In honor of Rotary’s birthday on 23 February, online contributions of US$100 or more to the Annual Programs Fund will receive double recognition credit. To be eligible for the credit, Rotarians must be registered in the secure Member Access section of www.rotary.org . The registration process can take 24 hours, so register before 23 February. Making a secure online gift is the most cost-effective and efficient way to support The Rotary Foundation’s life-changing programs. For more information, e-mail RI’s Contact Center at contact.center@rotary.org or call 866-976-8279. ...

February is World Understanding Month! This month includes the anniversary of the first meeting of Rotary, which was held on February 23, 1905, and is now designated World Understanding and Peace Day. This month’s newsletter also includes information about the 2011 District 5110 Conference at The Mill Casino Hotel & RV Park in North Bend from April 28 to May 1. Peace is the theme for this year’s conference, something of most importance with what is happening in Egypt the last few weeks. Read the newsletter to learn more.

In this photo, one Rotary volunteer gives an infant just a few doses of vaccine that can help prevent diseases for a lifetime. This photo and more are available in a photo gallery on www.gatesfoundation.org. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation released its 2011 Annual Letter that highlights the progress in the fight to eradicate polio. Gates and Rotary International have kept polio eradication a top priority. “Everywhere I go to learn about polio,” Gates said, “I see Rotary members helping out with the hard work.” In the Annual Letter, Gates acknowledged his foundation...

Want to offer a memorable experience for an exchange student this summer? The deadline for submitting short-term exchange applications for Summer 2011 is February 28. Who is eligible? A student 15-19 years old; who attends high school or is a graduating senior; and whose parents agree to host a foreign student in their home for 3-4 weeks in the summer. Children of Rotarians and non-Rotarians are eligible. For more information, please call Penny Cole at 541-672-0758. Click here to download an application.

On Monday, January 31, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation invites you to watch a webcast about the extraordinary progress in the fight to eradicate polio. The webcast will air on www.gatesfoundation.org at 6:30 am PST, after which it will be available in its entirety on the website. The webcast will present a powerful case for the value of vaccines. Gates, along with other global leaders, will discuss what the past can teach us about protecting children around the world from polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases. ABC World News anchor Diane Sawyer will moderate the event. Rotary’s...

On January 27, 2011, Rotary International remembers the 64 years since the passing of its founder and president emeritus, Paul P. Harris. He was 79. His obituary further read: “A spirit of loneliness influenced Mr. Harris in part to create the world-wide organization. He was educated at Princeton and the University of Iowa in 1891. For five years he roamed, working as a newspaper man, an actor, and a salesman. He worked on fruit farms, and twice worked his way to Europe on cattle boats. Paul Harris became a lawyer after his journeys. Mr. Harris then founded Rotary in 1905 in Chicago with...

A new year brings a new theme to Rotary International: Reach Within To Embrace Humanity. RI President-elect Kalyan Banerjee asked Rotarians, “To harness their inner resolve and strength to achieve success in Rotary,” during the opening plenary session of the 2011 International Assembly in San Diego, California, a training event for incoming district governors. He urged Rotarians to find their inner strength then, “they can accomplish great things in their communities and around the world.” Banerjee told Rotarians, “Discover yourself, develop the strengths within you, and then...

With the start of a new month comes a new letter from RI President Ray Klinginsmith, who is pictured at left. Each month, he challenges us to improve our clubs and our communities. With January marking the middle of the 2010-2011 Rotary year, he challenges us to evaluate our service to Rotary and to our club. President Ray suggests going through the Presidential Citation checklist to test the strengths and weaknesses for each club. For more information about the test, and to see how you can contribute to the club by helping it achieve in all areas of service, read the January President’s...

Students in outlying areas of Istanbul, Turkey participate in a mobile classroom activity provided by the Rotary Club of Istanbul. The club regularly brings literacy instruction and computer training to needy communities. FireFly brings creativity workshops and computer labs to 24 children. The program allows children to work together, build positive new skills, and provide access to tutoring in various school subjects.

Photo courtesy of Rotary International A ten-year-old from Eugene, Oregon recently took polio eradication into his own hands by raising $1,640 for Rotary’s US$200 Million Challenge. The Rotary International challenge is an effort to eradicate polio in four countries where the polio-virus is endemic: India, Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan. Ian Schwartz is a fourth grader at St. Paul Parish School. Instead of receiving gifts for his birthday, he asked his friends to donate money for the charity. Ian was inspired to raise money for the charity after he saw an illustrated history of polio in...