Tag Archives: The Rotary Foundation

D7980 Rotary Foundation Brunch – Recognition Recipients and many photos

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TRF Brunch 11-02-2014About 160 attendees turned out at The Woodwinds Banquet facility in Branford on Sunday Nov 2nd for a very nice Rotary Foundation recognition event. Clubs and Individuals were recognized for their outstanding support of the Rotary Foundation over the past year (2013-14) as they enjoyed an entertaining program, a great meal as well as fabulous fellowship.

Sheryl Shaughnessey (Fairfield), Rick Benson (Westport) and Doug Lisk (New Haven) made up the organizing committee and everyone’s favorite PDG Brain Amey (Newtown) was the Master of Ceremonies.

Keynote Speech by Jennifer Jones 

 Club and Individual Service Recognitions

Photo Gallery – Compliments of Steve Cooper – S.M. Cooper Photography (Milford Rotary)

 

THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to the success of this event including: Doug Lisk (New Haven), Trish Pearson (Orange), Lynda Hammond (Orange), Brian Amey (Newtown), Rick Benson (Westport), Jim Lang (Trumbull), Jennifer Jones (Speaker), Dale Moore (Madison), Steve Cooper (Milford),  Mark Mathias (Westport Sunrise), Paul Indorf (Chester), Mark Horton (Trumbull) and Sheryl Shaughnessey (Fairfield). Hopefully no one was left out.

The D7980 Foundation Brunch is today

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What better way for 150 Rotarians and friends to spend a rainy/windy Sunday afternoon than by gathering at a fabulous banquet facility and recognizing the many people and clubs who generously support The Rotary Foundation?

At long last the District 7980 Foundation Brunch is finally upon us. The festivities start in just a few short hours!!!

The event’s primary focus is to recognize clubs and individuals who have helped to advance the service work of Rotary International by contributing to the Rotary Foundation during the past year.

Keynote Speaker(s): Jennifer Jones, RI Director Nominee – Zones 28/28

Location: Woodwinds – Branford CT 12 p.m. – 3 P.m.

Dinner Foundation Brunch Chair Sheryl A. Shaughnessey has been working diligently on this event with PDG Rick Benson and District Secretary Doug K. Lisk for months. PDG Brian Amey will be the MC today.

We will post many event photos tomorrow.

 

Over $45,000 in District Managed Grants awarded since July 1st

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Rotary Globe

Story Updated: 02-17-2014

14 District Managed Grants (DMGs) totaling $45.051.55 have been awarded to (16) D7980 Rotary Clubs since July 1, 2013.

All of theses funded applications can be reviewed below.

We still have about $15,000 in funding remaining for additional DMGs which must be used before June 30th. A number of our Rotary Clubs have applications pending and several others have indicated that they will submit project applications BUT KEEP IN MIND – this funding is first come, first serve.

The two largest Single Club DMG’s of $5,000 each were received by Orange Rotary and Stratford Rotary while the largest Multi Club DMG for $7,500 was received by the partnership of Westport Sunrise, Westport and Bridgeport.

Is your Club interested in submitting an application for a District Managed Grant? Then have a look at the 14 successful applications for this year below:

Basic District Managed Grants Guidelines:

  • 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:
  1. Peace and conflict prevention/resolution
  2. Disease prevention and treatment
  3. Water and sanitation
  4. Maternal and child health
  5. Basic education and literacy
  6. Economic and community development
  • Be short term a project with all application approvals and   funds disbursed to the clubs   during the Rotary year, by 6/30; completed 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

Contact PDG Rick Benson,District Foundation Chair 2013-16 for more information.

Norwalk Rotary prepares to launch Vocational Training Team to Sierra Leone

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The Norwalk Rotary Club is just about ready to launch their Vocational Training Team (VTT) project to Sierra Leone. If things go according to plan then the US Team will leave on 1/4/2014.

VTT Chair Nancy Riella and Eugenia Chinsman of the Norwalk Rotary Club have been working on this $30,000 Global Grant application for the better part of 2013 and like all things Rotary; “they are this close”.

