29

Click here to load reader

GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY - rotarysussex.org  · Web viewGRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY. ... Barry spent some time at Headway Hurstwood ... ‘When we speak of development the first thought

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Page 1: GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY - rotarysussex.org  · Web viewGRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY. ... Barry spent some time at Headway Hurstwood ... ‘When we speak of development the first thought

DAVID JENKINS GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY 1

THE PAUL HARRIS CENTENARY DISSERTATION

GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY.

THE EVOLUTION OF ROTARY

AND ITS

SUSTAINABILITY.

An Essay by

Rotarian Dr. David Jenkins FRCGP MSc MB BS MFFP FRGS

of

Cuckfield & Lindfield Rotary Club

District 1250

to explore the following statement

Entrants will have their own views concerning Rotary's achievements during its first hundred years and how they see its future. However, the judges anticipate participants considering problems confronting society today and discussing issues (including, but not confined to, the acknowledged difficulties associated with longevity) that are likely to affect Rotary in the coming years. It is also anticipated that they will examine the stated "Objectives" of Rotary and consider whether they will apply today, and if they do, indicate how they would propose to advance these objectives in our changing society. They will also be looking for views as to whether there is a need to modernise Rotary's existing structure and to engage in proactive policies.

Page 2: GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY - rotarysussex.org  · Web viewGRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY. ... Barry spent some time at Headway Hurstwood ... ‘When we speak of development the first thought

DAVID JENKINS GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY 2

Summary.

This essay explores, through the theme of sustainability, how Rotary developed in

an expanding metropolitan environment and how it continues in its centenary year

to maintain a balance between dreams and nightmares. It stresses the importance

of its founder being a hidden personality who quietly brought small community

family values of fun, fellowship and food to share with his business colleagues,

men-as-boys, whilst ensuring that service to the community was contained in

Rotary’s objectives. These are explained by examples from the Cuckfield and

Lindfield Rotary Club’s Gazette. Proactive ways of modernising Rotary through

heartfelt ‘Paul Harris Vision’ are suggested.

Page 3: GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY - rotarysussex.org  · Web viewGRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY. ... Barry spent some time at Headway Hurstwood ... ‘When we speak of development the first thought

DAVID JENKINS GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY 3

THE PAST

How Times ChangeIn 1900: If a father put a roof over his family’s head, he was a success. Today: It takes a roof, pool, tennis court and a four car garage.1

IntroductionThe first Rotary Club was established in Chicago in 1905 by Paul Harris, a local attorney. The year 2005 celebrates the 100 years of its foundation. Today Rotary has 1.2 million members in 31,000 Clubs in 166 countries.2 The Cuckfield and Lindfield Rotary Club was Chartered on 18 th May 19843 as an extension of the Haywards Heath Rotary Club. The centenary year of Rotary will celebrate the 21 st

anniversary of the foundation of this Club. Currently the Club has fifty one members and it has an active social, sporting and fundraising life. The average age of the membership when the Club was founded was 42 years and now it is 65 years. It is very much a grassroots Club with only three members ever becoming officers at District level, all three being GSE leaders. It has no female members. It meets for ‘fun, fellowship and food’ at The Bent Arms, Lindfield every Tuesday evening. This essay is woven around the story of the Club nurtured through its membership activities to show the way that Rotary continues and will continue to sustain its aims and objectives and the founding philosophy of Paul Harris.

Cuckfield and LindfieldThe villages of Cuckfield and Lindfield are some four kilometres apart in the Sussex Weald. Cuckfield means an open space or clearing named after a person called "Cuck", and Lindfield an open space or clearing where Linden (Lime) trees grow.4 The Weald was once an unbroken forest that stretched for one hundred and fifty miles east to west across southern England between the North and South Downs. Iron ore was mined in the forest and smelted on site by charcoal burners, a method that helped to sustain the forest. It provided the metal for weaponry that attracted the Roman invasion.5

At the end of the fifteenth century the blast furnace was invented which revolutionised the smelting process.6 The trees of the forest provided the fuel and the forest was rapidly depleted because no sustainable process of replanting was undertaken. By the 18th century the industry died leaving only a landscape imprinted with the ruins of this industrious activity, created by the desire for power and wealth.

