More than 42,000 Rotary members from over 100 countries will come together in Korea to celebrate Rotary.
Photo Credit: Photo by Rotary International/Alyce Henson
Korea is playing host to Rotary's largest event of the year, its annual convention. More than 42,000 Rotary members from over 100 countries will come together this month to celebrate service, exchange ideas, and relax among friends at unforgettable concerts and social events. The convention runs from 28 May to 1 June.
Attendees will hear from renowned experts in areas of peace, global health, and human rights.
Our full coverage will include photos, videos, a live blog, and social media pages
WORLD WATER SUMMIT
Immediately before the convention, the Water and Sanitation Rotarian Action Group will host its annual World Water Summit on 27 May, focusing on sustainable strategies for bringing water, sanitation, and hygiene to all communities around the world. The event will feature speeches from experts in the field, including Gary White of Water.org and Sanjay Wijesekera, Chief of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene for UNICEF.
3K WALK FOR PEACE
Attendees, wearing the traditional garb of their home countries, will walk in solidarity for a more peaceful world in the 3K Walk for Peace on 28 May. The event will be complemented by the Rotary Way exhibit, featuring photographs of 111 years of Rotary service.
CONVENTION SPEAKERS
Speakers from 29 May to 1 June include:
Rosie Batty, family violence activist and 2015 Australian of the Year
90%of Reading Partners students in Silicon Valley increased their rates of literacy learning.
24 READING CENTERS
1,100STUDENTS SERVED
1,180VOLUNTEERS
Despite Silicon Valley’s booming job market and influx of international talent, disparities in literacy achievement are growing. Only 59 percent of third graders in Santa Clara County and 55 percent of third graders in neighboring San Mateo County read at a proficient or advanced level, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation. In Silicon Valley, where those without a high school degree will earn a median income below the federal poverty line, the stakes for learning to read are high.
Reading Partners was founded in the Silicon Valley in 1999. Since then, Reading Partners has been successfully providing volunteer-led, one-on-one literacy tutoring to K-5 students in three counties across Silicon Valley. We currently operate reading centers in twenty schools in Sunnyvale, San Jose, Redwood City, Hayward, San Mateo, Mountain View, and Atherton.
Our Club hopes to partner with Taryn Kearns and Reading Partners to continue to improve Reading and Literacy in our Neighborhood.
Let’s let everyone know how much fun it was!
Charlie, Robbie and Denise reading with the young’uns at Sunday Friends.
It was a fun day! Lots of activity.
We also were tasked with preparing the lunch break food—we had potatoes, bell peppers, and onions to cut and cook into a hash, and about 12 kids to help us. They earned points for their help.
We don’t seem to have any pictures of that activity, which is too bad, because it was a lot of fun, and the kids are so earnest. Also, we had to arm them with knives, which was very exciting, at times.
Raul Lozano from Valley Verde
Raul enlightened all of us with his sustainable and self sufficient Organic Gardening Program for many under privileged families, done in their own backyards - Working with the families and training them to not only fend for themselves, but to be mentors for new families - Planning a micro business model to help them execute a very successful green house business selling saplings at various nurseries was indeed inspirational to listen to.
Club 50th Anniversary Celebrations - Discussed various ideas and possibilities to make it a memorable event. It could be a single big event or a series of events over the month of September. Some of the ideas discussed were - Formal Dinner and Dance with MC and various little events during the course of the evening with recognition of invited notable guests, History of the Club, Special Tributes, A View of 50 years of our Rotary, Displays, Decorations, Nostalgia etc. or/and separate events like Concerts, Cruise, Barbecue, A Diverse Cultural Program, Fund Raising Event etc. etc. All ideas are welcome. Please contact any of the Committee Members - Charlie, Marissa, Ruth or Suguna.
Sunday Friends - Sign up for Sunday Friends Volunteering Opportunity on May 15th. Anyone still interested please contact Denise Hankes.
It's important that we begin getting ready the auction items for the June 18th Charity Auction we're participating in with the RC of Silicon Valley. It was requested that each of us try to bring in a Wine Bottle this week. Joy will make a wine basket for the auction. Please contact Sara for information about the auction, and submitting the appropriate forms along with the auction items you may be contributing.
Whiskey Tasting Fundraiser, June 17, 7:00 pm in the Turf Club at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds - a great way to socialize and help raise money for the community projects done by the Rotary Club of San Jose East/Evergreen. Those interested please contact Charlie or Robbie.
On May 12, Raul Lozano, founder of Valley Verde will be speaking about Valley Verde. Valley Verde provides low-income families with gardening and nutrition classes and all the materials to start growing organic vegetables at their own homes at no cost.
