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<DIV><FONT size=2> <STRONG><FONT size=3>Messages In This Digest (2
Messages) </FONT></STRONG>
<DIV id=ygrp-summary><A name=toc></A>
<DL>
<DT>1. <A class=ygrp-subj href="mhtml:mid://00000018/#1"><FONT
face=Georgia color=#1e66ae>1448: International Assembly prepares
DGEs</FONT></A> From: Sunil K Zachariah
<DT>
<DT>2. <A class=ygrp-subj href="mhtml:mid://00000018/#2"><FONT face=Georgia
color=#1e66ae>1449: Understanding will make difference in ending world
poverty</FONT></A> From: Sunil K Zachariah </DT></DL></DIV>
<H1><FONT size=3>Messages </FONT></H1>
<DL class=first>
<DT>1. <A
href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eFlash_Rotary/message/1365;_ylc=X3oDMTJxaGpnc3JjBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE1BGdycElkAzI3ODYwNzYEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MDY0MDg2BG1zZ0lkAzEzNjUEc2VjA2Rtc2cEc2xrA3Ztc2cEc3RpbWUDMTIwMDgyNjc3Nw--"
name=1><FONT color=#1e66ae size=2>1448: International Assembly prepares DGEs
</FONT></A></DT></DL>
<H4 class=last><FONT size=2>Sat Jan 19, 2008 4:53 pm (PST)
</FONT></H4>
<DIV class=ygrp-content>International Assembly prepares incoming district
leaders for <BR>challenges<BR><BR>By Ryan Hyland <BR><BR>As the 2008
International Assembly in San Diego, California, USA, <BR>drew to a close, 532
district governors-elect learned at this <BR>weeklong training event what
challenges they may face in the 2008-09 <BR>Rotary year and how to meet those
challenges, which includes keeping <BR>a promise to eradicate polio and becoming
catalysts for RI President-<BR>elect Dong Kurn Lee's emphasis on reducing the
child mortality rate. <BR><BR>To accomplish his focus on reducing preventable
deaths of children, <BR>Lee told the incoming governors that Rotary will keep
the service <BR>emphases of recent years -- water, health and hunger, and
literacy. <BR>To go along with his presidential emphases, Lee announced the
2008-09 <BR>RI theme of Make Dreams Real.<BR><BR>"We will give children hope and
a chance at a future," said Lee. "We <BR>will bring clean water to their
communities and create sanitation <BR>projects that keep children
health."<BR><BR>Many governors-elect were inspired by Lee's vision. "I've been
<BR>floating on air since the theme was announced," said District 7470
<BR>Governor-elect Janice Teetsell from New Jersey, USA. "I'm thrilled <BR>that
we're talking about children. People outside Rotary can identify <BR>with this,
giving us a great opportunity to help children in our <BR>communities, as well
as around the world."<BR><BR>Furthermore, Foundation Trustee Chair Robert S.
Scott outlined <BR>Rotary's US$100 Million Challenge, a three-year fundraising
<BR>commitment to eradicate polio. It's the Foundation's response to a <BR>$100
million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, awarded <BR>in
November. <BR><BR>"Rotary promised the children of the world that we would
eradicate <BR>polio," said Scott. "We must not forget our promise."<BR><BR>The
challenge is the motivation Rotary needs to end polio, said <BR>Ogugua Nwankwu,
governor-elect from Distrtict 9140 (Nigeria). "We can <BR>finally put polio into
the history books."<BR><BR>District 1980 District Governor Urs Herzog believes
that "by <BR>eradicating polio, we truly will Make Dreams Real for children."
<BR><BR>Assembly attendees also heard Foundation Trustee Chair-elect Jonathan
<BR>Majiyagbe discuss the 2008-09 Foundation goals. These include <BR>supporting
Your Foundation/Our Foundation, which asks large club and <BR>district
foundations to share funds to help provide secure funding <BR>for the Rotary
Centers for International Studies in peace and <BR>conflict resolution and
support polio eradication. <BR><BR>Past RI leaders share keys to
success<BR>"Membership in your district will not grow or blossom unless some
<BR>very necessary steps are taken," said Past RI President Cliff <BR>Dochterman
during a plenary session on Wednesday. He stressed the <BR>need for incoming
governors to make membership growth a focal point <BR>in the upcoming year.