On 21st September 1841 the London to Brighton railway was opened and travel across the muddy Weald became easier.7 It had taken three years to build. The landowners of Cuckfield and Lindfield had refused to allow the railway on their land and the compromise was to allow it to cross the uninhabited heath-land between the villages, called Haywards Heath. ‘Dick Turpin’s Cottage’ gave it an aura of criminality.8 It developed a cattle market, ostentatious homes for rich businessmen who commuted to London and a thriving service community. Today it has 30,000 inhabitants with a further 20,000 people in the surrounding villages. It remains primarily a semi-rural commuter town. The market has been replaced by a supermarket.

ChicagoThe uninhabited marshy land where Chicago stands today on the shores of Lake Michigan in north central America was called Checagou by the local ‘First Nation’ tribes after a wild onion that grew profusely there.9 The first permanent dwelling for a westerner was built in the 1770’s. By 1837 there were about four thousand inhabitants. In the 1850’s the railways arrived and stockyards were established in 1865. It became the main transhipment centre for grain and livestock from the grasslands of the mid-west for onward transfer through the Great Lakes. During the twentieth century it continued to develop as a leading transportation, commercial and industrial centre, bigger, faster and better than elsewhere. Its needs and greeds caused it to be a centre of social deprivation and criminal behaviour, epitomised ultimately by the activities of Al Capone (1899-1947).

In 1871 fire destroyed four square miles of wooden houses and 90,000 people were made homeless. This led to innovations in creative architecture and the first ever steel framed skyscraper was built there in 1885. In the next nine years twenty one buildings up to sixteen stories high were built. In 1909 Chicago outbid other leading USA cities for the world’s Colombian Exposition with the Burnham Plan, a visionary concept of city planning. This rapid economic growth meant that Chicago’s economic and social elite were able to build expensive houses on the Lake shore whilst in the city social reformers

Page 4: GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY - rotarysussex.org  · Web viewGRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY. ... Barry spent some time at Headway Hurstwood ... ‘When we speak of development the first thought

DAVID JENKINS GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY 4

worked to improve the wretched conditions of its other inhabitants. It was in that atmosphere of explosive wealth, creative planning, first class commercial organisation, abject poverty and unbridled criminality on a grand scale in a metropolitan environment that Rotary was founded.

PhilanthropyThis is defined as the spirit of goodwill towards humanity, usually in expressed in activities that promote human welfare.10 The archetypal nature of philanthropy is as old as the history of mankind. In recorded history it is known that Plato established his Academy with an endowment that lasted 900 years; the world's major religions encourage the duty of giving to help the less fortunate; in modern times many charitable Foundations have been established by wealthy individuals and families. 11

However, it is the grassroots charity of individuals and small groups to raise money for worthy projects in the community that forms the backbone of philanthropic work in the western world today.

In England the Labour Party12 emerged in 1904 combining the political energies of Kier Hardie, and Sidney and Beatrice Webb in their quest to help the destitute, to see them as human beings, not merely as human resources. In Chicago both Rotary (in 1905)13 and Lions (in 1917)14 arose as non-political organisations. They developed new social ways to help the deserving poor. Their histories can be found on their websites.SustainabilityIn examining the past there are three facets to consider in exploring sustainability, namely individual people, society locally and nationally, and the politics that govern those societies. In all sorts of ways in western society these three facets have changed remarkably over the past 100 years. The gulf between master and servant in America was fought over the role of slavery in the Civil War. The seemingly uncaring relationship one hundred years ago in the UK between man and servant is described in an ironic war poem by Siegfried Sassoon entitled "Memorial Tablet." It examines the fate and the feelings of a servant fulfilling his master’s orders whilst not being seen as a person.15

Schumacher emphasises the importance of smallness as a seminal factor in human organisation. Smallness gives the individual a chance to provide for himself and his local community. It awakens the concept of stewardship. It enacts sustainability.

