Today's meeting of the Los Altos Rotary Club celebrated and informed members of our club's World  Community Service committee activities. ALLAN VARNI, ALLART LIGTENBERG and JANE REED spoke to Rotarians about the progress and plans for future projects in Africa, Nepal, Mexico and Indonesia.

Completed Projects and Future Plans

Yucatan, Mexico, Chicxulub Pueblo:  This project supports a village school. This year Rotarians painted, installed windows and doors. In addition, the $8,000 hands-on project provided books supplies.

Next year the committee is planning a $32,000 grant project to provide the school with computers and sustainable green cooking to Mayan school children.

Nepal, Kokhana Village:  Solar and green education programs in 10 schools,  plus solar  electrical generation for lighting, solar cooking and biomass production for disabled, blind and leprosy victims and  rainwater harvesting. The $17,774 project was completed in March.

Next for Nepal, the committee is planning a $32,000 grant for two villages for solar and sustainability. Our club will work with non-government organizations. And the host club Dhulikhel Rotary will be our partner club.

Nepal, Balambu Village:  This $15,500 project was completed in January 2012. It featured solar cooking, food drying, biomass fuels, and income-making projects. Also in planning is possible child AIDS prevention activities and Global grant in Nepal.

Liberia, Child AIDS Prevention:  One highly successful project has been the $75,000 effort to educate health care workers to teach women how to get tested for HIV and then provide the retro viral drugs to prevent the transmission of the virus from mother to child.

Haiti, SOPUDEP School:  This project involves completely rebuilding and furnishing a school destroyed by the earthquake. This project has been adopted by the student groups at Los Altos high. It also involves sanitation projects.

Sumba, Indonesia:  This $65,000 Global grant project is bringing clean water and sanitation to this remote island community.

How can you help?

WCS needs grant writers, folks willing to tell the stories of these projects to other clubs, and a web guru for publicity. The committee meets monthly at 8 a.m. on the fourth Tuesday, at First Republic Bank.

Why do we do it? "Because it makes me feel better about myself," PRESIDENT JOHN SYLVESTER said, profoundly.

 

Rotarian JOHN EVANS presented the thought for the day: "Instead of asking What was I thinking. Ask, 'What was I learning?'"

Red badger HARRY PRICE learned the hazard of trying to teach Rotarians a new song.

JULIE ROSE and PAUL GONELLA were greeters. JOANNE KAVALARIS was cashier President-elect JACK KELLY introduced guests and visiting Rotarians.

News: Only two speakers have ever received perfect 10s in polls: DICK HENNING and Raj Mathai.

Fine master DENNIS YOUNG collected donations from more than a dozen Rotarians and educated everyone on Rotary acronyms. Thanks Dennis!

JOHN BOGART presented a half-hour video announcing the Rotary Golf Tournament will be June 7.

Past President MONA ARMISTEAD announced a new community award to bestow a Paul Harris Fellow upon a deserving non Rotarian. Send nominations to Mona for the honor.

President JOHN thanked everyone for attending and adjourned the meeting early with his usual “Have a good day, unless you have made other plans.”

 

THIS THURSDAY'S PROGRAM:

Partners For New Generations (PNG)