July 2020 Newsletter
The Service Above Self Award is a rare honor. Each of the 530-some districts throughout the world have the privilege of submitting a nomination to the Rotary International Board of Directors – yet only a maximum of 150 recipients are chosen each year for the honor.
The purpose of the award is to recognize Rotarians who have demonstrated “exemplary humanitarian service” with an emphasis on personal volunteer efforts and active involvement in helping others.
DG David announced that Bob Jensen of the Mesa West Rotary Club is one of those chosen for this year.
Bob had a 40-year career as an audiologist, started a number of audiology-related companies over the years and retired about five years ago. In 1992, he was part of a team of medical professionals who travelled to Guaymas, Mexico to assess how they might best help with medical issues in that area.
When they returned and compared notes, they determined they should focus on issues associated with hearing. Shortly thereafter, Bob assumed leadership of annual missions to Guaymas to assess patients, treat minor ear disorders, conduct hearing tests, provide amplification with hearing aids and consult with local school personnel on aural rehabilitation in the school system.
District Governor David Simmer kicked off the district’s first-ever virtual conference June 20 with the announcement of several individual and club awards, as well as the presentation of the Service Above Self Award, the highest honor that can be bestowed upon an individual Rotarian.
The online “recognition” program recapped David’s tenure as district governor and celebrated the work of District 5495 Rotarians and their contributions over the past year – a year severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I am so proud of how our clubs and their leaders responded to difficult circumstances,” said DG David.
“These were uncharted territories, but that is what Rotarians do … we race toward those who can use our help … who just need a hand to get back on their feet.”
The program featured the presentation of several awards, but DG David was quick to emphasize that he considers all Rotarians “heroes and champions.”
Rotarian of the Year
The Rotarian of the Year Award, also known as the Leadership for the Second Century Award, was awarded to Jim Bissonett.
Jim has served as the chair of the District Rotary Foundation Committee for the past five years (also serving as chair of District 5510’s Foundation Committee prior to the merger). He is stepping down and will be replaced in July by Past District Governor Charlie Tegarden.
“Jim has been a critical player in building district-wide support for Global Grants,” said DG David. “I believe we have broader participation by our clubs in global grants than any other district in our Zone.”
“Jim has been committed to putting the funds that the district had to work with into projects that were important to the clubs. The club priorities were always Jim’s priorities,” added DG David.
Supporting the Environment Becomes New Area of Focus
The Rotary Foundation Trustees and Rotary International Board of Directors have added a new area of focus: supporting the environment.
More than $18 million in Foundation global grant funding has been allocated to environment-related projects over the past five years. Creating a distinct area of focus to support the environment will give Rotary members even more ways to bring about positive change in the world and increase our impact.
Supporting the environment becomes Rotary's seventh area of focus, which are categories of service activities supported by global grants. It joins peacebuilding and conflict prevention; disease prevention and treatment; water, sanitation, and hygiene; maternal and child health; basic education and literacy; and community economic development.
Grant applications for projects will be accepted beginning on 1 July 2021. Gifts and commitments from Rotarians and others will be sought to provide global grant support for the new area of focus. More information about this new area of focus will be announced soon.
July Breakouts
Our inspiring breakout sessions will continue into July, after the virtual convention, to help you start the Rotary year off right.
Register for July breakouts using the table below. (Click HERE for table.) There you will find the session title, date and time, registration or recording link as well as a brief description for each breakout. Session times will be listed in UTC-5. All sessions are in English. Simultaneous interpretation will not be available.
Please note this table is updated by breakout session organizers. If you do not see all session details at this time, please check back regularly for updates. Links to any available recordings will be posted on an ongoing basis through the month of August. Session resources will be uploaded to the Convention Breakouts learning topic on the Learning Center at the discretion of each breakout session organizer.
$400,000 in Medical Supplies to Hospitals in Need
Peace a Reality
D5495 Rotarians spread the word about Rotary Peace Fellowships.
Now two candidates have been endorsed by our District!
We are pleased to announce that two applicants for Rotary Peace Fellowships were recently interviewed and approved for endorsement by our Peace Fellowship Subcommittee. The next steps for these amazing individuals will be a thorough review process by Rotary Peace Centers, which typically receives more than 1,000 applications each year for 130 fellowships. We wish our two outstanding candidates every success in their ongoing efforts to do good in the world. Both are bright, young, vibrant examples of Service Above Self.
