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 the alleviation of poverty. The Rotary Foundation is a not-for-profit body that is supported solely by voluntary contributions from Rotarians and friends of the Foundation who share its vision of a better world.
The Foundation was created in 1917 by Rotary International's sixth president, Arch Klumph, as an endowment fund for Rotary "to do good in the world." It has grown from an initial contribution of US$26.50 to more than US$117 million contributed in 2004-05. Its event-filled history is a story of Rotarians learning the value of service to humanity.
The Foundation's Humanitarian Programs fund international Rotary club and district projects to improve the quality of life, providing health care, clean water, food, education, and other essential needs primarily in the developing world. One of the major humanitarian programs is PolioPlus, which seeks to eradicate the polio virus worldwide. Through its educational programs, the Foundation provides funding for some 1,200 students to study abroad each year. Grants are also awarded to university teachers to teach in developing countries and for exchanges of business and professional people.
The Health, Hunger and Humanity (3-H) program was launched in 1978, with the Rotary volunteers program being created as a part of 3-H in 1980. The PolioPlus program was announced in 1984-85, and the following year saw the introduction of Rotary grants for university teachers. The first Peace Forums were held in 1987-88, leading to the establishment of Rotary Peace Programs. Then in 1989, 1963-64 RI President Carl P. Miller and his wife, Ruth, donated US$1 million to establish the Discovery Grants program.
Throughout this time, support for the Foundation grew considerably. Since that first $26.50 donation in 1917, the Foundation has received contributions totalling more than US$1 billion. More than US$70 million was contributed in 2003-04 alone. To date, some 914,792 individuals have been recognised as Paul Harris Fellows — that is, someone who has contributed US$1,000 or has had that amount contributed in his or her name.
Such strong support and involvement of Rotarians worldwide ensures a secure future for The Rotary Foundation as it continues its vital work for international understanding and world peace.
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July 2008
Message from the Chair: - Foundation Goals for 2008-09
Dear family of Rotary,
In recent years, it has become customary for the incoming trustee chair of The Rotary Foundation to establish goals that will motivate Rotarians to action and provide a framework for measuring our achievement.
In developing goals for the Foundation in 2008-09, I considered what broad objectives could best make our Foundation even stronger and more prominent today. I asked myself what Rotarians can do to help the Foundation better meet the world’s ever-increasing human needs. After much thought, I determined that during 2008-09, The Rotary Foundation will:
1. Keep our promise to eradicate polio.
2. Embrace the two Foundation pillars of support: the Annual Programs Fund through the Every Rotarian, Every Year initiative, and the Permanent Fund.
3. Participate in Your Foundation/Our Foundation, a “lend a hand” program for sharing funds from club and district foundations to permanently establish the Rotary World Peace Fellowships program and support global polio eradication.
4. Enhance Rotary’s public image.
5. Support the Foundation’s Future Vision Plan.
These are truly exciting times for our Foundation. We are moving closer to realizing our dream of a polio-free world, and our Future Vision Plan promises a more efficient and effective use of our resources. I ask all of you to join with the Foundation Trustees in supporting our goals and making 2008-09 a banner year for The Rotary Foundation.
Jonathan Majiyagbe
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