Category Archives: TRF – The Rotary Foundation

D7980 The Rotary Foundation Seminar on 07-11-2013

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D7980 Foundation Seminar is coming next Thursday

D7980 Foundation Seminar is coming next Thursday

The TRF Seminar is rapidly approaching – this coming Thursday. If your Rotary Club wishes to take advantage of District and Global Grants and didn’t send anyone to the Grants Seminar at the District Assembly then this is the opportunity to become certified in just one short evening.

As we are trying our best to cut back District events on  Saturdays;  this is our first attempt at a weekday evening seminar, only half the length of the previous years Saturday seminars, so we are trying to be pretty efficient. This will be more of an expanded grants seminar, than starting from scratch on a TRF Seminar.

Here is a link to the draft Agenda.

This event will be held at the Graduate Club in New Haven from 5ish to 9:30. Cost is $20 per person which includes dinner.

Who Should Attend: Incoming Club Stewards, Club Foundation Chairs, Foundation Area Reps, Club International Service Chairs, New Members interested in Humanitarian Grants or Scholarships.

Potential attendees can register directly in DaCdb or by contacting PDG Rick Benson, our District Rotary Foundation Chair.

Moore Oklahoma Update

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Moore Oklahoma

Moore Oklahoma – it is hard to know where to begin the rebuilding process

We have been in communication with the District leaders affected by the tornados in Oklahoma and they are working to determine a project (or multiple projects) which will satisfy the requirements of Global Grants under The Rotary Foundation rules.

They have had offers of support from around the world; including several districts in Italy and Australia. We are hopeful that one of these districts will take the lead on the global grant allowing us the ability to obtain maximum matching support for Oklahoma.

Jennifer and me are wrapping up at the RI Convention in Lisbon and we have spoken to a number of our colleagues in other districts which are interested in getting involved once a project is defined.

So far a number of clubs in our district (7980) have raised just about $5k for the project without even knowing the specific scope just because they want to help others in need. We all know that this will grow once we are able to determine the exact scope. We are also hoping to match the club’s efforts 1:1 with our districts TRF global funds if we successfully turn this into a global grant.

How Rotary Clubs can contribute:

Mail their contributions made out to: Rotary 7980 District Foundation

to

PDG Colin Gershon One Century Tower, Fifth Floor, 265 Church Street  New Haven, CT 06510-7000

Or by contacting via email at PDG Colin Gershon

District Managed Grant Proposals Needed for 2013-14

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PDG Rick Benson, District Foundation Chair 2013-16

PDG Rick Benson,
District Foundation Chair 2013-16

Thank you for your support of our Foundation; NOW is the time to put some of those funds to work for your club.

We need your District Managed Grant proposals by June 15 so we can apply for and receive our funding from The Rotary Foundation by July 1.

The proposals need: Name of Sponsor Club, a 1 sentence project description, location of the project, Area of Focus, and how much funding you think you will be requesting.

We have $60,534 available to spend on District Managed Grants, but we can’t get the funds until I submit our Spending Plan (compilation of your project proposals).  To date I only have proposals for about $10,000.

District Managed Grants must:

  • Be in direct support of a humanitarian   project that is new for the Club. A “new” project is a project that is new   to the club or one that involves a specific new addition to an existing   project that improves the project’s effectiveness.
  • Align with one   of Rotary’s six Areas of Focus:

Peace and conflict prevention/resolution
Disease prevention and treatment
Water and sanitation
Maternal and child health
Basic education and literacy
Economic and community development

  • Be short term   projects with all application approvals and   funds disbursed to the clubs   during the Rotary year, by 6/30; complete by 9/15
  • Involve Club Rotarians in hands-on   activities that support the humanitarian project
  • No project can be implemented or funds   spent until all District approval signatures have been obtained

Partnering with other clubs is encouraged   to broaden participation and to increase the size of the grant to make it   more significant

  • If the project is outside the district,   it is recommended that there be active cooperation, participation, and support of a local Rotary club, when one exists, reasonably   near to the project location.
  • Airfare for any   travel funded by Rotary Foundation grants must be booked through Rotary   International Travel Services (RITS) according to established travel   policies.
  • Be matched   dollar for dollar by a District club or clubs

What are the funding limits?

