District Governor’s Message
By: Scott D Marcin, JD
Rotary International D7090 District Governor 2023-24
I have a little secret to tell. As DG for Rotary International D7090, it’s actually a bit embarrassing. But the honest truth is that not too long ago, I really did not have a good understanding about the Rotary Foundation, and as a result, I did not give it the proper support it so richly deserves. But thanks to the efforts of our PDG’s, our own D7090 Foundation Chair Sandi Chard and my own club’s Foundation Chair Sandy Nobel, I have become a Rotary Foundation Convert. But having the great honor of being chosen to be a DG, my mentorship and training, have given me the opportunity to really appreciate the Rotary Foundation and all it represents.
As we begin Foundation month in Rotary, consider the Foundation for your donations. Consider leaving a bequest to the Foundation in your will. Consider having a fund raiser at the club level for the Foundation. And make sure you honor those who have made a contribution to the Foundation.
Because it is through these efforts, that Clubs all around the world will undertake and complete projects to benefit those most in need. That those projects will have made lasting impacts to communities near and far. That many lives will have been changed by the completion of those projects. That those projects will have made our world just a little bit better place to live in. That through these projects, we will have brought optimism to those most in need. You will have Created Hope in the World!
A little bit of history first. In 1917, Arch Klumpf, the outgoing RI President made a contribution of $26.50 to create our Rotary Endownment for the purpose of “doing good in the world. Since that date contributions to the Rotary Foundation has exceeded $6 Billion and there have been awards that have exceeded $5 Billion. In 2021, the contributions to the Rotary Foundation were in excess of $400 million.
And the Foundation giving is broken down into 6 categories or programs: Polio Plus (3 Billion children immunized since 1988), Rotary Peace Centers (Peace Scholarship program), District Grants (small scale projects), Global Grants (international projects), Disaster Relief Grants, and Programs of Scale (large, high impact projects with 3-5 year timeline).
And for 14 years, the Rotary Foundation has been given the highest rating for a charity from Charity Navigator. The Rotary Foundation is in the top 1% of all charities. The fact is the Rotary Foundation is one of the greatest stewards of donations you can find. Even other foundations like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation believe in the power of the Rotary Foundation, and have partnered in the Polio Plus program, adding over $400 million to the fund.
And as an extra added benefit, the donor to the Rotary Foundation, gets to choose where their donation will be spent. In fact, the Rotary Foundation may be the only Charity where the donors get to choose which projects their money gets ultimately spent. That is the nature of a District Grant, where the clubs are choosing the projects that will receive the matching funds from the Foundation.