Fellow Rotarians:  I hope that this Newsletter finds you all in good health and good spirits.  The winter storm was a devasting event.  Texas suffered greatly with loss of lives, infrastructure damage, personal property damage, and just a general interruption to our already interrupted Covid affected lives.  Texas Governor Abbott has declared all of the 23 counties in our Rotary District “disaster area”.  So, in the midst of searching out Covid vaccinations and keeping safe distances, Mother Nature gives us one more hurdle to climb.  This leads us back to Rotary…….
March is Water and Sanitation Month for Rotary!  How appropriate.  Let’s zero in on the most important, that being Water.  Over 14 Million Texans had no water or no clean drinking water for most of the winter storm week.  Even now, there are an estimated 350,000 Texans that do not have clean water to drink.  Water treatment plants were damaged, transmission lines froze and burst, and pipes in homes burst as well.  Even rural homes with water wells were left dry when loss of electricity preventing water pumps from operating.  Communities, churches, county and state government reacted quickly providing millions and millions of bottled drinking water to thirsty communities. While we survived it was anything but convenient.
During this time, I kept thinking about people in the world that live EVERY DAY without clean drinking water.  Think about this:  We have 330 million people in the U.S. – in the world, there are 663 million people that do not have access to an improved water source.  That is 9% of the world’s population or 2 times the population of our entire country. Even more staggering, 2.1 BILLION people (29% of the world) do not have access to safe drink water!  Let me repeat that – 29% of the world’s population does not have access to safe drinking water.  
 
Rotary has made Clean Water and Sanitation a top priority.  Much time, resources, and money are dedicated to help solve this issue around the world, mostly in the poorest and least developed countries, the most vulnerable.  We can be proud of this fact…. since 2014, District 5870 and Rotary International has enabled Rotary clubs in our district to carry out 23 Global Grants that provided clean water and/or sanitation to people from all over the world.  We have had projects in Africa, Central American, Mexico, and South Asia.  Hundreds of thousands of people have had their live changed by District 5870 Rotarians and the work done with Global Grants.  Next year, our District will sponsor a Global Grant to bring clean water to a native American tribe in Arizona. 
 
As we work through the lingering effect of the winter storm, let’s keep in mind those that need more help than we do.  You can help bring more people clean water by supporting Rotary’s effort in awarding more Global Grants.  Your contributions to the Rotary Foundation Annual Fund feed the Rotary World Fund which funds Global Grants.  Your club can apply for a Global Grant or participate with other Clubs that are applying for Grants. You can participate in the process.  See for yourself the good what Rotary is doing around the world with Global Grant water and sanitation projects.  Witness lives being changed.  Feel your live being changed as well. 
 
Until next time, stay safe, do good things in your community and the world. May God Bless you all.
 
Rick Stacy
District Governor 5870