Rotary Club of Perth - Why Rotary?
Why Rotary? Why should I give to Rotary? a question we hear every year on Perth High Street as we ask people to Roll-the-Dice to Win-a-Car on a cold, wet, driech day in November to raise funds at our Annual Fayre. We try to explain, but know we fail miserably and that hurts. Rotary do things on a scale that we cannot quite comprehend at times, that’s why we struggle to answer when asked - why Rotary?
By way of an answer, we offer four very different projects that the Rotary Club of Perth support on a regular basis, four projects from the hundreds, if not thousands of projects undertaken by Rotary Clubs throughout the world every year, they make it easy for us to ask for hard earned cash. We know the money is well spent on people who really need it, we offer help to people who cannot help themselves, people with problems or so down on their luck that Rotary may be their only salvation, that's why Rotary!
The Walled Garden at Murray Royal Hospital was initially a kitchen garden for Pitcullen House in Victorian times, by 1993 it had become an overgrown jungle. Thanks to the foresight of a group of people who wanted to help those recovering from mental ill health, the Walled Garden was set up as a project of Perth and Kinross Association for Voluntary Service, the therapeutic benefits of gardening are well known.
The garden has undergone a major transformation in the last 14 years and now boasts a joinery workshop, craft studio and a first class shop/cafe which makes extensive use of the produce grown in the garden, and they have just added a paint recycling scheme.
The garden produce and sell a wide range of bedding and herbaceous plants, hanging baskets and pot plants. The joinery makes a range of robust garden furniture and ornaments.
The Rotary Club of Perth provide ongoing financial and hands-on-support for the Walled Garden project, that's why Rotary!
PolioPlus - In 1985 Rotary's objective to immunise all the children of the world against polio marked the beginning of an extraordinary story. In 1988, after the initial successes of mass immunisation campaigns, the World Health Organization resolved to eradicate poliomyelitis by 2000. The eradication of polio was adopted as the Rotary International goal in 1992.
To date, over one million Rotary members have volunteered their time and personal resources to help immunize more than two billion children in 122 countries against polio. By the time the world is certified polio-free, Rotary’s contributions to the global polio eradication effort will exceed US$600 million.
In addition to raising and contributing funds, Rotary has provided an army of volunteers to promote and assist during national immunization campaigns. Rotary members assist with vaccine delivery, social mobilization, and administration of the oral polio vaccine to children, that's why Rotary!
ShelterBox - Once upon a time, Tom Henderson attended a regular Helston-Lizard Rotary Club meeting and said
"Hey guys, I've had an idea, which could bring shelter and beds to people who have become homeless in disasters around the world... and all in a single box". That short statement was to change everything, "yeah, that sounds a good idea, why don't you look into it?" Tom didn't need to be asked twice, as an ex-naval officer, he went and sourced all that was needed....tents, sleeping bags, boxes, equipment - the best quality, (with some arm twisting) at the lowest cost. He put ShelterBox together, a real-life fairy tail.
ShelterBox is still administered by the Helston-Lizard Club in the UK and Lakewood Ranch Rotary Club in the USA, together with new partner clubs in Australia and Canada. Shelterboxes are distributed by the Rotary Clubs and the Aid Agencies nearest the disaster areas.
The cost of a complete
ShelterBox is £490. ShelterBox is the refuge of thousands of people worldwide, their only home, that's why Rotary!
ChildLine is the UK's free, 24-hour helpline for children in distress or danger. Trained volunteer counsellors comfort, advise and protect children and young people who may feel they have nowhere else to turn.
Almost 1,400 volunteers provide a counselling service, supervised by a team of professional supervisors and managers. Every day around 4,500 children call ChildLine, lack of funds means that only 2,500 of them will get through to counsellors for comfort, advice and protection.
What do children call about? Children call ChildLine about a wide range of problems, but the most common problems are abuse (both sexual and physical), bullying, serious family tensions, worries about friends’ welfare and teenage pregnancy.
How does ChildLine help? Since it was launched in 1986, ChildLine has saved children's lives, found refuges for children in danger on the streets, and given hope to thousands of children who believed no one else cared for them. ChildLine has now counselled well over one million children and young people.
ChildLine campaigns on behalf of children by relaying what they say to policy-makers who can help change children’s lives for the better. Childline has Championed children for more than 18 years, Rotary supports Childline, that's why Rotary!