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Evanston Ill., Rotary International announced on 3 June a three-year partnership renewal with its disaster relief project partner, ShelterBox. For almost 20 years, this unique humanitarian alliance has supported families with a place to call home after disaster.

Rotary is a global network whose members take action to make a lasting difference in their communities – and worldwide. ShelterBox provides emergency shelters and other essential items to support families who have lost their homes in disaster.

What began as a local connection with one Cornish Rotary Club has led to an international movement that’s provided 140,000 ShelterBox family tents or 390,000 ShelterKits worldwide to date (a value of over £54 million).

First adopted as a millennium project by the Rotary Club of Helston-Lizard in 2000, the support of Rotary members and clubs around the world saw ShelterBox become Rotary’s Project Partner in Disaster Relief in 2012. Since then, the partnership has helped transform ShelterBox into an internationally recognized disaster relief charity, supporting families with emergency shelter after disaster.

The partnership extends far beyond financial support. Around 1,000 Rotary members are involved in ShelterBox as volunteers, staff or response team members. And clubs worldwide offer valuable, practical assistance to help ShelterBox reach more families fleeing disaster or conflict.

This has recently included support for families in Malawi flooded from their homes by Cyclone Idai and communities in Lombok devastated by the 2018 earthquake and tsunami (quotes and details at the end of this release).

“ShelterBox has been Rotary’s Project Partner in Disaster Relief since 2012, and we are excited to renew the partnership for another three years,” says Rotary International General Secretary John Hewko.

“Through this project partnership, Rotary members around the globe can collaborate with ShelterBox to support communities in desperate need of emergency temporary shelter and vital supplies following natural disasters,” adds Hewko. “Additionally, Rotary and ShelterBox will continue to expand cooperation efforts through preparedness training and stockpiles of prepositioned aide in disaster-prone regions.”

Caroline White, interim Chief Executive at ShelterBox, said: “Whenever disaster strikes, Rotary is beside us. From the earliest planning stages to final evaluations, Rotary members help ShelterBox make community contacts, organize logistics, and reach disaster-affected families in remote areas who might otherwise go without.

This partnership has helped ShelterBox become who we are today. Our global network of 17 ShelterBox affiliates, who raise funds and awareness worldwide, evolved from Rotary relationships.”

Rotary club presidents around the world have also commented:

Ace Robin, President of the Mataram Rotary Club, Indonesia, was caught up in the deadly earthquakes that hit Lombok in 2018. Her home survived, but many around her were destroyed. Through an agreement with the government-led response, Ace’s club was central to bringing ShelterBox aid to Indonesia.

Thanks to their support, vulnerable members of the community received vital emergency shelter, including families with elderly relatives, pregnant women or new mothers.

Ace said: “Working with ShelterBox taught us a lot – they showed us how to build shelter and select families to help. It also gave us a chance to show what Rotary is to local people.”

After floods triggered by Cyclone Idai left tens of thousands homeless in Malawi this March, Rotary members connected ShelterBox with communities in the Blantyre region, helping them understand local needs and culture. Members helped deliver emergency shelter to almost 2,000 families. And ShelterBox supported the Rotary Club of Limbe to join the wider disaster response, enabling the club to deliver food to communities whose entire crops had been destroyed by the floods.

Rotary Club of Limbe President Eric Chinkanda said: “It was a great experience to work with ShelterBox. We have not only walked a mile in reaching out to the many Malawians who faced hardship, but we restored confidence in the displaced people that all was not lost!”

James Kingston, Club President of the Rotary Club of Helston-Lizard, in Cornwall, said: “The members of Helston-Lizard Rotary are delighted that Rotary International continues to recognize ShelterBox.

I joined the club a few months before the Millennium Project began, and I’m so pleased we’re still involved. It has been wonderful to see the charity grow into an internationally recognized, professional disaster relief organization.”

