The meeting on 22 October was a mix of lows, highs and incredulity. The low was a very impressive presentation from “ACT For Kids” (previously known as the Abused Child Trust) detailing appalling statistics on the incidence of non-institutional child abuse in Queensland and Australia and its long term effects. Both government and non government bodies tasked with helping the affected children are overwhelmed but we were very impressed with the philosophy and work of “ACT For Kids” in endeavouring to treat the cause of the problem by improving family stability, rather than just concentrating on the symptoms of family dysfunction.
The highs were the induction into the club of two new members, Paul Choy and Dymphna Muir, and the results of the very successful public drought relief appeal in the Macarthur Centre. It was a great joy for me to officiate in formally bringing Paul and Dymphna into the club and the world wide fellowship of Rotary and I am sure we can all look forward to their company and help with Club activities for many years to come. The three day public drought appeal raised over $1000 and, along with other club member donations, will be doubly matched by the Club. Those volunteers on the front line at the Macarthur Centre seemed to enjoy themselves and I remind members that there is still time to make a personal donation before we remit the grand total to the Western Queensland Drought Appeal. My thanks and congratulations to all involved with the appeal and especially Wal Bishop, Cameron Gibson and Phil Gresham.
The incredulity, accompanied by some hilarity, occurred at the end of the meeting when one of our new members, Dymphna Muir, had the winning raffle ticket and subsequently drew out the “Joker” to win the jackpot. Dymphna has promised to use some of the proceeds to support “Act For Kids”.
I remind and encourage members to take as many Melbourne Cup tickets as they can and also that there will be no meeting on Monday 5 November as this will be replaced by a social evening at the United Service Club convened by Denise Schellbach on Friday 9 November. All those going to the U.S. Club meeting must confirm beforehand by paying $15 through the Club Runner website.
Your minutes secretary apologises that there are probably important items missed in this report. This stems from the fact that he was not at the meeting but is piecing these notes together from news sent by kind members who were there. This one also believes he has already been punished sufficiently for his dereliction of duty by having missed out on what was obviously a corker of a meeting.
Highlight of the day was the induction of two new members, Paul Choy and Dymphna Muir. Both Paul and Dymphna are already well-known to members - Paul because he has faithfully attended all meetings and events of the club over the past two months while we got through the processes leadig up to induction and Dymphna because she has been attending club events for years as Pres. Chris's wife. Dymphna is the first of what we hope will be many family members who join the club under the concessional family membership rate. Welcome Paul and Dymphna!
President Chris Congratulates newest Rotarians Paul Choy and Dymphna Muir on their induction.
Cameron Gibson reported on the successful charity collection event for drought aid held in MacArthur Central Shopping Centre. Thanks to all involved and to the MacArthur Central shopping centre. (see separate article.)
Our guest speaker was Tina Schulz, Program Manager – Brisbane North Family Support Services, Act for kids. She brought with her Jing Jing, a QUT Master of Social Work degree candidate on placement Her theme was to discuss the range of programs offered by Act for kids, from Prevention to Foster Care. She talked about the 4 pillars that underpin the work of Act for Kids, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year: Prevention, Therapy, Education and Advocacy. She also talked about the need for funds and the corporate support options available.
Our Guest Speaker, Tina Schulz
Finally, it appears that the joker in the pack has been tracked down and legroped by Dymphna Muir! Congratulations Dymphna! I have some timeshare in Mundubbera that you may be interested in.
Shoppers at the MacArthur Central shopping centre in the Brisbane CBD might have been a little surprised to see people wearing Rotary aprons and carrying collection tins on the 3 days from the 17th to the 19th of October. These normally mild-mannered and retiring Rotarians from the Brisbane Club were moved by the scale and severity of the drought across Queensland and NSW to ask shoppers for donations for the Western Queensland Drought Appeal.
Over the three days, in excess of $1150 was collected. This was added to cash donations from members and the total raised will be matched 2:1 from the Rotary Club of Brisbane's charitable foundation and donated to the Western Queensland Drought Appeal. Funds donated to the Western Queensland Drought Appeal are loaded onto pre-paid debit cards or vouchers and distributed directly to landholders in western Queensland, for them to spend on personal needs in their local communities. This keeps the money in the region, allows landholders to choose how they spend the money, and gives local businesses a boost with the extra trade. In this case funds will be distributed near Longreach, one of the many areas that has not had a break from the recent rains in eastern Queensland and NSW.
John Smerdon and Cameron Gibson on the job at the booth.
Editor’s note: World Homeless Day, 10 October, is an opportunity to educate people about homelessness and raise awareness in your community.
By John Matthews, Rotary International Vice President 2018-19 and member of the Rotary Club of Mercer Island, Washington, USA. Photos by Alyce Henson/Rotary International
Spending the night under the stars sounds romantic. But for hundreds of thousands of Americans, it’s the exact opposite. It’s not a choice; it’s an unpleasant reality that can quickly become detrimental to one’s life. And it happens more often than most people with a roof over their heads might think – 553,742 people were homeless on a single night in 2017. Alarmed by the growing homeless population in our city, my club and I felt compelled to take action.
