Mark Stanley and Chris Knapp provided an update on the AM Club's current status in giving to the RI Foundation and a tutorial on the structure and mission of the RI Foundation.
Announcements
 
The Joint Service Club luncheon is at noon on Nov. 14 at the Elks Club. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Use the link on the list of other club meetings in the Monday Message to register.
 
The Rotaract group is sponsoring a Trivia Bee on Nov 17 from 4-6 pm at the Robert A Lee Community Recreation Center.  The price is $25 for adults and $5 for college students and those younger.  There is a Signup- Genius link and QR code for registration.
 
Check the Monday Message for other important upcoming events, including the Foundation Dinner and One Summit.
 
Program
 
Mark Stanley said that we are about half way to our Foundation funding goals for the year.  In the new year we will be working on gathering unused member points to help make some new Paul Harris Fellows and to upgrade Paul Harris Fellow membership for other members.  Points are earned by all those who are sustaining members and can be given to others to complete a Paul Harris Fellowship.  Points go away when members die, in general, so it is better to give them to others who will make worthy Paul Harris Fellows than to waste these points.
 
The Foundation is over 100 years old.  It has had the highest (4 star) rating in Charity Navigator for the past 16 years.  It focuses on projects in seven areas of focus: 
  • Peace-building and conflict prevention
  • Disease prevention and treatment
  • Water, sanitation, and hygiene
  • Maternal and child health
  • Basic education and literacy
  • Community economic development
  • Environment
District Grants and Global Grants need to fit into one or more of these areas of focus.  The funding for District Grants comes from money returned to the districts from RI Foundation after funds have seasoned for a few years.  Funds are returned in proportion to the giving to RI Foundation from District Rotarians.  In District 6000 we have been able to match up to $5000 for club projects that meet qualifications.  These projects need to be completed within the course of a year.  Global Grants, on the other hand, are larger and generally involve matches between districts and clubs in at least two districts collaborating on a large project that will further one or more of the Rotary focus areas.  Generally these projects take several years to develop, be carried out and reviewed to measure success.  While most global projects are international, there have been Global Grants awarded within the United States for large disaster relief projects.  Global Grants focus on projects that will cost $33,000 or more, including projects to build infrastructure such as permanent wells or build schools in communities that are lacking adequate structures.
 
The Polio Plus effort is also funded through the RI Foundation and is enhanced by partnerships with other organizations including the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the Gates Foundation.
 
There are two main levels of membership in the RI Foundation, Paul Harris Fellow and Paul Harris Society members.  Fellows contribute a minimum of $100/year to the Foundation while Society members contribute at the level of $1000 or more per year.  There are 80-90 people within District 6000 who are members of the Paul Harris Society, so about $90,000 of the annual funds raised for the Foundation of $400,000 come from these members.
 
AM Rotary particularly appreciates the work of members Jim Peterson and Nenu Piragine for their work in finding global grant opportunities in South and Central America and working with partner districts to carry out and oversee these projects.