• For further information or interviews from Rotary International, please contact chanele.williams@rotary.org or call +1847 866 3466
• For further information or interviews from ShelterBox, please contact phillybyrde@shelterbox.org or call +447384 110828.
• Short video of Response Team Member Yi Shun Lai explaining how Rotary helped in the response to Tropical Storm Usman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8G2c7Da13M4

Facts and figures

• 90% of ShelterBox responses assisted by Rotary
• 1,000 Rotary members have roles in ShelterBox, in the UK and internationally
• £54m+ raised for ShelterBox by Rotary supporters since 2000

About Rotary International

Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary connects 1.2 million members of more than 35,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work improves lives at both the local and international levels, from those in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. See www.rotary.org

About ShelterBox

ShelterBox provides emergency shelter and other essential items to families who have lost their homes to disasters. See www.shelterbox.org

Finally we had some good weather! Great day for our club’s Annual Interact Club Picnic. Interact Club members and Rotarians played some interactive club games, tossed some frisbees and played some beach volleyball. Thanks for another great year of doing good in the world! #PeopleofAction #ServiceAboveSelf

Saturday Night we held our Annual Texas Hold Em' and Casino Night.  We had close to a sellout thanks to last minute walk in players. 

The action was hot and heavy, eliminating players to get to the final table of 10.

Congratulations to Barry Cerino, who won this year's tournament and is now the first two time champion.

Rest of the tournament standings were:

2nd  George Filis

3rd   Anthony Beck

4th  Harry Chambarry

5th  Wayne Mauro

6th   Tom Walter

7th  Franz

8th   Mike Petrin

9th   Rich Ritchie 

10th Frank Blozen

Thank you to all of this years entrants for playing and supporting our club, see you next year!

At this weeks’ meeting we inducted a former member of our club Charlie Ziegler, back into active status.   Although Charlie recently rejoined us officially, he never really left as he has been behind the scenes helping at many of our events and functions the past few years.  Conducting the induction ceremony is our very own member PDG Peter Roukis.  Welcome back Charlie! #ServiceAboveSelf

At least 3,000 children die each day from diarrheal diseases caused by unsafe water, a grim reminder for Rotary members who make providing clean water and sanitation an organizational priority. While very few people die of thirst, millions die from preventable waterborne diseases, providing the impetus for our members to provide toilets and latrines and other clean water initiatives in underdeveloped countries. Members also teach these communities to maintain new infrastructure, and organize educational projects to promote hand-washing and other good hygiene habits.

Though 22 March is recognized as World Water Day, our commitment to these causes is ongoing. In Ghana, Rotary member Samuel Obour spearheads projects to install latrines, washing stations, and toilets across Ghana. In Latin America, youth from Connecticut, USA, lay water pipelines for communities for high altitude villages. Dozens of other water projects await financial support, from water harvesting in Mexico to a well for clean potable water in Egypt. Join us and get involved.

Or meet us in São Paulo on 4 June for our World Water Summit, the seventh time Rotary members have hosted NGOs, nonprofits, businesses, and concerned citizens of the world for learning, networking, and discussion around clean water. In addition to our summit, members regularly host water experts for roundtable discussions at their clubs. Find a club near you.

In Evanston, Illinois, join local and national experts for Tap Into Lake Michigan, a panel discussion on local perspectives to the global water crisis on 31 March. The event brings together Rotary members and the general public to mingle with influencers and representatives of local water organizations. Register today.

Our commitment to clean water is stronger than ever. We have over 1.2 million members in more than 34,000 clubs in nearly every corner of the world. Learn more about who we are and what we do.

See how Rotary is building sustainable clean water and sanitation facilities
Learn why Jack Sim wants you to talk about toilets with your friends
Support a water and sanitation project
Give now to the clean water cause

Rotary District 7505 Gift of Life Foundation Trustees

Invites you to the

22nd Annual Winter Gala

Saturday, February 9, 2019

6:00PM – 10:00PM

Lucien’s Distinguished Catering

81 West White Horse Pike

Berlin, NJ 08009

$75.00 per person

Fellowship Time (Cash Bar) 6:00PM - 7:00PM

Dinner, Program & Dancing 7:00PM - 10:00PM

Silent Auction

Attire: Cocktail

All proceeds to benefit Rotary District 7505 Gift of Life foundation, Inc. 501©3 Organization

Sponsorships and ads are available.

