Southeast San Diego Rotary Club Weekly Club Assembly
 Wednesday, January 28, 2009 - 12:00pm
 
 Presentation:
Gompers Charter MIddle School
 
Tubman Chavez Multicultural Center, Conference Room
415 N. Euclid Ave., San Diego, CA 92114
(The Center is opposite to Market Creek Plaza at the corner of Euclid Ave. & Market St.)
 
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Gompers CHarter School

Presentation (1/28): Gompers Charter Middle School

"Gompers Charter Middle School is an urban college-preparatory middle school located in the Southeastern San Diego neighborhood of Chollas View.  For years, the school was infamously known as a dangerous, failing school that was a breeding ground for gangs and long considered by San Diego residents "the last stop before prison" (as quoted in the San Diego Union Tribune, Sept. 2005). However, in just under four years, an amazing change has taken place: the school is now a safe haven for serious students who are choosing the road to college instead of the path to prison.  In today's program, Gompers Charter Middle School board chairman Cecil Steppe shares our modern day educational Cinderella story and reveals our vision for the future of a college-preparatory middle and high school that truly adheres to the motto, "With Students First."

Our Presenter: Cecil Steppe 

Cecil SteppeCecil Steppe is President and CEO of the San Diego Urban League.  In addition to his position as Chairman of the Board of Gompers Charter Middle, Mr. Steppe serves on many Boards and Committees, as varied as the YMCA Corporate Board, Partners Mentorship Program, Star-Pal, Family Literacy Foundation, Vista Hills Foundation, Second Chance/Strive, Policy Council on Head start, Universal Head start program, previously served on the San Diego Justice Foundation, Armed Services YMCA Board, and Super Bowl Task Force. He holds membership in several professional organizations, including the, California Probation, Parole and Correctional Association, and the Rotary Club of San Diego.
 
His achievements have been recognized with numerous awards. He was a guest on Fred Lewis's "Heart of San Diego" in August, 1998 - a cable show that regularly features prominent San Diegans; San Diego magazine's "Who's Who in 1994" as a San Diegan who would make a difference that year; The "Diogenes Award 1993" from the San Diego Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America for his open and honest communication; Outstanding Probation Executive 1989; and "San Diego Songs of My People: 100 African American Role Models."He was selected by the San Diego Rotart Club as "Mr. San Diego, 2004."


Southeast San Diego Rotary Club Events

JANUARY-09                                                        
1-28       PROGRAM-Gompers School, Cecil Steppe
 
FEBRUARY-09
2-4         PROGRAM-Coalitionof Neighborhood Councils, Dwayne Crenshaw
2-11        PROGRAM-Big Brothers, BIg Siters of San DIego, Michael Purcell
2-18        PROGRAM-Learning for Life, Marilyn Copeland
2-23        HAPPY 104th BIRTHDAY ROTARY
2-24        PROGRAM-104 Years of Rotary Service
 
If you wish to make a presentation at a future Southeast San Diego Rotary Meeting Please contact Diane Crawford at dcsandiego@yahoo.com
 
Gates Pledges to Help Rotary Fight Polio

This is another historic day for Rotary. Our organization was honored to host philanthropist Bill Gates, Jr. at Rotary's International Assembly in San Diego, California, USA. 

 
Speaking to 2009-2010 district governors-elect, Bill Gates, Jr. congratulated Rotarians on the success of the partnership between Rotary International and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to raise funds for polio. To date, Rotarians have already committed more than US$60 million toward the original US$100 million Gates challenge grant awarded in November 2007.
In recognizing Rotary's impressive fundraising success and steadfast commitment to polio eradication, Gates announced today that his foundation has decided to increase its challenge grant by US$255 million - for a total of US$355 million. By accepting the increase, Rotary also accepts the challenge to raise an additional US$100 million in matching funds by 30 June 2012 and drives the combined Rotary and Gates Foundation partnership's commitment to a total of US$555 million.

All of the resulting US$555 million will be spent in support of immunization activities carried out by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in polio-affected countries. The initiative is spearheaded by Rotary, the World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and UNICEF. 

In another welcomed development today, the United Kingdom's Department for International Development (DFID) pledged �100 million (US$150 million) and the German government is giving an additional €100 million (US$130 million), both to the GPEI. Contributions from the U.K. and Germany are separate and will not count toward Rotary's match of the Gates Foundation challenge grant. 

The infusion of funds is crucial if the world is to finally be rid of polio, a crippling, sometimes fatal disease that poses the highest risk to children. Although the initiative has reduced the number of polio cases by 99 percent over the past two decades, the wild poliovirus still persists in four countries -- Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan -- and imported cases from these endemic countries threaten other developing nations.
Your continued participation in this effort is crucial to making it a success.  The Rotary International Board of Directors and the Trustees of The Rotary Foundation have unanimously agreed to accept this challenge grant to ensure the success of the PolioPlus program. Rotary and the Gates Foundation intend for their funding partnership to set an example for the rest of the world. We feel confident that this extraordinary partnership will serve as a catalyst for further donations from others to help us realize the dream of a polio-free world.

When Rotary entered the fight against polio in 1985, we promised every child a world free from the threat of polio. We are almost there.  This funding agreement between Rotary and the Gates Foundation is a huge step forward, bringing us even closer to our goal.  Success is our only option.  Together we can End Polio Now.  For more information, please visit www.rotary.org.
January Marks Rotary Awareness Month
 
The Rotary Club of Southeast San Diego has been providing support in the community through a variety of programs that include Youth Leadership Development, Dictionaries for Elementary Schools, College Scholarships, Teacher Group Study Exchange and more. Rotary is an organization of business and professional leaders united worldwide who provide humanitarian service, and help to build goodwill and peace in the world. There are approximately 1.2 million Rotarians who are members of more than 31,000 Rotary clubs in more than 165 countries.
 
 
 
Pedro
 
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