Diana Grote learned of the fellowship through a social connection to a member of the PhoenixRotary 100 Club. She completed an online ‘qualifying’ process and received Peace Centersapproval to proceed with an application. Dianahas had experience in Swaziland, Belgium, and Kenya, and has taught teachers inEthiopiathrough the Peace Corps. She was supported through the online application process by the PhoenixRotary 100 Club. If Diana is granted a Peace Fellowship, she will be applying to the University of Queensland.
Tetiana Shymanchuk, who lives within 10K of the Russian/Ukrainian conflict line, learned of the fellowship from a work colleague in Ukraine whose parents are members of the Sun City/Sun City Satellite Club. Since the invasion in 2014, Tetiana has worked tirelessly with the Danish Refugee Council to provide educational, economical, and human needs assistance related to resettlement of displaced persons in her own country. If she is granted a Peace Fellowship, she will be applying to Duke/UNC. Tetiana was assigned to our District for an Endorsement Interview and was supported through the online application process by the Sun City/Sun City Satellite Club.
STATEMENT FROM ROTARY INTERNATIONAL
Greetings Rotarians We are both excited and saddened to share with you that the 2020 Rotary Institute Zones 26 & 27 Big West will be virtual! The health of Rotarians, Rotaractors, and guests are most important during these challenging times. As wonderful as it would be to meet in person, our Rotary experience would be significantly affected by state, local, and hotel restrictions, as well as our commitment to safety and social distancing. As we transform this very special event from in-person to virtual, our goals remain the same: enjoying friendship, exploring new ideas and perspectives, celebrating our District Governors 2021-22, having fun together and being inspired throughout. Expect the unexpected! For now, hold the original dates of November 12-15, 2020. We hope you will join us as we embark on a new adventure and our virtual Rotary Institute. More details and information will be coming your way soon! Thank you for your support! | ||
Johrita Solari Rotary International Director | Glenn Fong 2020 Insitute Chair | Wyn Spiller 2020 Institute Co-Chair |
Zones 26 & 27 Big West |
Dr Fiona Braka, Immunization Team Lead for WHO Nigeria, speaks about fighting polio outbreaks and toppling gender barriers
Dr Fiona Braka holds one of the highest-stake roles in the African regional polio programme – supporting the Government of Nigeria in their fight to defeat wild poliovirus.
She is the first woman to hold her position in Nigeria, and before that was the first female polio team lead in Ethiopia.
Fighting the last wild virus in Africa
Dr Braka’s work involves leading the country team to strengthen routine immunization and maintain high quality disease surveillance systems in Nigeria. She is also heavily involved in the COVID-19 response, lending expertise established over decades of fighting polio.
In 2016, the detection of wild virus in Nigeria after nearly two years without cases was a devastating setback. “When the outbreak broke out, I was in Uganda on a break with my family. I was having lunch with a friend and my phone was ringing, persistently ringing – a Geneva number. When I picked up the phone it never crossed my mind it would be a wild virus,” Dr Braka remembers.
“A good proportion of Borno state was inaccessible due to armed conflict. Delivering vaccination services and conducting surveillance in that area had not been easy. With interventions going on to address the conflict by the Nigerian Government, some ground was gained, and people trapped for over three years were able to move out of the liberated areas to internally displaced persons camps. With population movement, a wild polio case was detected in an internally displaced child.”
Jack talked about the emergency medical relief effort going on in support of Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Cox's Bazar is the largest refugee camp in the world and the UN has declared Rohingya people one of the most persecuted minorities in the world. Several years ago when extreme violence erupted in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, hundreds of thousands of civilians fled their homes to the refugee camp.
rates (likely 2-3 times higher mortality rate than typical flu); lack of available post-antibody testing study data; fast decisions made without
reliable data and expert input; unknown economy impacts and impacts to the health providers, businesses (closures) and people (unemployment);
prevention - masks (noting often not being worn correctly), washing hands, social distancing, curfews, closures, no visitations, etc., mental health
impacts (suicide rates have doubled), and more.