"… big organisations often behave very badly, very immorally, very stupidly and inhumanely, not because the people inside them are any of these things but simply because the organisation carries the load of bigness. The people inside them are then criticised by people outside, and such criticism is of course justified and necessary, but it bears the wrong address. It is not the people of the organisation but its size that is at fault. It is like blaming a car's exhaust gases on the driver; even an angel could not drive a car without fouling the air."16

Paul HarrisPaul Harris (1868-1947)17 was born in Racine, Wisconsin, some 65 miles north of Chicago. However, he grew up in Wallingford, Vermont, a state that mythologizes the memory of the rebellious Green Mountain Boys and their leader Ethan Allen (1738-1789)18. As a frontiersman Allen led a successful citizen’s militia against New York’s claim on the land. Harris as a teenager led a gang called the ‘Rapscallions’19, successfully finding fellowship and fun boys-as-boys whilst exploring and challenging life. At the same time he was imbued with the grassroots instinct that comes with everyday family life everywhere, of mutual help and support within that community, a moral code of upright behaviour within the home, and belief that every well regulated family should have one ceremonial meal a day with discussion about the events of the day and of the future.20

Harris left Vermont to study law in New York but had to discontinue his studies after one year due to the death of his sponsor and the failure of other family members to support him. He worked to save money to pay for his tuition, passed his law exams in 1891 and then embarked on a five year poor man’s grand tour of the world, working his passage as salesman, labourer, journalist, fruit-picker, seaman, or any other menial task he could find. His travels took him to San Francisco and to London, places that were to be significant centres in his story in the future.18-21

Rotary

Page 5: GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY - rotarysussex.org  · Web viewGRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY. ... Barry spent some time at Headway Hurstwood ... ‘When we speak of development the first thought

DAVID JENKINS GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY 5

In 1896 Paul Harris settled in the palatial, newly-built utopian ‘white city’ that central Chicago had become and established his lawyer’s business, specialising in fraud. Harris was successful professionally but he was unsuccessfully socially. A quiet man, he is reported to have attended every club, every church and every ethnic group meeting in the metropolis over a period of nine years without overcoming his sense of isolation.22 A lunchtime meeting at Madame Galli’s restaurant with three small-time business acquaintances in 1905 led to another meeting and to a third. More friends and acquaintances joined them and were caught in the web of Paul Harris’ life. The foundations of a secular Club was formed, based on those New England heart-felt core values. It gained a name, Rotary, as they met in rotation in their own premises. Rules and regulations and objectives were formed with the underlying idea of supporting each other in their businesses. A mantra was expressed, ‘Service above Self’, in the belief that an organisation that is wholly selfish cannot last long. It needs to do something to justify its existence. A symbol, the wheel, was chosen signifying the grassroots agricultural origins of the first members.23 A secular organisation emerged for professionals specifically espousing professional values.*

Rotary International‘…. to have a noble dream is splendid; to find it shared by so many a nightmare.’24

Something happened to Paul Harris over the years and he appeared to have had a vision that the other members who pursued rational organisation in the Club did not have, that of growth elsewhere. Through his intuitive nature he was responsible by subterfuge in setting up a club in San Francisco in 1908 which spawned others on the west coast.25 Paul Harris dreamed of his childhood playground and found he could share that quality of man-as-boy with other players at a luncheon club whilst maintaining contact with reality. Others shared Paul Harris’ dream as their dream.

‘One way in which Rotary develops the individual is in preserving the boy in him. Deep down in the heart of every good fellow there is a boy.’26

Rotary emerged because upright businessmen wanted to share and sustain this sense of fun and fellowship from childhood in a corrupt city fearful of ‘wanted’ men. By 1911 he was a spent force, the forces of sharing becoming too much for him. He had a nervous breakdown, became president emeritus and appears to have had nothing to do with the Chicago Club thereafter.27

The growth of Rotary has run in parallel with many important technological developments. In 1906 USA became the world’s largest manufacturer of motor cars, dominated by the Ford Model T from 1908.28 In 1903 the Wright brothers made the first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina for 12 seconds.29 The discovery of photography led to moving films and the cinema in 1890’s, to the silent films and to the development of Hollywood,30 where the portrayal of story became animated, emotional, powerful and violent. Thomas Edison (1847-1931)31 furthered inventions in telegraphy, the gramophone and in electric lighting which have led to important advances in communications upon which our society today is so dependent.The emergence of the cinema stirred mankind’s fantasy and imagination on celluloid. Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977)32, man-as-boy, from 1914 acted out the little tramp, a universally recognised symbol of indestructible individuality triumphing over adversity and persecution, both human and mechanical. The businessmen of Chicago Rotary One stayed with reality and the Club quickly expanded nationally and internationally. The mantra of ‘Service above Self’ encouraged Rotary’s promotion of gastronomically important allotments during the First World War.