While Seattle is the 18th largest city in the U.S., it has the third largest homeless population. Reasons include gentrification, sky-high real estate prices, and the availability of great resources. But despite these resources, living on the city streets in miserable, unsanitary, and unsafe.
Left: Rotary members in Seattle work on the door of a tiny house.
Tiny houses
We first partnered with Operation Nightwatch, which feeds the homeless in Seattle, and began volunteering on a monthly basis. That encouraged several of our members to conduct further research, which resulted in writing a grant to construct tiny houses, defined by city building codes as one-story detached structures that are under 120 square feet.
Our club eventually settled on the ‘Housing First’ model as the best approach. And we found a project and partner we could believe in and fully support. The Tiny Houses Project, owned and operated by the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI), provides a suitable, safe and humane route to transitional housing for the homeless in the state of Washington. It offers displaced men, women, and children tiny houses which provide immediate access to a better quality of life.
Through this project, people can start rebuilding their lives and eventually contribute to their community. For this reason, we formed a special partnership with LIHI, and committed to building 10 wooden transitional tiny houses that offer a safe community in which to live. Included with the cluster of homes are outreach facilities offering health and medical care, job training, employment, and friendship.
Work day
Funding for these transitional homes went to LIHI in November 2017. On two days in May, Rotarians from our club and District 5030, along with other local groups, constructed 30 tiny houses. Ten of these houses were paid for by a district grant originating with our club.
What began as a serious concern for a major challenge facing our community turned into a collaborative project with other humanitarians who shared our convictions. It proves that small steps can lead to big changes, if we take the time to learn and collaborate with others.
These tiny houses and their communities act as an important intermediate step for providing shelter for the homeless. We plan to continue to help rebuild the lives of those who are down on their luck, one tiny house at a time until we have reduced the homeless rate in Seattle. That’s what People of Action do.
Editor Note: Rotary International partners with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to support lasting, positive change in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). This is part of a series of occasional blog posts from local Rotary members describing their visits to project sites.
By Vera Lamiley Allotey, Rotary Club of Accra Dansoman
Vera Allotey demonstrates hand washing to school children in Denkyira, Ghana.
In July, I left my home with fellow Rotarians to visit Upper Denkyira East in the central region of Ghana to see progress on water and sanitation projects. Despite riding in a very new vehicle, the ride was bumpy due to poor road conditions. But we enjoyed talking and learning about the Rotary-USAID partnership during our more than six-hour journey. I was encouraged by what I saw and the impact Rotary is having in the region.
After a necessary meeting with the municipal assembly in Denkyira, we arrived at a secondary school to inspect latrines that had been built. The headmaster welcomed us and showed us the changing room that had been created for girls. I showed the students how to properly wash their hands using the bucket stands that we donated to the school and two students were asked to demonstrate the proper techniques to their friends. We then moved to the borehole and the project manager led us in a series of stroke tests to determine the water flow from the pump. All was in working order.
Welcome innovations
I learned about some very innovative and creative things the headmaster was doing with the help of the PTA. He had set up a fee to be collected from parents that could be used to purchase toilet rolls, disinfectant and sanitary pads for girls to make sure there would be a continuous adequate supply. Sanitary pads were dispensed according to need, and one male and female teacher were placed in charge of dispensing toilet rolls and pads, cutting down on waste. The facility and supplies have really reduced the rate of absenteeism on the part of girls during their menstruation cycle. This is a very good thing.
We also made a courtesy call to the town chief, because it was in walking distance and we wanted to pay appropriate homage to him as custodian of the land. He had also helped ward off unscrupulous individuals who had wanted to intrude on the facilities before their completion. We conveyed to him our gratitude and he told us how pleased he was with the project and promised to help us make sure it continued.
The next day, we toured the market in Dunkwa before heading to Dunkwaso to visit the second project site, a toilet facility for a special school affiliated with the Methodist Church that teaches children with disabilities. I had many conversations with the head teacher, PTA members, and specially-trained teachers, who explained how they integrate visually and hearing impaired students into normal activities to enhance their emotional, psychological, and social well-being, preparing them for their years beyond school.
Rotary is very good
I was encouraged when the PTA chairman informed us that they would be deducting money from the PTA dues to buy disinfectants for the facility and employing someone to maintain it. I recommended they get in contact with the Community Development Unit of the Assembly, whose mandate is to train youth how to use various disinfectants and soap. They could get the supplies at a cheaper rate and also provide valuable skills to some of the youth that they could use later.
After we bid our goodbyes, we promised to visit within the next quarter to check on the upkeep of the facility. All in all, it was an enlightening trip. And I left feeling that Rotary is indeed very good.
