RGHF Chair 06/07 & Our Foundation Editor, Calum Thomson

Greetings! ,

 

As the tenth anniversary arrives of the most egregious, devastating attack on innocent men, women and children it is worth pausing for a moment in reflection of all the good Rotary and its Foundation have achieved since September 11th 2001.

 

Compare and contrast the evil that warfare, violence and terrorism causes each day -always the big stories in our media - with the relentless, continuous great projects we are carrying out every day almost hidden from view. 

 

If I asked you who Anders Behring Breivik is, you could probably reply that he was the inadequate and vapid extremist who attacked and murdered 77 people in Norway last July? I read recently of a young victim of these attacks, a young man who volunteered every Saturday at his local elderly care home; who had a desire to listen and engage with the residents and who believed passionately in the concept of 'service'. I am ashamed to admit I do not recollect his name, - just another one of the victims. It is surely a contradiction that we remember those who commit acts of evil but never those who lived to 'do good in the world'. 

 

We who are Rotarian know all about this sad aphorism. 

 

I would suggest that all Rotarians dedicate themselves to Our Foundation in three ways. Firstly, help increase contributions to The Foundation through personal giving and setting an example to others; Secondly, participating in the projects and programs - develop a grant project, host a scholar, seek out and nominate a Rotary Peace Fellow; And thirdly, promote and publicize and projects and programs of TRF - not for personal pleasure but to ensure the world knows there are people out there who dedicate themselves in a positive way to promote peace, support education, improve health and alleviate poverty. This newsletter is a tribute to all of them, to YOU.

 

If you have never written to this Our Foundation newsletter, please do so now. Tell us your hopes, dreams and fears. Tell us about the portentous projects you have worked on and what you have planned. Tell our 12,000 subscribers how Rotary and The Rotary Foundation can make this world a better place. 

 

Please help us shed some light onto our organization and show what Rotary does and what we are. 

 

...And, as ever, please circulate this newsletter around your club, district, and zone. 

 

Calum Thomson, Editor - Our Foundation

President/Chair RGHF 2006/07

OUR FOUNDATION NEWSLETTER (#115)
October, 2011 www.ourfoundation.info