At our meeting this week we had the opportunity to hear more about the various Youth programs from Rob Cook and were presented with a district certificate recognising that our sponsored candidate Ally (Rae) Yeh successfully completed the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards. You may remember that Ally spoke at our meeting recently about her experience.
We also met and heard from Saena Anota, who is our sponsored candidate in the upcoming National Youth Science Forum and Saena is looking forward to coming back to tell us more about her experience.
As I mentioned at our meeting we have Jimmy Seary from Operation Newstart booked to speak at our meeting. We first met Jimmy at the recent Healthy Minds Forum along with some other very inspirational speakers.
Jimmy has extended an invitation for Rotarians from our club to attend their next graduation ceremony on Thursday 5 October from 1pm to 2 pm. This is our opportunity to have our club represented at a significant event for Operation Newstart.
Here is a link to the invitation. I will be attending and if you want to join me, please let me know and I’ll accept for you as well.
As a reminder, The Rotary Club of Casey has invited our club & friends of Rotary to hear the fascinating story of Harry Sanders.
From Rags to Riches - Harry Sanders, raising awareness of Youth Homelessness.
"At age 17, Harry Sanders was left homeless after his parents separated but now, just 8 years later, he’s a multimillionaire who is determined to give back and help others get back on their feet."
We are so incredibly lucky to have Harry coming to speak to us about his incredible journey and raising awareness for youth homelessness.
See his recent story on The Project below:
https://youtu.be/CKDnLolcMEg This event is at the Beaconhills Golf Club (85-87 Stoney Creek Road, Upper Beaconsfield). 25th September 2023, 6:30PM for 7PM start, $40pp inc. 2-course meal, drinks at bar prices.
Final date for reservations: 18th September 2023 (This coming Monday). Please include dietary requests when booking or send to: Secretary, Lucy Rowlands - sales@sojourn.com.au or 0488 089 403. Tables set for 10 per table.
A considerable part of our Rotary Club's fundraising effort involves hiring our Art Screens to Schools, Art Clubs, Community Groups and Corporate Organisations. Trevor Watson heads up this project with marketing, bookings, rostering of helpers and coordination of deliveries and pickups. It's a full-on role once the Art Show Season opens, with most of our customers being long-term regular supporters of our project. The business has been developed over the years by Laury Gordyn and Gus Dominguez but it looks like Trevor is having a crack at taking it to the next level!
The backbone of the operation however is the volunteers who deliver and pick up the screens. Without them, there is no service and no business. Volunteering for this job is not limited to a select few; in fact, any Rotarian or a friend of Rotary can join the crew when they are available to help out. This type of volunteering is a perfect opportunity to introduce community-minded people to our Rotary family. Deliveries and pickups are always fun. A coffee, along with an interesting conversation, is a given.
Trevor is very efficient with allocating what is required for each deployment so that everybody's time is utilized to its fullest and each person appreciates making a meaningful contribution to the project. In turn, we provide quality Art Screens to the hirer that can be arranged in different flexible layouts backed by friendly and competent service at a competitive price. The money raised is put to work in our community to fund many local projects, but it is also used to maintain equipment and screens to keep the business viable in the long term. Local projects include but are not limited to funding to match District Grants like our Grasmere seating project, providing funds for youth projects such as Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) and National Youth Science Forum (NYSF), and supporting our own Rotary Berwick and District Benevolent Society who work with Casey North CISS https://www.caseynorthciss.com.au/services-programs/ and Windemere.
Up Next:
Thursday 21-September > Delivery (Peninsula Studio Trail, Mornington) 8:30am at the shed (Blue Trailer) *30 screens - Driver Tow: (1-required); Helpers: Trevor Watson; Gary Castricum; Dave Anderson; Louise Jackel
Please contact Trevor (auwatsontj@hotmail.com) if you want to get involved. More importantly, think about people around you who would love to get involved in volunteering with a difference!
There are usually two ways to tackle most things in life. The easy way and the hard way. The easy way usually involves a bit of research and learning, while the hard way involves making every mistake there is to make, followed by going back to the easy way. Do yourself a favour, and don't try the hard way! It is always better to look at the manual when constructing IKEA furniture. Read the manual and your life will be easy. Learn about how Rotary functions before you start getting yourself into trouble and you will never become frustrated (says he who never reads the manual until he gets into trouble).
