Dear Fellow Rotarians,

Our Action & Partnership Areas of Focus Coordinators have been busy since mid-March to assist and network with many of our District 7070 Rotary and Rotaract Clubs in getting the funds, help, and other resources to our local communities to combat the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.  I thank them for their time and efforts in our project promotion and coordination, and in many cases being on the front line.  A list of the Area of Focus Coordinators and their contact numbers are included in the attached communication.

A short time ago we passed along a short communication with 5 project ideas for your club to take advantage of the special one time 1:1 District Matching Grant for COVID-19 response projects.  To date, over 22 of our Rotary and Rotaract Clubs have submitted a grant request.   If you have not already, please do so now as May 31st, 2020 the is deadline for District Grant applications for the 2020-2021 Rotary year!

Many of our Senior Rotarians and others with health challenges must remain safely in their homes, but still want to contribute to efforts to battle COVID-19.  Attached are some suggestions for 'stay safe at home' volunteer activities for Rotarians and Rotary/Rotaract Clubs that will really make a difference.

I thank you for all the work and volunteerism you have already undertaken to date!  Keep up the fight and we will see better days! 

Yours In Rotary,

Beth Selby

District 7070 Governor 

.Please Read more.....

COVID-19 Pandemic – Volunteering "In Place" Ideas

Since announcing the COVID-19 District 7070 Grant opportunity, our Rotary Clubs have been busy with the many community and international needs and issues that have been caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Thank you!

In order to encourage every Rotary and Rotaract club to undertake a COVID-19 response project and to support those already underway, up to $1,000 in matching funding (1:1) has been allocated from our District Grant budget for every Rotary and Rotaract club in District 7070. This budget comes from the money we raise in support of The Rotary Foundation, and grants are governed by terms and conditions of the Foundation. The clock is ticking as all grant applications must be submitted by May 31st, 2020. 

While only “qualified” Rotary clubs may apply for a District Grant, Rotaract clubs may also work in partnership with a Rotary club on a project. In this case, a Rotary club may receive up to $2,000 in matching funds (can be one combined project or a two different projects). Please direct questions about District Grants to Lars Henriksson at lars@norditrade.com and/or see the Foundation Grants page on the District website for the application form with guidelines, qualification requirements etc. 

One of the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic is that a number of our senior Rotarians and those with underlying health conditions are at a higher risk if exposed to the COVID-19 virus. For this reason, these Rotarians have been asked to be more disciplined with social distancing and to stay at home as much as possible. Other Rotarians may also feel safer limiting their time outside of their homes. 

However, even while staying home, Rotarians can still provide Service Above Self to meet the needs and challenges that have been caused by the COVID 19 pandemic. 

Here are some activity ideas for “Volunteering in Place”!

1. Get on the phone

a. Connect with members of your club.

b. Call community members who may be isolated with a “Rotary Check In”.

c. Solicit donations to the local food bank or shelter.

d. Help schedule donation pick-ups and food/meal deliveries.

 

2. Make a donation to the Rotary Foundation 

a. Rotary’s Disaster Response Fund is helping with COVID-19 projects.

b. Annual Fund donations come back to work in our District.

c. All donations to polio eradication are matched by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (and Rotary has not yet met our matching commitment for this year). We are $16M short of our goal to qualify by June 30th, 2020 for this year’s Matching Funds from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Let’s not leave those funds on the table!

d. Review your Rotary Foundation giving profile to see how close you are to a Paul Harris ($1,000US) or next level (at rotary.org, sign into My Rotary – Manage - Reports-Donor History Report).

e. Sign up for Rotary Direct and give monthly or quarterly online.

 

3. Plant a home garden or expand your existing home garden to donate excess fresh food to your local food bank or to your neighbours.

 

4. Learn about and support Seed Banks

a. Watch a short video to learn about seed keeping and its importance to food security.

b. Learn about Indigenous seed keeper organizations such as Mohawk Seedkeepers (as interviewed by CBC in 2017),

c. Purchase seeds from Indigenous seed banks to support their work. *See contact information for John Currie of Rotary Honouring Indigenous People (HIP) below.

 

5. Donate the $300 one-time Federal Grant to Canadian Seniors to:

a. The Rotary Foundation

b. Your Rotary club for local projects

c. A community organization in need

 

Rotary’s Six Areas of Focus – District 7070 Co-ordinators

In Rotary District 7070, we have a co-ordinator for each of Rotary’s six Areas of Focus. These are Rotarians with a wealth of knowledge and expertise to share. For assistance with a COVID-19 or other project, please reach out to the appropriate person as indicated below. Please also share what your club is doing in these areas!

 

Basic Education and Literacy

Joan Barrett, Rotary Club of Scarborough

Email: j-d-barrett@rogers.com

Phone: (647) 284-4802

 

Disease Prevention and Treatment

Charles (Chuck) Taylor, Rotary Club of Uxbridge

Email: oakbridge@zing-net.ca

Phone (905) 642-4857

 

Economic and Community Development

Khalid Hasan, Rotary Club of North York

Email: khalid.hasan@resint.ca

Phone: (647) 537-2444

 

Maternal and Child Health

Maureen Bird, Rotary Club of Toronto

Email: maureen.bird@rotarytoronto.com

Phone: (416) 804-3726

 

Peace and Conflict Prevention/Resolution

Ian Lancaster, Rotary Club of Campbellford

Email: 7070.rotar.ian@gmail.com

Phone: (905) 349-3933

 

Water and Sanitation

Richard Mewhinney, Rotary Club of Newmarket

Email: rmewhinney@rogers.com

Phone: (416) 418-6646

 

*Rotary HIP (Honouring Indigenous People)

John Currie, Executive Director and member of the Pickering Rotary Club

Email: john.currie@pickeringrotary.ca

Phone: (416) 884-0075