Stories

Collecting items for women's shelter

Hammond kids attended RYLA camp and then joined the Hammond club luncheon to share what they learned.

Julie and a Meiko visit Rotary

On July 17, 2018, Rotarians, family and friends gathered for the 98th Annual Installation of Officers. Attendees were welcomed by piano music from Rotarian Jim McNabney. After a welcome message from Secretary Treasurer Stephanie Madison, a delicious dinner was served, courtesy of Nick Loxas and  Dynasty Banquets. Guest Speaker of the evening was District Governor, Dan Ryan, who spoke of this years Rotary mission of "being the inspiration". Officers and Directors were then installed:

Bottled drinking water is needed to provide an alternative to the contaminated tap water for the residents of the Calumet neighbourhood of East Chicago, Indiana a Superfund site.
Residents of the Calumet neighbourhood of East Chicago live in an environment polluted with elevated lead and arsenic in the soil around their homes, in some cases, exceeding the EPA allowable limits. The west Calumet part of the neighbourhood was the former site of USS Lead. The area was listed on the National Priorities List of the worst contaminated sites in the country in 2009 and was declared a Superfund site by the U.S. EPA.  Under a consent decree entered between the responsible parties and the EPA funds have been secured to remediate/excavate the contaminated soil.

For years, Angalia Bianca had slept in abandoned buildings throughout Chicago. She stole. She did drugs. She spent time in and out of jail for forgery, theft, trespassing, and possession of narcotics. But after she landed in prison for the seventh time, something changed -- Bianca knew she wanted a better life. She just didn’t know how to make it happen.

 

After serving her time, Bianca sought help from a local homeless organization, A Safe Haven, and moved to its shelter in the Rogers Park neighborhood. Bianca followed the program closely -- she attended all the required meetings, passed drug tests, and volunteered at every opportunity.

What is it like taking a large team to Africa?  It has probably been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. In mid February, I began leading Rotary members from all over the East Coast of the United States through Ghana. I’ve tried to give the team a warm Ghanaian welcome like I’ve received on my earlier trips. A large trip is a real blessing because each person sees Ghana and our work in a different way.

A highlight for the team was greeting the chief of Sagadugu. The team got excited about buying goats and food for children in the villages where I support eight churches. It was good to see the pastors of most of the eight churches, and I had to explain that we were just passing through on our way to Bolgatanga.

Throughout India and around the world, Rotary clubs are celebrating a major milestone: India has gone three years without a new case of polio. The last reported case was a two-year-old girl in West Bengal on 13 January 2011. To mark this historic triumph, Rotary clubs illuminated landmarks and iconic structures throughout the country with four simple but powerful words, "India is polio free."

 

The three-year achievement sets the stage for polio-free certification of the entire Southeast Asia region by the World Health Organization. The Indian government also plans to convene a polio summit in February to commemorate this victory in the global effort to eradicate polio.