On May 19, Taryn Kearns will discuss Reading Partners. Literacy is the foundation of all successful learning. Without reading, students do not have the skills they need to be successful in their academic careers, and their life options are limited. In this presentation, Taryn will give an overview of the literacy landscape in the Silicon Valley and introduce Reading Partners, a literacy invention nonprofit looking to unlock the potential of elementary students that struggle with reading. She will also explain the integral role that community volunteers play within the organization.
On May 26, John Varela, the newest member of the Santa Clara Valley Water District, will present on the current status of water and supply. As the drought continues (even with the latest rains), it is good to keep up with conservation ideas and current status.
On June 2, Angela Silveira, program coordinator for Step Up Silicon Valley, Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County, will discuss the poverty simulator.
The Community Action Poverty Simulation is an engagement tool that raises awareness and deepens understanding of how poverty affects families and individuals in our community. Participants learn how families struggle to make ends meet with only $2000/month and work together to overcome unforeseen economic obstacles along the way. This experience goes beyond role-play as participants hear from those who share their own stories of day-to-day challenges as all attendees reflect on the experience together. This core convening strategy intends to educate and engage our community members toward action.
I am sure you agree these talks are important in their own right. But put together over the next 5 weeks, it makes the Thursday meetings of the Rotary Club of San Jose East/Evergreen the place to be.
Please plan on attending the meetings. I guarantee you will come away with a positive feeling for progress being made assisting our neighbors in San Jose East and Evergreen.
What an Awe-Inspiring Event to spend a weekend at! Where else can one have the opportunity of listening to such Heart Warming and HeartBreakingRotary and Personal Experiences delivered by none other than our famous Rotary International Presidents - M.A.T. Capers, Cliff Dochterman, Richard D. King and Gary C.K. Huang.
Other Featured Speakers included Ken Behring - the founder of WheelChair Foundation who has touched millions through his work all over the world, John Chiang - California State Treasurer who made us feel good detailing the sound economy our state is in, Raj Mathai - NBC News Anchor who through his witty and interactive session gave us a very memorable Saturday morning.
A weekend filled with Joy, Friendship and Camaraderie....Meeting Fellow Rotarians, Sharing Stories, Spending time at the House of Friendship, Participating in Forums, Enjoying Scrumptious Meals with Rotary Buddies and Families, Music Art and Dance, Talent shows, Speech Contest, Modeling with Vintage Cars, Winning Awards - What else can one ask for?
Pope Francis greets Rotary International President K.R. Ravindran at a Jubilee audience at the Vatican on 30 April, where 9,000 Rotary members were special guests of the pontiff.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Vatican
Thousands of Rotary members, motivated by a special invitation from Pope Francis, gathered at the Vatican in Rome on Saturday to celebrate a message of compassion, inclusiveness, and service to humanity.
At midmorning, the group -- numbering some 9,000 members from 80 countries -- made its way through the congested streets of Rome, past the tight security surrounding St. Peter's Square, and settled into the area reserved for Rotary in front of St. Peter's Basilica for the Jubilee audience.
Francis, a 79-year-old Argentine, urged the crowd of more than 100,000, which included members of the police and armed forces from around the world, "to build a culture of peace, security, and solidarity around the world."
His message of peace resonated with Rotary members, including R. Asokan from Tamil Nadu, India. "His message about peace is about accepting. Rotary, which accepts all walks of life, can carry his message to all our clubs, therefore carrying his message to all our communities," says Asokan.
Though Francis is the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, his words often reach a wider audience. A poll published earlier this year found him to be one of the most liked and trusted world leaders.
That's what made this event at the Vatican so appealing, says Adriana Lanting, who traveled from California, USA, to attend. "To have such a transcending figure together with a transcending organization like Rotary in the same place is something I just couldn't miss," says Lanting, a member of the Rotary Club of Long Beach.
Madrid Zimmerman, another Long Beach member, isn't Catholic but says Francis has a knack for touching people's hearts regardless of where they're from. "Rotary has the same effect," she adds. "We may have different ways of expressing it, but our [Rotary] action in helping others comes from the same place.
"This event is a reminder that we only have one goal and that's to give service to those who need it. I think that's the message I want to bring back to my club," Zimmerman says.
After the Jubilee audience, Francis met with a small delegation of Rotary members led by RI President K.R. Ravindran. The pope spoke to Ravindran about the importance of vaccinating children against polio and encouraged Rotary to continue its efforts against this disease.
"I have been honored and deeply touched to have had the opportunity to meet Pope Francis earlier today, and to have heard him tell us to continue our fight toward polio eradication," says Ravindran, who is Hindu. "It has given me even more pride in Rotary's past, even more faith in its present, and even more optimism about its future, than ever before."
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