Stories
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LJHS Interact Club Homebuild #39!On Saturday January 13, a group of 16 Interact students and 6 parent volunteers, went to Mexico to build home #39 for the Rotary Club. We had great weather and were able to provide a very deserving family a new home for them to enjoy for many years to come. They were freezing in their tiny hovel and were so grateful for a home. Another successful homebuild, where the students were fantastic workers and there were no injuries. They are looking forward to #40 this spring. Craig Schniepp, Youth Services Director and homebuild leader  |
Uganda Global Grant The Rotary Club of La Jolla along with the Rotary Club of Mbale in Uganda is currently working on a Global Grant in Uganda called the Rotary Vijana Poa Mbale Technology Hub Project. This project started on November 29, 2021, with a grant of $85,000. The objective of this project is to provide technology and employment education to youth and women for advancing economic empowerment in Mbale, a disadvantaged region in Eastern Uganda. More than 22% of the youth population in this region is unemployed and lives in extreme poverty. The goal of this project is to ensure that every youth is working through computer skills, entrepreneurial and mindset education. The program also provides women empowerment education to women who have previously been marginalized and alienated from the workplace. |
75 Years of La Jolla Rotary Chuck Dick Writes: There's a way to summarize 75 years of La Jolla Rotary history by saying 3 things. First, the Club was established in 1947 by a stalwart Rotarian from Club 33, and within a few years, the Club had been successful recruiting new members from across the La Jolla landscape. They were people who already had played significant roles in building a community out of a small village, and within a short time, their natural impulse to serve quickly found a vehicle in Rotary’s embrace of service above self. Second, beginning in the 1970s and continuing for the next 25 years or so, our club called upon the extraordinary generosity of its members to support an array of service work around the world. La Jolla Rotarians contributed almost 70% of the District’s’ fundraising commitment for Polio Plus, and we obtains Rotary Foundation grants to help make changes in the third world. We worked with Tijuana Rotarians to build a school in an underserved neighborhood of Tijuana, and Colonia Esperanza stands today as source of hope. In the third 25 years of our club, we saw that service was more than writing checks. We began to use our scholarship endowment to assist college bound La Jolla students, and we committed to help Garfield High School students launch careers. We became Rotarians at work, and we used our hands to make physical changes in our community. We have breathed life into the concept of Service Above Self. |
Helping people with disabilities make their own music Music has been an important part of leading an ordinary life for students at the Music School for Children With Disabilities in Honor of Paul Harris in Lublin, Poland. Founded by Rotary members, the school serves 20 students with various disabilities, including Down syndrome, autism, and visual impairments. The Rotary Club of Lublin-Centrum-Maria Curie-Sklodowska has provided funding with help from Rotary Foundation Matching Grants and the Henryk Wieniawski Musical Society, which houses the school. After their son Mateusz was born with underdeveloped eyes, Mariusz and Joanna Kania looked for ways to help him be active. When he showed an aptitude for music, they looked for a teacher and were thrilled to find the Paul Harris music school. |
Saving lives in Ghana What is it like taking a large team to Africa? It has probably been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. In mid February, I began leading Rotary members from all over the East Coast of the United States through Ghana. I’ve tried to give the team a warm Ghanaian welcome like I’ve received on my earlier trips. A large trip is a real blessing because each person sees Ghana and our work in a different way.A highlight for the team was greeting the chief of Sagadugu. The team got excited about buying goats and food for children in the villages where I support eight churches. It was good to see the pastors of most of the eight churches, and I had to explain that we were just passing through on our way to Bolgatanga. |
Finding Safe Haven For years, Angalia Bianca had slept in abandoned buildings throughout Chicago. She stole. She did drugs. She spent time in and out of jail for forgery, theft, trespassing, and possession of narcotics. But after she landed in prison for the seventh time, something changed -- Bianca knew she wanted a better life. She just didn’t know how to make it happen.After serving her time, Bianca sought help from a local homeless organization, A Safe Haven, and moved to its shelter in the Rogers Park neighborhood. Bianca followed the program closely -- she attended all the required meetings, passed drug tests, and volunteered at every opportunity.
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India celebrates three years without polio Throughout India and around the world, Rotary clubs are celebrating a major milestone: India has gone three years without a new case of polio. The last reported case was a two-year-old girl in West Bengal on 13 January 2011. To mark this historic triumph, Rotary clubs illuminated landmarks and iconic structures throughout the country with four simple but powerful words, "India is polio free."The three-year achievement sets the stage for polio-free certification of the entire Southeast Asia region by the World Health Organization. The Indian government also plans to convene a polio summit in February to commemorate this victory in the global effort to eradicate polio. |