This great event supports the mission of the District 7505 Gift of Life Foundation

To provide free medical services to children in developing

countries suffering from congenital heart defects,

regardless of age, race, gender, creed or national origin,

who, without our help would certainly die.

Please Contact Peter Roukis to Confirm your attendance at Gala so we can reserve a table.

Make your Check Payable to: Rotary Club of Forked River

Innovation was the theme at Rotary Day at the United Nations on 10 November. Nearly a thousand Rotary leaders, members, and guests from around the world met in Nairobi, Kenya, to hear about creative solutions to challenging world problems.

The annual event, held at the only UN headquarters in Africa, recognizes Rotary’s long-standing special relationship with the United Nations . UN officials and humanitarian experts inspired participants to find innovative strategies for addressing humanitarian needs both locally and globally.

View Slideshow

Six Rotaract and Rotary members age 35 or under were also honored as Rotary People of Action: Young Innovators. All of these leaders spoke about how they used ingenuity to launch efforts that brought about measurable and lasting results.

General sessions and workshops covered the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the technology revolution, and young people’s role in creating change. A special session on the environment emphasized the importance of sustainable development and suggested concrete actions that people of all generations can take to build a clean and healthy future.

For the first time, the event also featured an Innovation Fair where Rotary clubs, businesses, and other organizations exhibited projects and cutting-edge technology designed to address humanitarian challenges.

Keynote speakers included RI President Barry Rassin, who is a member of the Rotary Club of East Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas, and Sushil Kumar Gupta, Rotary International president-nominee and a member of the Rotary Club of Delhi Midwest, Delhi, India.

Rassin said the Innovation Fair inspired him to pair Rotary’s older generations’ resources  and experience with the energy and ideas of young people.

“We want to take you on as equals, as colleagues,” Rassin told the young audience members. “You bring to the table your ideas, your ambitions, your perspective on the world’s problems. We help you to enlarge your horizons, to think big, and to make your innovations practical.” 

He added, “Youth innovators and Rotary can make the impossible possible.”

With more young people in the world today than ever before — more than 50 percent of the population is under age 30   — it’s imperative for them to harness their talents, said Hanna S. Tetteh, director-general of the United Nations Office at Nairobi. 

“For a more peaceful and more sustainable world for all, we need the active participation and leadership of young people,” said Tetteh. “I’m grateful Rotary is representing that here today.”

Another great day of club service and fellowship at the Annual Lacey Day and Apple Festival Event. Members of our club distributed subs, chips fruit and drinks to attendees at this years event.  There were lots of things for people to do at this year's event, including a pie eating contest, apple crisp and pies to buy, kids workshop sponsored by Home Depot and many booths for businesses in and around Lacey Twp.  Thank you to all the local businesses- Fusciello's, Walmart, Anthony's and Conca D'Oro for supplying their goods and services this year.  We also had on display a Shelter Box, which includes a tent for six, mosquito netting, a stove, pots and pans, blankets, water filtration system, food rations, and various other survival items.  In conjunction with Rotary international, these Shelter Boxes are flown into areas affected by natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods and typhoons.  Thank you to everyone that donated, the funds will be put towards our club buying another Shelter Box for those in need for future disasters.

Experience the hospitality of the American South

CENTENNIAL EVENTS

The yearlong celebration of The Rotary Foundation and 100 years of Doing Good in the World culminates at the Atlanta convention. Help us celebrate in the city where it all began:

• Explore The Rotary Foundation Centennial exhibit
• Attend the “Doing Good in the World” book signing
• Enjoy a special centennial birthday party

The Rotary Club of Forked River lost a friend and long time Rotarian on Tuesday December 13th.