"Rotary's very survival depends upon it." <BR><BR>Past RI President William B.
Boyd asked governors-elect to use the <BR>tools RI provides, such as PR grants
and the Humanity in Motion <BR>material. "We have a wonderful story to tell, so
let us make sure <BR>that we do."<BR><BR>Other topics featured during the
International Assembly included <BR>proper stewardship, the Foundation's Future
Vision Plan, and <BR>vocational service.<BR><BR>Near the assembly's close,
district governors-elect and their spouses <BR>showcased Rotary's true
international flavor at International <BR>Festival Talent Night. Rotarians took
the stage in colorful native <BR>attire to dance, sing, and entertain the crowd.
<BR><BR>For the upcoming class of district leaders, the challenges are lofty
<BR>and expectations high. But the training they received at the assembly
<BR>will prepare them to help Make Dreams Real for all children. In turn,
<BR>their success will pave the way for Rotary to leave an indelible
<BR>footprint on helping to make the world a better place. <BR><BR>Source:
Rotary International News<BR>Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary<BR><BR></DIV>
<DIV class=offset><A href="mhtml:mid://00000018/#toc"><FONT
color=#1e66ae> </FONT></A>2. <A
href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eFlash_Rotary/message/1366;_ylc=X3oDMTJxbWl2cTNuBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE1BGdycElkAzI3ODYwNzYEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MDY0MDg2BG1zZ0lkAzEzNjYEc2VjA2Rtc2cEc2xrA3Ztc2cEc3RpbWUDMTIwMDgyNjc3Nw--"
name=2><FONT color=#1e66ae>1449: Understanding will make difference in ending
world poverty </FONT></A></DIV>
<H4 class=last><FONT size=2>Sat Jan 19, 2008 5:08 pm (PST)
</FONT></H4>
<DIV class=ygrp-content>Understanding will make difference in ending world
poverty<BR>By Ryan Hyland <BR><BR>A basic understanding of poverty is the
inspiration Rotarians need to <BR>eradicate it, keynote speaker Deepa Willingham
said during the second <BR>spouses plenary session at the International
Assembly. <BR><BR>Willingham, a member of the Rotary Club of Santa Ynez Valley,
<BR>California, USA, told the audience that 1.3 billion people around the
<BR>world live on less than US$1 a day and that 10 million children die <BR>each
year before they reach their fifth birthday due to extreme <BR>poverty. "I find
these numbers staggering and overwhelming. My heart <BR>aches with sadness," she
said. <BR><BR>Figures like these led Willingham to form PACE Universal (Promise
of <BR>Assurance to Children Everywhere) in 2003. The organization'<WBR>s
mission <BR>is to nurture the education, nutrition, health, and social
<BR>development of young girls in the slums of Kolkata (formerly <BR>Calcutta),
India, and other areas around the world. <BR><BR>"I'm just a simple Rotarian
from a small town in Southern California, <BR>but I believe that I can make a
difference by doing my share, however <BR>small that may be," Willingham
said.<BR><BR>Her club partnered with the Rotary Club of Calcutta Metropolitan to
<BR>build a permanent building for the Piyali Learning Center, which will
<BR>eventually serve 1,200 girls and 500 boys from impoverished villages
<BR>around Kolkata. <BR><BR>The center will also help provide clean water,
sanitation, and solar <BR>ovens to the community of Piyali Junction. "The aim of
the center <BR>will be to bring about sustainable changes to the lives of
citizens," <BR>said Willingham.<BR><BR>Those living in extreme poverty "live
with no hope in their hearts, <BR>they have no voice in their destiny or the
ability to determine their <BR>future," Willingham told the audience.
<BR><BR>It's up to Rotary to make a difference in the existence of extreme
<BR>poverty, Willingham added. "Rotarians' actions are a perfect example <BR>of
how the power of one can work, changing the life of one child, one
<BR>community, one village at a time."<BR><BR>Source: Rotary International News
<BR>Courtesy: eFlash_Rotary<BR></DIV></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>