September 2019 Newsletter
Jaiden thanked the club of our financial support that helped make travel possible for the Ambassadors to deliver crutches and other mobility devices to Kenya this summer. Ten or so Rotarians, Interactors and non-Rotarians made the trip—the third year District 5495 has been involved in the project. One of the reps this year was from the American Furniture Warehouse where the mobility devices are stored until ready to be shipped to Africa.
The group spent two weeks in Kenya, the first week working through a secondary school in Naivasha, just north of Nairobi. The Ambassadors spent some of this week delivering clothes, sewing kits, toys and soccer balls. Although the Ambassadors were members of Interact serving ages 12-18, it is actually Rotaract serving ages 18-30 that is most robust in Kenya while Interact is the weakest. The second week was at the Maasai Mara Game Reserve staying at the Prescott College Campus bordering the reserve.
This might be all you need to know -- the young Navajo girl in the picture smiled when she learned that was the last day that she would have to carry water for her family's basic needs. And the person standing behind her?....Rotarian John McKoy (Sun Lakes) -- one of the life-changing Rotarians who helped make it possible.
The Navajo Water Project (NWP) has received wonderful interest and support from almost all the clubs I have visited so far. That is not totally surprising as it includes a match from the Rotary Foundation and benefits residents right here in Arizona who have lived for years without running water in their homes. I am calling your attention to this project now so that as you make decisions about allocating limited resources among the many compelling projects we all her about that you will have NWP in mind.
Over the last three years Rotary clubs in District 5495 have helped finance the work of DigDeep to bring clean running water to residents of the Navajo Reservation. Here are the stunning statistics:
Not only do the AG’s introduce themselves and their purpose, they tell the clubs about Fall Leadership Conference. Fall Leadership Conference is October 19 in Wickenburg. This conference gives the opportunity to leaders in the Interact community to learn the best way to run an Interact Club. Our Governors are able to have face-to-face communication with their clubs by hosting multiple breakout sessions. We are also extremely lucky to have David Simmer and Sarah Kay Harrison speak at this conference.
RI Youth Exchange builds peace one young person at a time. Students learn a new language, discover another culture, and truly become global citizens. Exchanges for students ages 15-19 are sponsored by Rotary clubs in more than 100 countries. Exchange students unlock their true potential to: develop lifelong leadership skills; learn a new language and culture; build lasting friendships with young people from around the world; and, become a global citizen.
Sarah Porter, Director of John Kyl Center for Water Policy at The Morrison Institute, ASU, recently was keynote speaker at a Rotary Club of Scottsdale luncheon meeting held at McCormick Ranch Golf Club. Porter is an attorney, with a Harvard University bachelor’s degree and juris doctor from Arizona State University (ranking third in her class). She clerked for federal appellate Judge William Canby and was a litigator for Brown & Bain; Coppersmith Gordon Schermer Owens & Nelson, PLC; and Osborn Maledon PA. She left her law career in 2006 for Audubon Arizona because she wanted to contribute to a collaborative effort to address Arizona’s natural resource challenges. She now dedicates that focus to the Kyl Center.