William S. Whitson was a long time member of the Forked River Rotary and the recipient of 5 Paul Harris Awards for service to Rotary and our community. Although Bill worked extensively with many Rotary community projects, his most ardent campaign was to provide full Thanksgiving dinners to the needy families in Lacey Township, New Jersey. With Bill at the lead and working closely with the food bank, other community partners and his fellow Rotarians this program was responsible for providing full Thanksgiving dinners to thousands of people over the years. 

William Stuart Whitson was born in Lakewood NJ to Edna Scott Whitson and William Warren Whitson, younger brother of David Christie Whitson. Mr. Whitson is survived by his loving wife Susie (Sally Anne Bitzer), daughter Dawn Whitson Davis, son William Scott Whitson, and granddaughters Emily Anne Whitson and Sarah Scott Whitson. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother.

Mr. Whitson attended Toms River High School and graduated from Morristown School in 1954. He served his country as a Gunner and Heavy Weapons Infantryman in the New Jersey National Guard from 1956-1962. Mr. Whitson worked for Vernon Bitzer Associates, currently of Warminster PA, starting his career as a clerk and retiring as Vice President.

Growing up in Toms River NJ, Mr. Whitson developed a zest for the outdoors, learning sailing from his brother and hunting and fishing from his father, all of which remained life long passions. He enjoyed camping, family time in the mountains, and scuba diving with his family. Mr. Whitson derived great pleasure from being able to assist others and was an active member of the Forked River Rotary Club, working extensively with several community service programs. He was the recipient of 5 Paul Harris Awards for service to Rotary.
 

Rotary members unite at home and across the globe to put our experience and knowledge to work tackling our most pressing challenges. We focus our efforts in six areas: promoting peace, preventing diseases, providing access to clean water and sanitation, enhancing maternal and child health, improving basic education and literacy, and helping communities develop.

We are especially dedicated to ending polio in our lifetimes. Rotary members have persevered in this fight since 1979 and have now helped eradicate polio in all but three countries worldwide.

When you give to Rotary, you support the work we do in your community and around the world. We are a responsible organization that uses nearly 90% of our funding for program expenses.

Join us in a fight to the finish to eradicate polio, a crippling and completely preventable disease.

As a member of Rotary, I'm happy to report good news in celebration of World Polio Day 2016 on October 24: If we can vaccinate children in the remote areas of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria, we can end polio and protect all of the world's children.

That's a huge accomplishment. There were 350,000 polio cases a year in 125 countries around the world, or about 1,000 new cases of polio a day, in 1988, when polio eradication became a top priority for Rotary International, an international service organization with now nearly 1.2 million members in 35,000 clubs worldwide.

Rotary joined forces with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, and the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) to form one of world's largest public-private health care partnerships.

Rotary alone has contributed $1.5 billion to polio eradication efforts, including a September 2016 $8.15 million donation to stop the recent outbreak in Nigeria's Lake Chad region.

However, experts warn that $1.5 billion in additional funds are still needed to ensure we have the resources in place to finish the job.

Fortunately, there is more good news: Right now, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is matching the funds raised by Rotary to end polio by two-to-one. That means, if you contribute $50 dollars, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will contribute $100.

Anyone can help in this battle, just go to www.endpolio.org to make a contribution to the Rotary Foundation's fund to fight polio. The Rotary Foundation was recently given a top rating by Charity Navigator, an independent organization that evaluates U.S. charities, so you know your dollars are being spent efficiently and effectively.

The progress we've made, though significant, is fragile. Please help us end polio once and for all.

Here are some frequently-asked questions:
• Is there an age limit for volunteers to pack the meals? Yes: from 5 to 105!
• Can I sign up for both shifts? Yes.
• Can I spread the word about my participation on Facebook? Yes.
• What about bringing young people? Great idea! Bring scouts and we’ll give them a patch. Or invite kids needing confirmation hours or National Honor Society service time. And what a perfect Interact Club activity!
• How many people do you need for each shift? From 40 to 80, depending on how many total meals we’ll be packing.
• What’s in the meal packets? Rice, soy, dried vegetables, and a packet of 23 essential vitamins donated by Kraft Heinz.
• Where will our meals go? We can’t give you that location today, because it depends where
the greatest need is in November. But they will go to children in orphanages in one of 47 countries around the world where Stop Hunger Now has a field presence.

