Posted by Clark Kolterman on Nov 12, 2019

Seward Rotary Foundation Committee members, Jon and Bonnie Kruse and Annette Wallman presented the program on The Rotary Foundation-emphasizing the humanitarian good shared by the Foundation throughout the world at the weekly Rotary Club meeting on Wednesday, November 6 at noon, following the luncheon, fellowship and business meeting. The Rotary Foundation is known for fighting diseases around the world, teaching people to read, building peace, providing clean water and sanitation, growing local economies, saving mothers and children-and is most known for the worldwide elimination effort by the Rotary Foundation to eliminate Polio. 

Seward Rotary Foundation Committee members, Jon and Bonnie Kruse and Annette Wallman presented the program on The Rotary Foundation-emphasizing the humanitarian good shared by the Foundation throughout the world at the weekly Rotary Club meeting on Wednesday, November 6 at noon, following the luncheon, fellowship and business meeting. The Rotary Foundation is known for fighting diseases around the world, teaching people to read, building peace, providing clean water and sanitation, growing local economies, saving mothers and children-and is most known for the worldwide elimination effort by the Rotary Foundation to eliminate Polio. 

Rotarian Jon Kruse challenged club members to take advantage of a special incentive offered by the Seward Rotary Club during November, Rotary Foundation month. The club wants to conclude their giving by December 3rd, on National Giving Day. National Giving Day is the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving each year and people all around the world give to their favorite charity to help persons in need. 

Jon Kruse was recognized and thanked by the Seward Rotary Club for his contribution to the Rotary Foundation and he now has a sapphire stone in his Paul Harris pin, symbolizing his longtime, financial support for the Rotary International Foundation. 

When $1000 is contributed to The Rotary Foundation, a request can be made for an individual to be recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow; that person can be a Rotarian or a member of the community who is not a Rotarian.  It was noted that the Seward Rotary Club has almost 100 members, past members and community members that have been honored with the Paul Harris Award, which symbolizes almost $100,000 in donations to support the work of the Rotary International Foundation.

When a person is recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow, they are presented with a Certificate signed by the Rotary International President and the Chairman of the Trustees of The Rotary Foundation, and a lapel pin and medallion. The contribution to The Rotary Foundation can be made in one sum or by cumulative giving over a number of years. Individuals can make a personal contribution or the contribution can be from a club, a company or business.

Every Rotarian strives to be a Paul Harris Fellow because for each PHF named, it is known that $1000 has been given to The Rotary Foundation. Similarly, for each sapphire or ruby added to a Rotarian’s PHF pin, an additional $1000 has been given to The Rotary Foundation. 

Since it was founded more than 100 years ago, the Foundation has spent more than $4 billion on life-changing, sustainable projects.

The Rotary International Foundation make lives better in the community and around the world.   The mission of The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty

The impact of the Rotary Foundation abounds worldwide, for example, for as little as 60 cents, a child can be protected from polio or $50 can provide clean water to help fight waterborne illness or  $500 can launch an anti-bullying campaign and create a safe environment for children.

The Foundation was created in 1917 by Rotary International's sixth president, Arch C. Klumph, as an endowment fund for Rotary "to do good in the world." It has grown from an initial contribution of $26.50 to more than $1billion. It has one of the largest and most prestigious international fellowship programs in the world.

Rotarians have mobilized by the hundreds of thousands to ensure that children are immunized against this crippling disease and that surveillance is strong despite the poor infrastructure, extreme poverty and civil strife of many countries. The Polio Plus program has been promoted by Sergio Mulitsch di Palmenberg President and founder of Rotary Club Treviglio e Pianura Bergamasca in Rome during the June 1979 3H Promotion convention. Mulitsch.   Since the PolioPlus program’s inception in 1985 more than two billion children have received oral polio vaccine. To date, 209 countries, territories and areas around the world are polio-free. As of January 2012, India was declared polio free for the first time in history, leaving just Pakistan, Nigeria and Afghanistan with endemic polio.   As of June 2011, Rotary has committed more than US$850 million to global polio eradication. Rotary has received $355 million in challenge grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation: Rotary committed to raising $200 million by June 30, 2012 and met that goal by January 2012. This represents another $555 million toward polio eradication

For more information on the Rotary Foundation go to www.rotary.org or visit with Jon or Bonnie Kruse, the Rotary Foundation Co-Chair for the Seward Rotary Club.