‘The main effort, as asked for by the Secretary for War, was food conservation, and Clubs throughout the New World began to develop extensive fruit and vegetable garden allotments …. War gardens became a tremendous activity …… Chicago, home of so much agricultural innovation and mechanisation, had within two months managed to get 200,000 vacant lots fertilised and planted ….. by the end of 1918, there were more than 10 million allotment gardens coast-to-coast, many of them under Rotary supervision.’33

The Inter-war yearsThe first Rotary Club in the UK was opened in London in 191234 followed by Brighton in 1917.35 The Haywards Heath Club was formed in 1933.36 One of its first projects was to build a model village. It was the time of the Depression and many building trade workers were unemployed. The government had withdrawn a housing subsidy which meant that no new houses were likely to be built. Land was acquired and a club member, Mr H. G. Turner who was local renowned architect, designed the plans

Page 6: GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY - rotarysussex.org  · Web viewGRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY. ... Barry spent some time at Headway Hurstwood ... ‘When we speak of development the first thought

DAVID JENKINS GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY 6

which met council approval. Franklands Village was created. Overall 300 flats and houses were built in the Village which was completed just before the outbreak of the Second World War.

By the outbreak of the second world war there were 5000 Clubs in 88 countries. Such a spread had many advantages. Thus Amy Johnson, who pioneered flight from England to Australia, whose father was a Rotarian, stayed with Rotarians at every stop-over.37 Strong links were forged with the scouting movement38 and the 4-Way Test39 emerged as an easily remembered Club ethical code encapsulating a moral standard at work advertising truth, fairness, goodwill, friendship and benefit to all as a counter to corruption and unprofessional conduct. Paul Harris re-emerged in 1928 in an ambassadorial role. Travelling initially to South America he spent the next eight years visiting Clubs throughout the world.40 Many did not know that he even existed.During the inter-war years Hollywood took fantasy and imagination as its genre whilst totalitarian regimes taught fanaticism. They lost fellowship and laughter because they could not laugh at themselves whilst fearing that others were laughing at them. Rotary Clubs disappeared by name in war time but survived by subterfuge, by care and kindness, and by maintaining fellowship because they could, like Charlie Chaplin, laugh at themselves triumphing over adversity and persecution. Regimes died and revolutions failed because in seeking power, they killed fun and fellowship. These qualities survived in others and were sustained underground.

After the Second World War disbanded Rotary Clubs re-formed and extended to deal with the realities of everyday living. Paul Harris’ memorial is the Foundation programme. The memory of Rotary’s foundation records a quiet unassuming man who wanted no power for himself and who shared and is still sharing his heart, stirring a principle of responsible conviviality in the individual breast of everyman. Because of this Rotary is not a cult but represents an archetypal power. The representatives of the energies of universal good and human evil that run in parallel in this essay, Paul Harris and Al Capone, died within two days of each other in 1947.41

THE PRESENT

How Times Change

Page 7: GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY - rotarysussex.org  · Web viewGRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY. ... Barry spent some time at Headway Hurstwood ... ‘When we speak of development the first thought

DAVID JENKINS GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY 7

In 1900: A father waited for the doctor to tell him when the baby arrived.Today: A father must wear a gown, know how to breathe, and make sure the film is in the

video camera.1

There is a considerable literature encompassing Rotary and its history, the reasons for developing its objectives, and aspects of change. In order to give clarity to its meaning at grassroots level, the following section seeks to illustrate the objectives of Rotary by using extracts taken from the in-house monthly Gazette, the newsletter of the Cuckfield and Lindfield Club. The objectives in their present form were finally agreed in 1935 and have not been altered since.2

The object of Rotary is:

To encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and in particular, to encourage and foster:

