Bulletin 06 January 2014

Rotary Club Bali Ubud Sunset

District 3420 / No. 79571

Meeting every Monday at 5:30 PM at Maya Ubud Resort, Ubud

“People who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.”

                                                                                                              Isaac Asimov 

 Bulletin January 6, 2014

ANNOUNCEMENTS, CORRESPONDENCE, REPORTS

Rotarian members missing from the fold are returning to Bali. Pres Sue welcomed

Rtn Zsusza, who wisely left cold Canada for our tropical climes. And rumor has it that

Rtn Sue Bennett and her husband Don should appear any minute – but not before escaping the California weather which tried to emulate Canada.  Definitely, Rtn Antje will leave her native Germany (also darn cold) for a long stay amongst those of us who get to stay in Bali ALL the time.

Our incoming District Governor Hanny is soon off to San Diego for Rotary training and hopefully some R & R as well. Thanks to Rtn Kathleen of RC La Jolla Golden Triangle, a special welcome dinner is once again organized for those incoming District Governors representing districts where her club has projects. DGE Hanny qualifies! With the support of RC La Jolla Golden Triangle, a free clinic for HIV testing and treatment is now operating close to Ubud.

 

PE Philip filled us in on the fun-filled Educare graduation at Campuhan College.  Some one hundred 4^th and 5^th graders flocked to the college to celebrate their completion of the four-month Educare program and a full house audience cheered them on. These youngsters started the program with little to no English and a solemn shyness of adults. Kiss those traits good-by. The graduates performed hilariously good natured skits (some aimed at us expats!) using their recently acquired knowledge of English. You know these kids have come a long way when they can successfully make puns. 

 

Rotaract Club Ubud has been going gangbusters…in the last six months the Mobile Library Project has been canvassing the countryside and delivering books, games, English lessons, school supplies and entertaining magic tricks to elementary schools. SAA Bruce filled us in on Rotaract’s Jan 4 event in the village of Laplapan.

Rtn Lesoh treated the children to magic, Rotaract Yenni led them in games, and former Rotaract Dora (if only she’d join Rotary!) orchestrated the distribution of school supplies to the little kids and books to the older ones. As the children returned to their respective classrooms with their new acquisitions, a profound silence fell on the school! The effect of fun reading books and drawing materials was amazing…the kids were just too busy to talk.  

Thanks to everyone who gave a few minutes every day in December to vote for Rotary and those Ten Million Miles for Charity! The Shriners came in first for the 2^nd year in a row with Rotary claiming the number two spot, behind by only 700 votes. There’s always NEXT year!

 2014 appointments to District 3420 committees have been announced and our club is doing its best to help. Pres Sue will be an AG for Region 9, Bali AND sit on the International Service Committee; PE Philip will have responsibility for the District’s website.

PP Marilyn will participate on the District’s Global Grants Committee.  

 YAY!!  Our club made the list of the 10 top-rated clubs in Indonesia…we’re number TWO!  PDG Ridlo used RI’s recommended weightings (growth in membership 55% and donations to TRF 45%) to compile these ratings. Now the trick will be to hang on to that number two slot. PDG Ridlo’s report really stirred up competition amongst the Indonesian clubs and they’re all working hard to make the illustrious top ten. Rtns Glenn and Eli jumped right in and made generous donations to TRF, helping us to maintain our rating.

 If ever anyone questioned the value of donations to TRF just take a look at these figures based on the past five years!  (These are for Indonesian clubs only.)

 Total donations to TRF = US$1,203,000.

Total TRF $s returned to Indonesia for projects and grants = US$2,709,000.

Indonesia is polio free thanks to TRF, which spent US$10,000,000 to help get us there.

And because we sit on the Ring of Fire we’re prone to natural disasters…

Recovery efforts from the Aceh Tsunami = US$15,000,000 +

Shelter Box, a first responder at the time of the Yogokarta earthquake = US$2,000,000.

 Where else could you get better Return on Investment?

 More good news on the TRF front…excellent ratings on how well TRF uses donations  for service.  See below.

FINANCIALS

The 2012-13 fiscal year was a very good one for Rotary, leaving it financially strong to do good in the world. Contributions to the Annual Fund set a new record, surpassing US$115.1 million. Donors also gave a record US$20.4 million to the Endowment Fund.

 PolioPlus received US$23.6 million from Rotarians and friends of Rotary, along with US$69.6 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

 Rotary also geared up for the global launch of its new grant model. During the final year of the Future Vision pilot, 100 districts participated in projects supported by district grants and global grants totaling US$26.4 million.

Here’s a great example of how one grandmother is introducing charitable giving to her grandchildren. Dory Beatrice, PP RC La Jolla Golden Triangle, gives her two grandchildren $50 every year to donate to a worthwhile charitable project. PP Dory presented three possible projects for her grandchildren to select from and our upcoming Temukus elementary school project was given the thumbs up by the kids. Their donation will help bring water, toilets and washbasins to this school located at the top of a mountain in the northern part of Bali. A big thank you to Dory and her granddaughters!

 VP Rucina has happily fulfilled her year of ‘doing’ for her village. Ru is the ONLY non-Balinese by birth to have been given this demanding responsibility which she shared with her Balinese husband, Agung. It meant planning, leading and attending every wedding, baby ceremony (3 for every child), death and cremation ceremony, and temple activity in the village for a full year…practically a full time job.  We’re hoping Ru will memorialize her year in writing…it would be a great (and likely humorous) read. 

 Pres Sue closed the meeting with a quiz.  PP Marilyn entered her team’s responses and then asked for special dispensation for entering a couple of them incorrectly….said Marilyn, ‘the team had all the right answers but because I’m so deaf I heard them wrong’.  No sympathy from Pres Sue and the prize went elsewhere.    

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Rotaract to Amed with food and clothing for a poverty-level village….Jan 18

Rotary TRF/GMS training session…Jan 18

Rotary and Rotaract combine for book delivery to Temukus…Jan 25

Rotary and Rotaract combine for book delivery to Tenganan Dauh Tukad…Feb 1

 Contact Marilyn moc@easyliving.com or Dora Kadek.kerthi@gmail.com for more information.

 

 

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