Don Bauer and his family have been farming in west-central Ohio since 1942. A longtime member of the Rotary Club of Urbana, Bauer recruited 35 farmers last year to help eradicate polio. Through the Acre of Corn club fundraiser that he created and coordinates, the farmers pledge the gross income from 1 acre of their harvest.

For full story click here.

This weeks photo is of the Production Garden in Klamath Falls. Production gardens are volunteer driven and work intensive depending on the size. Typically, all food harvested goes to the local food pantries, banks and kitchens for distribution to families in need.

Travel along the scenic Umpqua River and visit wineries and tasting rooms with the Roseburg Cycle Umpqua Vineyard Tour, or cruise along with the Fern Ridge Motorcycle Poker Ride. There are still a few events left before Fall arrives so check out the District Club Events page today and sign up!

Sponsored by Verve Northwest Communications and presented by the Rotary Club of Eugene Airport

Friday, August 19
9 am – 11 am
Lane Community College
Center for Meeting and Learning (click for directions)

Cost: $50 per person. Includes refreshments.
$25 of each registration fee will be donated to the Rotary Foundation.

Click here to register.

Who’s it for: Anyone who uses Facebook, but feels like they could get more out it. The workshop will be presented at a basic level, with no prior experience required.

What will you learn: The first half will focus on personal use of Facebook, specifically around how to share your interests and passions, support your club and make the most of your time spent. The second hour will focus on how to use Facebook for your club and what it takes to manage a great Facebook Page.

Pre-Requisites: Experience not necessary, but please sign up for an account at www.facebook.com

Click here to register.

*World saving not guaranteed, that part is up to you.

“The 23 scholarship recipients were chosen from a group of 31 applicants,” said John Alvord. The Rotary Club chose the students based upon a variety of categories including dedication to school service, leadership potential, community service outside of school, financial need, and grade point average.

While grade point average is a strong factor, the Airport Rotary Club also considers a student who may have a lower GPA but has shown steady improvement throughout their high school career. The comparative difficulty of their course work as shown on their transcript of record is also given consideration when making the final decisions.

Fifteen high school seniors from seven school districts will each receive a $1,500 scholarship. They are:

Victoria Wilson and Clair Shepherd of Crow High School
Lily Gianonne and Caitlin Witt of Elmira High School
Natassia Ruse and Bryan Wardwell of Harrisburg High School
Danny Sterling and Cheyenne Miner of Junction City High School
Sean Arbogast of Monroe High School
Jessica Salud, Jacquelyn Dupont-Sobrinho, Dale Strueby, and Tyler Clarke of North Eugene High School
Erin Clark and Steven Roberts of Willamette High School.

In addition, eight past awardees from five universities were given $500 grants to assist them in their continuing college education. They are:

Sara Asher, Rachelle Cochran, and Lianne Steinmetz from the University of Oregon
Keely Bertak from Oregon State University
Chase Clark from Lane Community College and Northwest Christian University
Shannon Liudahl from Portland State University
Brittney Millbradt from Western Oregon University
Amanda Wyncoop from Northwest Christian University.

For the past 15 years, Eugene Airport Rotary Club has been proud to award 216 high school and college students almost a quarter-million dollars in scholarships.

The image below features a woman who uses the water from heavy rains to wash herself in La Grua, Dominican Republic, near an unworked sugarcane field. This village was just introduced to bio-sand filter technology by Bob Hildreth and Sara Lucena, of the Rotary Club of Puerto Plata Isabel de Torres, Puerto Plata. Hildreth is the water projects chair for District 4060 and has facilitated the installation of 19,000 bio-sand water filters in homes, schools, and clinics. These projects have been funded by Rotary Foundation Matching Grants and more than 200 clubs in Canada, the United States, the Dominican Republic, and other Caribbean countries.

The Group Study Exchange (GSE) teams from Peru and Italy had a chance to visit with RI President Klinginsmith. Both teams at the District Conference provided Rotarians a great opportunity to learn about their country. The GSE program is a unique cultural and vocational exchange opportunity for business people and professionals between the ages of 25 and 40 who are in the early stages of their careers. The program provides travel grants for teams to exchange visits in paired areas of different countries. For four to six weeks, team members experience the host country’s culture and institutions, observe how their vocations are practiced abroad, develop personal and professional relationships, and exchange ideas.

Other highlights from the conference include a haircut worth almost $16,000. PDG Bob Kings challenged the audience: raise $5,000 for PolioPlus and The Rotary Foundation and he  would shave his hair.

PDG Bob Kings

Soon Springfield RC PP Bill Grile was challenged also to cut his hair.  At the end, both were shaved bald and Sunday’s audience raised $15,984.00. Visit here to contribute to PolioPlus and The Rotary Foundation.

Springfield PP Bill Grile

For more photos of all four days of this year’s conference, as well as the Youth Exchange Talent Show, please click here.

Of the things we think, say or do

Is it the TRUTH?
Is it FAIR to all concerned?
Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

For more of Rotary’s guiding principles, please click here.

Villages in four regions of Ghana are being equipped with ventilated pit latrines, showers, and boreholes featuring hand pumps and mechanized pipes through the efforts of dozens of Rotary clubs in Latin America, North America, and Ghana. The first phase of the partnership has focused on three countries: Ghana, the Philippines, and the Dominican Republic.

The International H2O Collaboration is an example of Rotary’s dedication to water and sanitation issues, an area of focus under The Rotary Foundation’s Future Vision Plan.

In Ghana, Rotarians are working with committees in about 100 communities to change sanitation behaviors and provide training on maintaining the new equipment. The committees are responsible for establishing fees for water use and using the money collected to operate and maintain the pumps.

Rotarians interested in water and sanitation can attend a workshop on the International H2O Collaboration, moderated by Thorfinnson, on 24 May at the 2011 RI Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Water and Sanitation Rotarian Action Group will also host a fourth annual World Water Summit on 20 May at the New Orleans Marriott.