Rotary Club - HK East Newsletter November 8th, 2006

Last week's Proceedings -

8^th November, 2006

President Paul opened the meeting by welcoming our speaker and guest Ms. Valerie Conibear from the Home of Loving Faithfulness (HOLF) to our luncheon today.

President Paul highlighted some of the upcoming events.

On 12^th November, the Rotary Leadership Institute will host a seminar on rotary leadership at the Miramar Hotel in Kowloon. Three nominees from our club will be attending.
On 11^th November, the Annual Charity Ball organized by RC of HK North will be held at the HK Football Club. Please contact President Paul or Secretary Andy for details.
On 18^th November, RC of HKIE, along with RC of HK South and affiliated Interactors and Rotaractors , will be paying a visit to the Home of Loving Faithfulness to be followed by a fellowship event at the Jockey Club at Beas River.
On 21^st November, there will be the Inter City meeting in honor of the visit of Rotary International President Bill Boyd. In view of that, our regular luncheon meeting that week will be moved and combined with the Inter City event. The club will subsidize the cost difference between our meal at Excelsior and at the Inter City lunch.
Club Assembly will be held on 15^th November and AGM will be held on 13^th December.

Acting Sergeant-At-Arms PP Rudy reported the day’s contribution at $550.

Next came the highlight of the meeting. Our speaker Ms Valerie Conibear, together with Ms Wendy Blackmur, co-founded the Home of Loving Faithfulness (HOLF) in August 1965 to provide care for handicapped children. At that time, caring for handicapped children was the least of HK Government’s priorities. After spending several years in Hong Kong caring for normal, abandoned children, Valerie and Wendy realized that many handicapped children were not well taken care of and typically kept in small and confined spaces. With their trust in God, they decided to do something about it. Without any financial support from any agency and missionary society, Valerie and Wendy went ahead and established HOLF in a bungalow in Fanling and started taking in handicapped children in 1965. In 1971, they moved to the present location in New Territories where there are 4 buildings with the capacity to offer personalized care for up to 28 handicapped children.

Valerie showed many lovely pictures of the children and adults who grew up at HOLF. Valerie knows each of them by heart.Members were touched by the pictures Valerie showed and the stories she told.

It was indeed an honor and pleasure to have Valerie as our guest today. PP Rudy offered his vote of thanks after the talk and was proud to announce that RC of HKIE was able to contribute in a small way to HOLF via the recent laundry machine donation project and, in so doing, to share the joy with Valerie in her work.

President Paul closed the meeting with a toast to RI coupled with the RC of HKIE.

Rotary Information

The Rotary Foundation Month

November is designated by Rotary International as Rotary Foundation Month. Our district 3450 has been recorded as one of the highest contributors toward the Rotary Foundation. Needless to say that most members are familiar with the history and programmes of the Foundation. Just to refresh our memory, it is appropriate to enumerate the Rotary Foundation Milestones by the year since its establishment.

1917	The Rotary Foundation established as an endowment by RI President Arch C. Klumph, First Foundation received, US$26.50 from the Rotary Club of Kansas City, Missouri, USA.
1928	The Rotary Foundation formally named, first Trustees appointed.
1930	1st Rotary Foundation grant awarded. US$500 to International Society for Crippled Children.
1947	RI founder Paul Harris dies. In his memory, Rotarians worldwide give the Foundation more than US$1 million. First Foundation programme launched, international scholarships for 18 graduate students.
1957	Paul Harris Fellow Recognition begins.
1965	Special Grants (later called Matching Grants) and Group Study Exchange programme established.
1978	Health, Hunger and Humanity (3-H) Grants programme created.
1981	Rotary Endowment for World Understanding and Peace established.
1985	PolioPlus programmes launched. The programme represents the first and largest internationally coordinated private-sector support of a publichealth initiative.
1988	The World Health Assembly sets the goal of eradicating polio worldwide.
1993	500 millionth child immunized against polio, thanks to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
1994	Western Hemisphere declared polio-free.
1996	Foundation contributors number one million. Permanent Fund Initiative begins.
1998	Total contributions to the Foundation since inception surpass US$1 billion.
1999	10,000th Matching Grant awarded. Rotary Centers for International Studies in Peace and conflict resolution established.
2000	Western Pacific region declared polio-free. Nearly two billion children immunized against polio since the Global Polio Eradication Initiative began in 1988.
2001	First awards made from Scholarships Fund Pool for Low-Income Countries.
2002	European region declared polio-free. First class of Rotary World Peace Scholars begins studies. The Rotary Foundation receives US$1 million Gates Award for Global Health from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
2003	Rotary concludes one-year polio eradication fundraising campaign to help ensure support for achieving a polio-free world, raising US$123 million and surpassing $80 million goal. District Simplified Grants and Individual Grants programmes established.
2004	20,000th Matching Grants awarded. First class of Rotary World Peace Scholars graduates. PolioPlus Partners programme relaunched. Children’s Fund established within the Permanent Fund. Record support for Annual Programmes Fund achieved, with more than US$70,350,000 in contributions received.
2005	Health, Hunger and Humanity (3-H) Grants programme and annual Group Study Exchange programme reinstated. Matching Grants budget largest ever. Solidarity in South Asia Fund established to aid tsunami disaster survivors. Record Annual Programmes Fund contributions total US$84.7 million, following launch of Every Rotarian, Every Year initiative. The Arch C. Klumph Society named in honour of the Foundation’s founder, established to recognize donors of US$250,000 or more.
2006	First female Trustee of the Rotary Foundation named.