The team is just awaiting word from Rotary International that Freetown Rotary Club in Sierra Leone has cleared up the remaining administrative hurdles.

The Outbound Team members from D7980 are as follows:

  • Cynthia Barnett
  • Joan Parris
  • Florence Falkowski
  • Ronnie Katz
  • Anne Farrell

This VTT project will take place at the Milton Margai College of Education and Technology and the Baana Prepatory School in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

The emphasis is basic education and literacy. Due to continual civil wars, Sierra Leone’s educational structure was destroyed. There is a need for updated teacher training curriculums to prepare infants – 5 year old children for school. Additionally, there is a need for improved curriculums, teachers and educators to train the Early Childhood Education (ECE) teachers.

The direct beneficiaries will be all the children of Sierra Leone through education; the ECE teachers because they will have updated training with hands on experience; the Milton Margai College of Education and Technology due to exposure to current best practices and curriculum improvements.

The USA VTT team will be composed of ECE experts that will observe current teaching practices, curriculums, and ECE programs. The emphasis will be to use the observations gained in Sierra Leone to create and maintain a ECE program that can be replicated through out the country. this program will serve as a flagship program to support the national teacher education program. The Sierra Leone VTT team will observe ECE programs in a variety of pre-schools, work with Norwalk Community College to enhance the teaching curriculum at the Milton Margai College whose objective is to establish a program to teach ECE.

Updates will be provided to this project as they become available.

The District Foundation Dinner is tonight!!

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At long last the District 7980 Foundation Dinner is finally upon us. The festivities start in just a few short hours!!!

The Dinner’s primary focus is to recognize clubs and individuals who have helped to advance the service work of Rotary International by contributing to the Rotary Foundation during the past year.

Keynote Speaker(s): Courtney Matson, Past Rotary Peace Fellow plus Natalia Svirschevsky, Past Service Above Self Scholar

Location: Pine Orchard Yacht & Country Club – 2 Club Parkway – Branford CT 5:30 p.m. Reception (Cash Bar)    6:30 p.m.

Dinner Foundation Dinner Chair Chip Marsh has been working diligently on this event for months and everything is aligned for this to be one of the best ever, approximately 200 attendees have registered from dozens of Rotary Clubs.

We will post many event photos tomorrow.

Foundation Area Reps and Assistant Governors meet to plan Club Foundation Program

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November is Rotary Foundation month and as a lead in to that the District has put together a Rotary Foundation program that we plan to deliver to all D7980 clubs as one of the weekly meetings during the last two weeks of October. The program will be delivered to all 61 clubs at one of the weekly meetings during the last two weeks of October. The program takes 15 – 20 minutes and is designed to create awareness about the The Rotary Foundation (TRF) in easy to understand terms.

The Foundation Area Reps (FARs) and the Assistant Governors (AGs) gathered on Sept 24th at the Graduate Club in New Haven to review a draft of the program that will be presented to the clubs.  PDG Rick Benson walked the attendees through the draft program during an interactive brainstorming session. The program is shaping up nicely and should be ready to go in time.  Sheryl Shaughnessey, Program Chair, will be contacting clubs for final arrangements soon.

There is no cost for the club program. Contact Foundation Chair Rick Benson for more information.

As of 9/30 the following clubs have signed up for the program:

Beacon Falls
Black Rock
Branford
Bridgeport
Cheshire
Chester
Clinton
Colchester
Danbury
Derby-Shelton
Devon
East Haddam
Fairfield
Guilford
Housatonic Valley-Greater Danbury
Ledyard
Madison
Meriden
Middletown
Milford
Monroe
Montville
Mystic
Naugatuck
New Canaan
New Haven
New London
Newtown
Niantic
North Branford
North Haven
Norwich
Norwich Sunrise
Old Saybrook
Orange
Ridgefield
Ridgefield Sunrise
Seymour-Oxford
Stamford
Stoningtons
Trumbull
Waterbury
West Haven
Westport
Westport Sunrise
Wilton
Woodbridge
Woodbury-Southbury-Middlebury