wells Project. Persons can contribute to The Rotary Foundation and their funds can be directed to one of these or other WCS projects at the District Level.

RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) – Connie Gentry, chair. RYLA offers a leadership training experience to selected high school sophomores.

Rotary Youth Exchange – We support both in-bound and out-bound student exchanges.

Last year we hosted a student from Brazil and the year before a student from Germany. Our out-bound student last year studied in the Canary Islands, Spain. Ed Tanton is out Youth Exchange Chair. Dale Strassheim is our Rotary Youth Exchange Officer and Alan Chapman is the Counselor for in-bound students. See Rotary Youth Exchange Program for more on this very successful program.

Ambassadorial Scholars – Marcia Dennis, Coordinator. (Ambassadorial Scholars are college age students who Rotary sends abroad for a few months, or a year of study. They benefit by having a host Rotary club in the country of study.)

Rotary World Peace Fellowships – Chair: Bob Hunt (This is a relatively new program funded by Rotary International to support persons with experience to obtain a masters degree in one of a few select schools to study peace and conflict resolution. To see the handbook go to: http://www.rotary.org/RIdocuments/en_pdf/087en.pdf For an application go to: http://www.rotary.org/RIdocuments/en_pdf/083en.pdf

Group Study Exchange - Surinder Sethi, Chair. (Rotary Districts sponsor Group Study Exchange Teams of five persons to visit another country for about thirty days. When we send a team abroad a team from that country visits us. In spring 2011 we exchanged with a team from Brazil.)

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