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Local Rotary Making A Difference In The Tri-Cities And The World
September 22, 2008
The Tri-Cities Rotary Club is looking for a few good members to join the club in making the tri-cities and the world a better place to live, even if it means buying a water buffalo or two.
The local Rotary Club, which includes Flomaton, Century and Jay, is involved in a long list of community projects, according to Bo Brantley, club president.
Locally, the club provides scholarships, Thanksgiving meals, Christmas meals, Christmas presents for needy children, support for the humane society, locator bracelets for alzheimer’s patients, dictionaries for elementary students and more.
The Tri-Cities Rotary recently sponsored “the biggest thing to hit Escambia County since Ivan,” Brantley said. That event was a “Bull Riding Blowout” in late August in Flomaton. The family friendly event feature bull riding, country music, food and more. “We worked hard, raised a little money. But, best of all, we brought some family friendly entertainment to the area, and everyone had a good time.”
The local Rotary Club has even had a hand in buying water buffaloes for little girls in third world countries.
“Sometimes the craziest ideas get the best results,” Leon Hirsh from the Pensacola North Rotary Club told local members. “A young girl with a water buffalo gains status in her world in is allowed to go to school to learn to ready. Without the water buffalo provided by Rotary, she would never have the chance to attend school or learn to read.”
Studies have found that the one girl that learns to read will learn to teach as many as five others how to read, Hirsh said, increasing the literacy rate in countries like India.
The 12 Rotary clubs that make up the Combined Rotary of Pensacola, were among the the first in the world to raise funds for water buffaloes. The group, which includes the local Tri-Cities Rotary Club, raised enough money to buy 50 water buffaloes. With a matching grant from the national Rotary organization, 100 water buffaloes were purchased to increase literacy.
The local club is also supports Rotary’s PolioPlus program.. The program works worldwide with one goal — eliminate all polio from the world. Vaccines are purchased for poor children around the globe, with the program having made dramatic progress against the disease around the world. Polio now basically limited to just four countries across the globe.
“That’s a wonderful example of how a club like the Tri-Cities Rotary Club can make a worldwide impact,” said John Tice from the Pensacola North Rotary Club. “This club, especially for its size, does a remarkable job.”
Sometimes the club’s efforts pay off in a more personal way.
Just before Christmas a few years ago, Brantley delivered a check to a local woman to buy Christmas gifts for her children and food for the holidays.
“We sat in the swing outside,” he said. “She cried. I cried. This club can having an amazing impact on the people in our community.”
Everything a Rotarian does is suppose to pass the “Four Way Test”:
- Is it the truth?
- Is it fair to all concerned?
- Will it build goodwill and better friendship?
- Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
The Tri-Cities Rotary Club meets every Wednesday at noon upstairs at the Escambia County Bank in Flomaton.
You can learn more about the basics of Rotary by clicking here. (700k pdf file)
Rotarians from around the world, including those in the Tri-Cities Rotary Club, partner for PolioPlus to rid the world of the diseases. Pictured above, a child in Moradabad, India, receives the polio vaccine from a Rotary Club member. Courtesy photo.
Comments
2 Responses to “Local Rotary Making A Difference In The Tri-Cities And The World”
This organization has always stepped forward when asked to help students at Carver/Century. No fanfare, just honest to goodness help when needed. All it takes is a phone call and they take it from there. A fine group of men doing great positive work.
What a wonderful story. It sure is nice to know there are folks in the world who are not self-serving. I’m sure these deeds they do are extremely time consuming for all of them. If the world is ever able to live together without fighting, it will be the result of actions by folks like this. My hat is off to them.