THE ROTARY CLUB OF BANBRIDGE

Rotary Foundation

The objective of the Rotary Foundation is the achievement of world understanding and peace through international  charitable  and education programmes. The programmes, which are wide in scope include Group Study Exchange Visits, Matching Grants, The Health, Hunger and Humanity Grants, Polio Eradication, Ambassadorial Scholarships etc. The Polio Plus campaign has been described as Rotary's greatest gift to mankind (Nine billion children have been immunised).

Rotary Foundation is arguably the single greatest factor in making Rotary International such an important influence in the world today. It was set up in 1917 as a benevolent and charitable fund for the purpose of doing good in the world, and since the outset Rotary Foundation has paid out over a billion dollars to projects around the globe.

Projects for 2011-2012
We have set ourselves a target of $100 per member to our Rotary Foundation from a combination of fund raising events and individual contributions.
We will continue to support the End Polio campaign - so ably supported by Microsoft giant Bill Gates. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation set Rotary International a challenge - to finish the job of ridding the world of polio and they gave us a mighty big hand with their donations - click the link for more info.

A very successful Charity Breakfast was held in The Belmont Hotel on Wednesday 16 November with Irish Rugby World Cup star Rory Best as the principal guest. More detail on our Club News page.

We support our ambassadorial scholars in any way possible. In the last six years we have hosted fifteen scholars from around the world. Latest scholar was Donna Swanson from the USA. Here is Donna's introduction:
I am originally from Belvidere, Illinois, but moved to Texas in 1998.  I am representing Rotary District 5930 in South Texas and am from Mission, Texas, near the border with Mexico. My host club is the Rotary Club of Antrim, and my sponsor club is the Rotary Club of Mission, Texas.  I have been studying for my master's in Educational Studies at Queen's University and am now in the process of doing some research interviews and writing my dissertation about Peace Education.  I have greatly enjoyed my year in Northern Ireland, so much so that after a three week visit in the U.S., I will be returning to Belfast to continue working as a piano teacher in Holywood and pursuing various volunteer service opportunities.

More information and photos at the above ambassadorial scholars link.

In 1985, Rotary launched the PolioPlus program to protect children worldwide from the cruel and fatal consequences of polio. In 1988, the World Health Assembly challenged the world to eradicate polio. Since that time, Rotary's efforts and those of partner agencies, including the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children's Fund, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and governments around the world, have achieved a 99 percent reduction in the number of polio cases worldwide. Rotarians stand at the brink of a great victory and look forward to celebrating the global eradication of polio in 2005, the organization's centennial year.

Rotary is the largest nongovernmental financial contributor to the global polio eradication effort. By the time the world is certified polio-free, Rotary's contributions to the global polio eradication effort will exceed US$600 million.

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