Rotary Club of Doylestown Celebrates Rotary Foundation Month

The Rotary Club of Doylestown celebrated Rotary Foundation Month in November in honor of the Rotary Foundation, which enables Rotarians to uphold their belief in “Service Above Self.” The Rotary Club of Doylestown’s local and global initiatives are facilitated by the Rotary Foundation’s commitment to humanitarian initiatives.

The Rotary Foundation makes local and global initiatives possible through funding for humanitarian efforts by Rotary chapters across the globe. One of the most prominent initiatives is the Rotary’s commitment to eradicating polio. Rotary International, along with club partners, has reduced polio cases by 99 percent worldwide since the first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979. Rotarians have helped immunize more than 2 billion children against polio in 122 countries. For as little as $0.60, a child can be protected against this crippling disease for life.

The Rotary Foundation’s financial contributions enhance the Rotary Club of Doylestown’s projects through matching grants. The Rotary Foundation is unique in that half of the contributions made by local Rotarians come back to their community as matching grants.

The Rotary Club of Doylestown’s humanitarian projects that are co-funded by the Rotary Foundation include:

Women’s Dairy Coop in India - In the village of Sone Sanghavi, 100 women contributed 100 Rupees each to form the Shakti Mahila Women’s Dairy Cooperative with the help of the Ashta No Kai (For a Better Tomorrow) Foundation. Dairy equipment and thirty pregnant cows were purchased with a Rotary Foundation matching grant sponsored by The Rotary Club of Doylestown.

Water Wells for the Maasai - The Rotary Club of Doylestown, the Rotary Club of Langata (Kenya), The Rotary Foundation and generous donations from local Bucks County citizens helped fund water wells that are now benefiting over 10,000 Maasai people in Kenya.

Malawi Sanitation Project - The Rotary Club of Doylestown and the Rotary Club of Bwaila (Malawi) partnered with the Rotary Foundation to fund the construction of 17 eco-sanitary latrines in Malawi, Africa.

Peru Water Filters - Household water filters providing safe drinking water for residents of Lima, Peru. The Rotary Club of Morrisville - Yardley and the Sunrise Rotary Club of Lima, Peru sponsored the program with financial support from the Rotary Club of Doylestown and the Rotary Foundation.

The Rotary Club of Doylestown has also received matching grants from the Rotary Foundation for local humanitarian projects that benefit community members. Local initiatives include:

Darkness to Light - The mission of Darkness to Light is to empower people to prevent child sexual abuse. The program raises awareness of the prevalence and consequences of child sexual abuse by educating adults about the steps they can take to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to the reality of child sexual abuse. The club provided a $3,000 grant to the Central Bucks Family YMCA to purchase learning materials and a matching grant of $1,500 was provided by The Rotary Foundation. In addition, 12 club members participated in the program and learned about the core principles of preventing, recognizing, and reacting responsibly to child sexual abuse.

Roxy Puppies for the Roxy Reading Courthouse Dogs Program – The Rotary Club of Doylestown and The Rotary Foundation purchased the first supply of Roxy Puppies for the Roxy Reading Courthouse Dogs Program. The volunteers of the Courthouse Dogs Program stand by children seeking protective care in Dependency Court. Specially trained therapy dog teams join abused and neglected children in and out of the courtroom, soothing their fears as they move through the Child and Youth Services system. The children are then given a Roxy Puppy stuffed dog to serve as a reminder of the comfort they experienced while interacting with the dogs. They may be the only belonging that a child gets to keep after being removed from their home that day.

During the month of November, the Rotary Club of Doylestown and Rotary Clubs around the world emphasized the work of the Rotary Foundation and encouraged support for the Rotary Foundation, Rotarians and friends of Rotary.

For more information about the Rotary Club of Doylestown, visit www.doylestownrotary.org. To learn more about Rotary International, visit www.rotary.org. Visit www.endpolio.org, for more information about Rotary’s efforts to eradicate polio.

About The Rotary Club of Doylestown:

The Rotary Club of Doylestown is a volunteer service organization whose members donate their time and resources to help others locally and throughout the world. Founded in 1924, Doylestown Rotary meets weekly to practice “Service above Self”. Among its many community programs, the club sponsors scholarships for high school students, coordinates international exchange programs, provides volunteers for community events, and funds worthy local projects. The Doylestown Rotary strives to encourage and foster service as a basis of worthy enterprise.