Bob Curran, right center,  announced he is leading 20 people to Houston to help with rebuilding efforts this past weekend. We hope Bob and crew are having fun as well as working hard this week in Houston. 
 
Julia Phelps, left, was introduced by Bonnie Korengel, left center and President Tammy Duering, right. Julia is a former teacher, school principal and administrator. In the Rotary world, she has had many roles including club president, various district roles and now she is a Trustee of the RI Foundation
 
Arch Klumpf started the Rotary International Foundation in 1917 with a $26.50 initial donation, and that donation was made only because a club had the extra money in their treasury at year end, or there would have been no donation at all. There was really no club interest in the Foundation when it was started. Clubs were totally focused on working on local issues to themselves.  From this humble beginning the International Foundation has grown to become one of the most respected and successful foundations in the world. It has been a top rated foundation by all the rating agencies/organizations for the past 10 years because of its careful management of resources and the success of its investments. 
 
Last fiscal year, 2017/18, was the first in which the Trustees set a goal for fund raising. The $360 million goal was thought audacious, but easily surpassed with $414.7 million donated. A major share of the above target dollars came from one major donation, so the goal for 2018/19 is $380 million. Julia has her eye set on a goal greater than $400 million for the near future. 
 
The current year goal breaks out to $137M for the Annual campaign, which are the funds we receive back three years after donation for local and international investment by the districts and clubs. $61.5M for the endowment, which is money to be invested for long term uses. And the final major tranche is the $150M for End Polio Now. Two-thirds of this total will be given to Rotary as matching funds from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. And inevitably when accounting for such large sums there is the Other category, with a value of $31.5M. 
 
The top priority of the Foundation is eradicating polio. This has become a largely women dependent effort in the remaining countries afflicted with polio. Mother to mother conversations are what create the incredible trust parents place in Rotarians when they pass their young children to a total stranger who may not even look like them,  to receive 2 drops of an unknown liquid. That trust is what will allow us to win. But polio is stubborn. Pakistan again has new cases with 22 reported so far this year. That equals the number for all last year. 
 
The second priority is the Annual Fund. The results achieved from these investments is phenomenal. Four science teachers from Victoria Garden City, Nigeria came to Massachusetts to learn better ways to teach science. One of the new approaches they learned is live demonstrations using every day materials. In other words, doing experiments. The result has been a large increase in student performance throughout their entire district. They raised the district's performance by sharing what they learned through the Rotary grant with their fellow teachers. That is the leverage we get from a few thousand dollars in Rotary Foundation investment. Similar results have been achieved in women's health care and other areas throughout the world.  
 
Julia was particularly proud of the Foundation recently being recognized with the Peace Jam One Billion Acts of Peace award. The One Billion Acts of Peace Campaign is led by 14 Nobel Prize winners, including the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu, and aims to create One Billion Acts of Peace worldwide by 2020, whilst in doing so inspiring peacemakers, community leaders, and individuals to join the cause and take an active role in changing the world. As Julia noted there is a very strong link between the goals of Rotary and Peace Jam.