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2005 is a very special year in Rotary's history as well as our club. Respectively Rotary International celebrates its 100th anniversay and Camden Rotary celebrates its 80th birthday. Throughout these many years Rotary has dome much to make our world a safer and healthier. In the last 10 years alone Rotarians around the world have completed over 1.8 million projects in communities all around the globe.
The dedication of these Rotarians, all of whom in their own modest way fulfill Rotary's motto of "Service Above Self".
Camden Rotary has been a willing and generous partner in these international endeavors for we have help build homes for the homeless and disadvantaged, provided wells for clean water, assisted victims of land mines walk again with custom made prosthetics. We have also contributed generously to Polio Plus, Rotary International's 20 year commitment to the eradification of polio and in this year, the 100th anniversary of polio there are fewer than 500 cases of polio left in the world and this is the year that polio will be eradicated thanks to the efforts of 1.2 million rotarians in 168 countries.
Closer to home, Camden Rotary provides financial assistance to 21 deserving high school students. Additionally we also make grants to many worthwhile community groups such as the Camden Food Bank, Hospice centers, Meals on Wheels, Hope Little League, Animal Rescue League, Communities That Care, Salvation Army and many others. In total we raise $50,000 each year for these projects.
We also are in our 15th year of the Camden to Camden project. This project brings a number of school children from Camden New Jersy to spend about 10 days with host families in Camden Maine. For many of these children it will be the first time they will go to sleep without hearing gunshots, or ambulances or police sirens. It will be the first time they will have swum in the ocean let alone see it and for many it will be a life altering event.
We are also proud of our student exchange program where each year we support 3 incoming foreign high school students as well as 1 outgoing student. These students will spend the full school year totally immersed in the host country's school, community and culture.
Personally my joining Rotary has had a major impact on how I live my life. As often as I can I submit major decisions to Rotary's 4 way test and once I do that more often than nought I find the answers surprisingly easy. I have also found that when the news of the world seems overwhelming or forboding I take solace in the fact that Rotary works hard to make the world a better place.
Sincerely,
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