If you have questions, contact one of your county coordinators:

• District Chair: DGE Diane Rotondelli (drotondelli@optonline.net)

• Ocean County Co-Chairs: Maureen Raso (mk1025@comcast.net) and Heidi Tabor (tabheidi@gmail.com)

JUST IN!!! ****** WE HAVE A WINNER !!!!! 
The Captains Inn in Forked River provided the setting for the Annual Rotary Club of Forked River GO FOR THE GOLD GALA. The cool June night and the fiery torches that light the shores of Forked River provided the perfect backdrop for this evening of camaraderie and mounting anticipation! 
With only a limited number of tickets sold, conversation and canapés kept everyone busy while they counted down the minutes to the drawing of the ultimate jackpot of $10,000.00 in Gold!!! Several 50/50 winners were called while we waited, serving only to heighten the anticipation of the crowd. At precisely the stroke of 10pm, the ticket barrel was spun! And the Winner is........ #258 !! Congratulations to Rosa S. and better luck next year to the rest of us!

9-50

On Saturday, May 14th Rotary District 7500 will hold it's District Assembly at the Indian Cultural Center located at 820 Rt. 73 North, Marlton, NJ. There will be a $10 per person cost to attend.  We will have registration and a continental breakfast available from 8am to 8:45am.  We will begin at 8:45am and promise to have you on the road by 12pm.  All Rotarians are welcome.  

DGE Deborah will talk about the upcoming Rotary year theme and how our District will be part of it.This is a great opportunity for all club officers to receive the necessary training and information needed to fulfill their duties during this upcoming Rotary year.  Some of the other topics that will be covered will be:

• How Membership and Public Image can work together to increase members
• How to use the RI and District Websites to get helpful information for your club
• What is the District 7500 Foundation and how it works and benefits clubs
• Potential Centennial Projects to celebrate our Rotary Foundation's 100th Anniversary
• How to reach your Membership Goal

AND lots more time to have Fellowship with your fellow Rotarians.  

You can send your RSVP to PDG Boots White at 609-410-1034 or kwboots @aol.com.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact PDG Kathy Hiltner at 609-502-3314

2-3314.  

VATICAN CITY, April 30, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nearly 9,000 members of Rotary from across the globe attended the Jubilee Audience at the Vatican in St. Peter's Square on 30 April 2016 at the invitation of Pope Francis.

At the end of the Audience, a delegation of Rotary members - led by Rotary International President K.R. Ravindran - met Pope Francis where he emphasized the importance of vaccinations against polio and urged Rotary to continue.

Pope Francis follows Paul VI and John Paul II in connecting with Rotary to encourage their support of a more peaceful and compassionate world.  

"It is a tremendous honor to be part of this Jubilee Audience," said Ravindran. "Pope Francis has inspired men and women throughout the world – regardless of their faith – with his humble acts of kindness. His call to alleviate the root causes of extreme poverty and human suffering transcends religion, age, nationalism and politics. Rotary members from every religion, nation and creed share Pope Francis' spirit of mercy and compassion, which inspires us to act boldly to address the most difficult challenges facing our world today."

By promoting peace, fighting disease, ending polio, providing clean water, sanitation and hygiene, supporting education, saving mothers and children and growing local economies, Rotary members are improving lives and bringing positive, lasting change to communities around the world.

Rotary and its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative are on the brink of making global health history as polio is slated to become the second human disease ever to be eliminated. Cases of this paralyzing but vaccine preventable disease have plummeted by more than 99.9 percent, from about 350,000 cases a year in 1988, to 74 confirmed in 2015. Since launching its PolioPlus program in 1985, Rotary has donated US$1.5 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect 2.5 billion children in 122 countries from polio. More than 13 million people are able to walk today, who would otherwise have been paralyzed from polio.

