Future Meetings
Believe it or not, even though Coronavirus cases are soaring, and that is driving record hospitalizations and deaths, news sources I follow say that unless another, more dangerous, variant emerges, there may be a light at the end of the tunnel. That is precisely because, between the fact that millions been vaccinated and boosted, and so many others have been infected, we may in fact be approaching something approximating “herd immunity.” So, the predictions are now that infections may begin to decline sometime in February, and the pandemic may become something we learn to live with, much like the flu, later this spring.
What that means to us is that we should continue to meet on Zoom for now, and perhaps think about returning to in-person meetings in the April or May timeframe. I know Zoom doesn’t have the same feel as coming together in person, but health and safety come first. And after two years of virtual meetings, what’s another few months? So, I do not anticipate returning to Trellis until the experts suggest that the risk has diminished to near normal.
Foundation Awards Happy Hour
I hope that many of you will join club leaders at the D5960 Rotary Foundation Virtual Happy Hour on Wednesday, Feb. 2nd, at 4:30. Our club will be highlighted for our outstanding giving during the 2020-21 Rotary year. There was a signup email sent from Zoom on January 25th, so be sure to RSVP and get the Zoom link to the celebration.
How do Clubs Connect with a Global Grant?
Thank you all for listening to my frantic five-minute introduction to the Nigerian WASH in Schools global grant that our club took responsibility for in 2019 and is now nearing completion. Questions I hear about global grants are, “Where do you find them? How do they get started?”
There is no one simple answer to that. Sometimes Rotarians just have contacts in other countries and learn about needs that we could satisfy that way.
Another great way to learn about potential projects is at “House of Friendship” displays. Almost every significant District, Zone, or Rotary International event has a House of Friendship. That’s a large space in which Rotarians have set up displays in an effort to attract attention to and support for Global Grant projects. Sometimes a U.S. club is looking for funding partners for grants for which they are already the U.S. partner. Sometimes a “Host” Rotary Club will be there looking for a U.S. partner. If the project interests you, you (or we) might become that partner.
Rotary.org has a “Rotary Showcase” page, which lists hundreds of projects looking for U.S. sponsors. Find Rotary Showcase and scan the many projects listed. Go to Rotary.org / My.Rotary (you must sign in to My.Rotary) / TAKE ACTION / Develop Projects / Rotary Showcase. Go ahead. Explore. It’s a great way to get a sense of the needs Rotarians all over the world are trying to meet.
Have a great February. And remember, “It’s practically spring.”