Research and deep diving into areas relevant to your Rotary volunteering can significantly enhance your experience and impact within Rotary and into the community. It's important to recognize that there's no one-size-fits-all definition of volunteering and no right or wrong motivation for it. What matters most is that individuals are engaged in activities that align with their values and interests and that contribute positively to their communities and the causes they care about. Ultimately, volunteering is a highly personal and individualized endeavour, and the diversity of motivations and ideas about volunteering enriches the volunteer sector as a whole. Obviously, I love Rotary because of the diversity of opportunity but here are some steps to help you get the most out of your Rotary volunteering through research and focused exploration:
Understand Rotary's Mission and Goals: Start by understanding Rotary International's mission, values, and overarching goals. This will provide a foundation for your volunteer work and help you align your efforts with the organization's objectives. https://www.rotary.org/en/about-rotary
Identify Your Passion and Skills: Determine your areas of interest and the skills you bring to Rotary. Rotary offers a wide range of volunteer opportunities, from community service projects to international initiatives. Finding the intersection between your passion and skills will allow you to make a more meaningful contribution.
Research Rotary Projects: Explore Rotary's various local and global projects and initiatives. Understand the key issues and challenges that Rotary is addressing in your community and around the world. This research will help you identify specific areas where you can make a difference. Look at some of the projects Rotary does here: https://www.rotary.org/en/get-involved/projects
Connect with Rotary Members: Network with fellow Rotary members to learn about their experiences and areas of expertise. This can provide valuable insights and guidance on how to get involved effectively. This is best done at Rotary meetings, District training and District events. Visit other Rotary Clubs in your local area, and where you are when you are travelling. You will never know who you will meet at Rotary.
Attend Rotary Meetings and Events: Regularly attend Rotary club meetings, events, and seminars. These gatherings offer opportunities to learn, connect, and stay updated on current projects and initiatives. They are also great opportunities to become involved in projects that interest you in a capacity that you are comfortable with. Never underestimate what you will find when you attend a meeting.
Stay Informed: Subscribe to Rotary publications, newsletters, and social media channels to stay informed about the latest news, projects, and resources within the organization.
Engage in Training and Workshops: Many Rotary districts and clubs offer training and workshops on various topics, such as leadership, project management, and community development. Participating in these programs can enhance your skills and knowledge.
Collaborate and Seek Mentorship: Collaborate with experienced Rotary volunteers and seek mentorship from those who have been involved in successful projects. Learning from their experiences can help you avoid common pitfalls and maximize your impact. There is always more than one person who holds the keys to your growth as a person. and helps develop your potential as an effective Rotarian.
Set Clear Goals: Define your volunteering goals within Rotary. What do you hope to achieve? Whether it's leading a community service project, raising funds for a specific cause, or participating in international initiatives, having clear goals will keep you focused and motivated. If you are new to Rotary, it always helps to talk to other Rotarians about your goals. New projects form when there are enough skilled people to run them. Communication is key for a project to start and a volunteering goal to be achieved.
Evaluate and Adapt: Regularly assess your contributions and their impact. Be open to feedback and willing to adapt your approach as needed to better serve your community and Rotary's mission. Your volunteering has value within a project so it is always important that the time you have given to the project has returned value to the project. While it is not exactly a monetary transaction, there still needs to be a sense of achievement associated with your involvement.
By investing time and effort in research and deepening your knowledge of Rotary and its initiatives, you'll be better equipped to contribute effectively and derive maximum value from your volunteering experience. Remember that Rotary is a dynamic organization with a wide array of opportunities, so continuous learning and engagement are key to making a meaningful difference to your Rotary Journey and the impact YOU will make in the world.
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The Rotary clubs of Panamá Norte and Westchester (Los Angeles), put together a global grant that sought to remedy the digital divide in Panama. The project provided each school with 30 laptops for students, an interactive whiteboard, and other technology, and also provided training for local teachers.
Rotary editor Wen Huang visits the home of the 2024 Rotary International Convention for a third time and finds that the flourishing Asian city-state has reinvented itself — again
At our meeting this week we had the opportunity to hear more about the various Youth programs from Rob Cook and were presented with a district certificate recognising that our sponsored candidate Ally (Rae) Yeh successfully completed the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards. You may remember that Ally spoke at our meeting recently about her experience.