Pope Francis personally vaccinated a child against polio in Mexico this past February. While he was Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis was named an honorary member of Rotary – making him the first known pope to receive and accept a Rotary club membership.

K.R. "Ravi" Ravindran, President, Rotary International, 2015-16

Long before Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, Rotarians around the world recognized the importance of finding new and creative ways to spread the word about Rotary. The Rotary Rose Parade Float Committee float is perhaps the longest-standing, and best-known, of these projects. Every year for the last 37 years, Rotarians across the United States and Canada have carried on the tradition of designing and building a float to enter in the Rose Parade. This year, the float will be seen by an international television and social media audience of over 83 million people in more than 200 countries! I look forward to riding on the float in this year’s parade, and congratulate the Rotary Rose Parade Float Committee for their creativity, commitment, and hard work. The float is a wonderful way to raise Rotary’s profile, and to show how Rotarians can Be A Gift to the World, by Working Together for Peace. K.R. "Ravi" Ravindran - Rotary International President

Rotary Club of Forked River completes Annual Turkey Distribution for Thanksgiving. With a lot of help and support from our friends at Walmart, Shop Rite, Lacey Food Bank and the Lacey High School Interact Club, we were able to provide turkeys and the trimmings for over 220 families in our service area for their Thanksgiving Day Dinners.

Thank you to all that assisted and enjoy the holiday with your families and friends.

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.  -JFK-

Wishing a warm welcome to David Selden, newest member of our club.    David was born and raised in Rockaway, NJ, attended Morris Hills High School and graduated from Quinnipiac University, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance.  David is employed by Raymond James Financial Services,   His services include advising individuals, businesses and non-profits on insurance, estate planning and wealth management.  David and his fiancé Caitlin, reside in Lanoka Harbor, along with their 4 year old Labradoodle, Maci Rae.  His interests include football, baseball the outdoors and spending time with his family.

Welcome to our club and becoming a member in the Lacey community.

Today we celebrate an exciting milestone on the road to polio eradication. The World Health Organization has declared Nigeria polio-free and removed it from the list of polio-endemic countries. This means there are no longer any polio-endemic countries in Africa, and only two endemic countries remain in the world.

Rotary should be proud of the important role we have played in this achievement, including granting more than $207 million to eradicate polio in Nigeria, and contributing  countless volunteer hours.

This announcement comes on the heels of another important landmark earlier this week. One of the three strains of wild poliovirus (Type 2) was declared eradicated on 21 September, and we will soon pass three years without a case of Type 3. This means that only one type of the wild poliovirus continues to circulate.

After thirty years of dedication, Rotary’s dream of consigning polio to history may soon be realized.

Now that the end is in sight, how do we cross that finish line?

The Polio Oversight Board (POB) met today to reexamine the roadmap to ending polio. They determined that overall the strategy is working. However, the path to making history contains obstacles, and the complex political and security climates in both Pakistan and Afghanistan mean the wild virus continues to circulate in these two countries. As we move forward, some strategic shifts are needed to address ongoing challenges, such as missed children, surveillance quality and low immunization rates in conflict areas.

With a fully funded program and global commitment to ending this disease, we have the opportunity to interrupt transmission of the wild poliovirus in Pakistan and Afghanistan in 2016, opening the door for the certification of global eradication in 2019. An increase in resources of $1.5 billion will help Rotary and its partners to focus on the last and most vulnerable children in Pakistan and Afghanistan, while continuing to protect hundreds of millions of children already living in polio-free countries.

You can be proud of the leading role Rotary has played in the impressive gains of recent years, and our recognition in top media around the world. The commitment and ingenuity of Rotarians has brought us to the threshold of one the greatest achievements in the history of public health. With your continued support we will soon see our dream of a polio-free world realized.

On Sunday January 25th, the Rotary Club of Forked River held our first ever Chef's Night Out & Silent Auction.

First Annual Rotary Club of Forked River Chef's Night Out and Auction

            Rotary Day at the UN 11/2/2013