The mission of The Rotary Foundation is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education and alleviation of poverty. The Foundation is a non-profit corporation supported solely by voluntary contributions from Rotarians and friends of the Foundation who share its vision of a better world. Through Foundation grants and programs, Rotarians and other contributors can help change the world. They can finance a well for a village that lacks clean water, improve the environment, or provide scholarships to educate the next generation. The grants and programs available to Rotarians allow them to realize Rotary’s humanitarian mission throughout the world, including its number-one goal of eradicating polio.

To eradicate polio, Rotarians have mobilized by the hundreds of thousands. They’re working to ensure that children are immunized against this crippling disease and that surveillance is strong despite the poor infrastructure, extreme poverty, and civil strife of many countries. Since the PolioPlus program’s inception in 1985, more than two billion children have received the oral polio vaccine.

The Rotary Foundation provides several Educational Programs that are available to our local community:

Ambassadorial Scholarships – The Foundation sponsors one of the largest international scholarship programs in the world. Scholars study in a different country, where they serve as unofficial ambassadors of goodwill. Since 1947, more than 47,000 scholars from 110 countries have received scholarships of more than $476 million through The Rotary Foundation. The program sponsors academic year scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students as well as for qualified professionals pursuing vocational studies.

Group Study Exchange (GSE) – Annual awards are made to paired Rotary districts to cover travel expenses for a team of non-Rotarians from a variety of professions. Rotarian hosts organize a four- to six-week itinerary of vocational, educational, and cultural points of interest. Since 1965, more than 57,000 individuals (almost 12,000 teams) from 100 countries have participated at a cost of more than $92 million.

Rotary Peace Fellowships – Each year, up to 100 fellows are sponsored to study at one of the six Rotary Peace Centers for a master’s-level degree or professional development certificate. Rotary Peace Fellows are leaders who promote national and international cooperation and peace in their careers and throughout their lives. The Rotary Peace Fellowship offers qualified individuals the opportunity to earn either a master’s degree in a variety of fields or a professional development certificate in peace and conflict resolution.

If you are interested in learning more about the Rotary Foundation Educational Programs, please send me an email and we would be happy to provide more information.

We meet every Thursday morning from 7:30 – 8:30 AM at Weston Hills Country Club for breakfast and a lively program. If you would like more information, please contact me (Dan Young) at 954.336.8400 or any Weston Rotarian. And, for our latest happenings, be sure to check out our club website at www.WestonRotary.org, and the “Rotary Club of Weston” Fan Page on FaceBook.