November is Foundation Month
Posted by Jared Jester
November has been designated by Rotary International as Foundation Month, and Mary O’Neill briefed Bluffton Rotary Club members on foundation-related activities that are having a positive impact on the world and here at home.
O’Neill shared the words of Rotary International President Glenn Estess, who said, “ ‘Doing Good in the World’ is more than a motto. It is our goal, our mission and our reminder. It expresses in the clearest terms why we have a Foundation, and it challenges us to reach as far as we can to do the most good possible with everything we have.”
“Because of our foundation,” O’Neill said, “we can, quite simply, do more work.”
Internationally, a key initiative is Rotary’s “Polio Plus” project aimed at eradicating polio in India. India has passed the halfway mark in its effort to be polio-free by 2014, and Rotary has supported the project for the past three years through grants and contributions, some of which have been matched by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
O’Neill said that 75 percent of the revenues from the upcoming online District 7770 Auction will go to “Polio Plus,” and 25 percent of the revenues will come back to the Bluffton Rotary Club to support local causes. She urged club members to solicit auction items such as restaurant, hotel and golf gift certificates in time to meet the Nov. 9 deadline, when auction items will be available for public viewing. Bidding will be Nov. 14-18.
Bluffton Rotarians can see Foundation dollars at work later this month, when the club will match a $1,200 District Simplified Grant for a total of $2,400 to fund the “Happy Feet Project.” On Saturday, Nov. 17, selected children from three local elementary schools – Red Cedar, Bluffton and M.C. Riley – will each be able to select a new pair of shoes at Payless.
Also highlighted were literacy efforts at M.C. Riley Elementary School, where local Rotarians volunteer to read with, and sometimes mentor, students who struggle with their reading skills. Low literacy rates are problematic in the region, said Rotarian Jay Parks, noting that 11 percent of Beaufort County residents and 27 percent of Jasper County residents lack basic literacy skills.