District 7980 Clubs, in collaboration with partner clubs, may request up to $7,500 for each project. Any one club can receive a maximum of $5000 per project and $7500 per Rotary year. There is no minimum grant size. The Committee matches $1 for every $1 of cash contributions.

District Managed Grants will be limited to one to each qualified club taking principal responsibility until January 1st, at which time clubs may apply for a second grant (only one second grant).

The actual DMG Instructions and Application Form will be on the district web site approximately June 1.  Applications from Qualified Clubs may be submitted as soon a the club is qualified.

PDG Rick Benson,
District Foundation Chair 2013-16

Rotary D7980 Response to the Moore Oklahoma Disaster

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Moore Oklahoma tornado

Moore Oklahoma tornado

Fellow Club President,

In the next few days, we need to take the time to hug our families and realize how blessed we are.  It is the goal of District 7980, under the direction of DG Brian Amey and DGE Rick Bassett, to create a fund to aid Rotary District 5770 in Oklahoma.  As leaders of your club, begin a plan to help build this fund with money from Happy/Sad collections, reach out into your community to other civic groups and ask them to join you in this effort, earmark a portion of your future fundraisers to be donated to this district fund.

This must be an effort that includes all clubs in District 7980.  Let us spend the next several months working together for one goal…to do all we can for our fellow Rotarians and their families in Oklahoma.  Let’s share our ideas and goals to make this a unified project and one that will make a difference”.

This may or may not be what you wanted to include.  I think we need to release a statement to the clubs as soon as we can.  I will begin tomorrow night by doing a special Happy/Sad collection.  I have some other ideas for the next few meetings.  It will be important to engage the new Presidents also.  A group effort by Brian’s presidents and your presidents can be very powerful.

I will be looking forward to hearing from you!

Barbara Moore
President, East Hampton Rotary Club
Rotary District 7980

Disaster in Moore Oklahoma – How we can Engage Rotary to help!!!

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Engage Rotary - Change Lives

Engage Rotary – Change Lives

There are 24 confirmed deaths, and hundreds of confirmed injuries, so far. The mile-wide tornado spent 40 minutes on the ground in Moore, Oklahoma, near Oklahoma City and Norman Oklahoma, which is just about 10 miles away and is the home to RI President-elect Ron Burton. Moore Oklahoma and Norman Oklahoma are both in District 5770.

Very little is known at this point in terms of the needs in Moore OK but they will be great and they will become apparent in the coming days, weeks and months.  I have been in touch with the DGE from D5770 this evening and have offered our help and support. DGE Terry and DG Phil are thankful for our concern and thoughts.

You are probably wondering what you can do to help the community of Moore OK and we have plan.

The preliminary plan is this:

– We collect funds that can be used for matching funds in a Global Grant.
– We identify an international sponsor, making this a reverse Global Grant in effect.
– We will have D5770 determine a true need that fits within the 6 areas of focus and meets the criteria for a global grant. This may take a month or so.
– We (D7980) will write the grant proposal to include all supporting districts so that we can maximize the power of the multiple dollars available through TRF.

What you can do:
– Raise funds in your district for the community of Moore OK.
– See if you have global TRF funds that will be available in your district after 7/1 that can be used. I would encourage you to match the funds raised by clubs in your district with your TRF global money. That is the approach that we are leaning towards in D7980.

Logistics:

I will be working on this with my Co-Chair; Barbara Moore, President of the East Hampton Rotary Club and with both PDG Mac Leask and PDG Rick Benson as well as DG Brian Amey.

Contact me with questions and thoughts.

Rick Bassett, DGE – D7980
(203)584-7278

The 2013 District Assembly Concludes

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The 2013 Rotary 7980 District Assembly came to successful conclusion on Saturday afternoon.

We had approximately 250 attendees throughout the day which participated in dozens of sessions in the Breakout and Foundation Tracks which were led by our very talented facilitators and Rotary Club participants.

The Adanti Center at Southern CT State University was a fabulous venue for the District Assembly that was made possible by the generosity of SCSU’s School of Business.

I want to thank everyone who contributed to the success of the event.

Rick Bassett