Projects

Knitting for Africa – Thanks to the goodwill of many local ladies children and young babies in South Africa have been given kni:ed garments, Rotary covering the cost of freighting these to another Rotary Club in South Africa. Foster Primary School Breakfast Club: 8am Tuesday mornings from 2nd term 2013 Meals on Wheels – every 5 weeks Philip Island Grand Prix – helmet storage & parking Rail Trail commidee – maintenance and upkeep of trail Wood Raffles for the year 2011-12 resulted in $15,000 being raised. A one off clearing sale enabled the club to present a cheque for $42,000 to Prom Aged Care as part of their fund raising efforts for the new facility in 2012 We continued to support Rotary Programs including Polio Plus, Rotary Health Research Fund, Centenary House, Disaster Aid, Fred Hollows Foundation, Interplast and other organizations both local and overseas. Group Study Exchange Camp Rumbug’s Matt Wallis will represent the Club in 2013, travelling to the Netherlands Polio Plus The club continues to support Polio Plus with a contribution this year of $2000. It is pleasing to note the continued success of this campaign. Rotary Foundation The club continues to sponsor local young people through Alpine School Sponsorship  National Youth Science Forum  Primary School Awards  Secondary School Awards -------------------------------------------------------- Polio Plus - The Gates Foundation - The Current Position  The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation award of $255 million to Rotary International brings the total committed by Rotary and the Gates Foundation to $555 million. Rotarians, government leaders, and health professionals have made a phenomenal commitment to get us to a point at which polio afflicts only a small number of the world's children, Gates said. However, complete elimination of the polio virus is difficult and will continue to be difficult for a number of years. Rotary in particular has inspired my own personal commitment to get deeply involved in achieving eradication. In response to the latest $255 million Gates Foundation grant, Rotary will raise $100 million in matching funds. In November 2007, RI received a $100 million Gates Foundation grant, which Rotary committed to match by raising $100 million. The two Gates Foundation challenge grants now total $355 million. R.I's matching effort in response is called Rotary's $200 million Challenge, which must be completed by 30 June 2012. Rotary has raised nearly $73 million towards this amount:$62 million in contributions and $11 million in commitments. Every club is being challenged to organise a public fundraiser annually for the next three years. Members may be aware that Ian Griffiths is on the District Committee for Polio Plus and will be district chairman in 2009-10.