Wow. It’s been a very hectic year. As your new District Rotary Foundation Chair (DFRC), I’ve busy learning the ropes, and its way more complex than it looks like from the outside!
Nevertheless, it’s also been a fantastic year. We are on a pace to expend a bit over $500,000 in District Designated Funds (DDF) in support of club projects and scholarships both locally and around the world.
Right about now, our clubs are in the process of finishing up thirty-nine (39) District Assistance Program (DAP) grants valued in excess of $107,000DDF. Additionally, we granted five (5) District Vocational Scholarships valued at $25,000 DDF, and are participating in nine (9) Global Grant Humanitarian Projects and one (1) Global Grant Scholarship valued in excess of $343,000 DDF. And, oh, along the way we contribute $20,000 DDF to PolioPlus.
The District 5870 vocational scholarship committee recently selected recipients for five $5,000 scholarships to be used for a two-year degree at a community or technical college in the District in academic year 2019/20.
Scholarships were awarded to:
Mixtly Acevedo, submitted by the Rotary Club of Killeen Heights, will study nursing at Central Texas College.
Jordan Richards, submitted by the Rotary Club of Temple-South, will study Electrical Power and Control at Texas State Technical College (TSTC).
Maya McKay, submitted by the Rotary Club of Georgetown, will study Visual Communications at TSTC.
Leonel Ramirez, submitted by the Austin Cosmopolitan Rotary Club, will study Auto Collision and Management Technology at TSTC.
Max “Tank” Moore, submitted by the Rotary Club of Shiner, will study Electrical Construction at TSTC.
Sarah Fischer, The Rotary Club of Austin's 2018-19 Global Grant Scholar, is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where she earned a BA in International Relations and a BJ in Journalism, both with High Honors. She will pursue a Master's of Science in Developmental Studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science, where her Rotary Area of Focus will be Economic and Community Development.
Her program will examine the “process involved in overcoming poverty and creating healthy, wealthy and sustainable societies.” She will be provided the opportunity to investigate the intersection of economic development, gender, and social innovation, and how to overcome the feminization of poverty across the Global South, with the regional interest in French speaking Africa.
The 2018-2019 DAP Grant for Lakeway/Lake Travis Rotary provided for food and shelving at the "Cav Lounge" a facility at the Lake Travis High School. The "Cav Lounge" provides access to clothing, food and school supplies to students in need.
Long Term Community Inpact:
This project ensures that the Cav Lounge can efficiently and effectively receive donations, store items and display items for student use. This project will re-establish the Lake Travis Rotary Clubs’ presence in the high school and lead to renewed interest in Interact and other collaboration with Rotary.
Club Particpation:
Club members cleared and cleaned the classroom area, purchased and transported shelving, designed the shelving area and assembled shelving. Club members also assisted in sorting clothing and organizing donations and stocking shelves
Last year, the Trustees of the Jerry Johnson Trust conducted a special match for contributions made by Rotarians who are already a Paul Harris Fellow. The response to this offer was simply overwhelming! We raised in excess of $74,000 and the contributions resulted in the award of 173 Paul Harris Fellows. So, we’re going to do it again. For a limited time starting on August 1, 2019, the Trustees will do the following:
Using Rotary Foundation Recognition Points generously donated by an anonymous donor, we will match contributions of new cash made to the Annual Fund-SHARE during Rotary Year 2019-20 on a 1-to-1 basis in amounts of $250 to $500 for any active Rotarian in District 5870 who is not yet a Paul Harris Fellow +8.
Please note: These matches are limited to one per donor and will be processed on a first come, first served basis until May 30, 2020 or until the match pool is exhausted with ever comes first. Match requests received prior to August 1, 2019 will not be accepted.