First: The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for serviceFellowship is the natural order in any small community. It is what sustains it. Club walks replicate the playful atmosphere that country life gave to Paul Harris. These walks have become well-established affirmed fixtures in the Club calendar. The Sussex Weald and Downland provides a wonderful variety of lovely countryside to explore. They normally last couple of hours, regularly exercising several black dogs. The walkers enjoy Sunday lunch at the end of the walk. The list of pubs visited tells of the density of village public houses in this countryside.3

That celebratory meal where discussion is one of the dishes on the menu was an essential part of that vision held by Paul Harris. The fun idea of a ‘running meal’ much loved by some younger members in a different life, whereby guests and hosts change with each course, has not been taken up by the Club for safety and sedentary reasons. Instead the concept of ‘slow food’ at one house as a supper party tickles the palate, tweaks the heartstrings and binds enduring friendships for the couples who participate.

The importance of this fellowship is described by a past president of the Club, Derek Hopkins. In his autobiography To Stroke a Cheetah he writes

" The fun and fellowship to be derived from being a Rotarian is immense and also the support of fellow members during times of crisis is a wonderful benefit as I can testify………… I had occasion to be hospitalised for a quadruple coronary bypass. During that time neither Mella or myself had to drive back and forth to Brighton, as transport was provided every day by various members of the Club. This was a great help as Mella dislikes driving in Brighton and I was able to relax in the knowledge that Mella’s needs were being well looked after, which I am sure greatly speeded my recovery."4

Second: High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society

The pressure for Extension by the District and National organisations in 1984 caused considerable difficulties for the parent club in Haywards Heath at the time, which was a lunchtime Club. The aim was to recruit to an evening Club equal numbers of local professionals, local retailers and local commuters and this was achieved with an inaugural membership of 30 Rotarians. Having adopted the constitution and so the aims and spirit of Rotary, the purpose of the new Club was to be creative in their application. It was decided at an early stage to establish an international connection, to create an Inner Wheel, to set up archives and to publish a monthly bulletin as the main means of communication with details of committee meetings, and to establish by competition a name for the Club. It sought to have the wives involved as much as possible and the Club set a precedent by having wives present at the inaugural Charter Night.

Ethical standards and professionalism can be demonstrated through the Foundation activities of a Club. This Club has been heavily involved in the Group Study Exchange (GSE) programme, providing three leaders over the years, Jon Martin, a housing trust manager, Alan Hancock, a vintage car restorer, and John Davey a retired headmaster. It is a programme that seeks to recognise the worthiness of others at the beginning of their careers through the mentoring skills of established Rotarians. It shows its

Page 8: GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY - rotarysussex.org  · Web viewGRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY. ... Barry spent some time at Headway Hurstwood ... ‘When we speak of development the first thought

DAVID JENKINS GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY 8

strengths through team selection, through preparation and through developing relationships as described by John Davey:-

‘During the course of the preparatory meetings attention was given to the following topics: General purpose of GSE and individual objectives Travel documentation Design and production of Banners and Visiting cards Public speaking skill development Delegation of responsibility among team members

‘Each member of the team undertook to prepare two short presentations - one covering his or her occupation and work environment, and the other covering the area in which he or she lived and the day-to-day life of the community. Each presentation was supported by slides and (one member of the team) applied his skills to incorporate them into a series of PowerPoint files that are then burned onto a CD-Rom …..

‘One of the fascinating aspects of the Rotary Foundation’s GSE program is that each exchange visit is a unique experience for those who participate whether as team members, team leader or as host. It is therefore impossible - and probably meaningless - to make any attempt to draw comparison with what has happened previously. Suffice it to say, perhaps, that this was a GSE visit that was full of fun and laughter, full of light-hearted teasing about the cultural differences that emerged between England and Australia, full of new experiences, full of educational benefit and - most importantly - full of opportunities to make new and lasting friendships.’5

The issue of Paul Harris Fellowship's has long been a bone of contention in this Club. It has been felt that they had been awarded elsewhere too freely as a rite of passage in response to materialism and consumerism, so diminishing their ethical and professional value.

‘The Paul Harris Fellowship matter has now been put to bed. We have had a robust debate, with strong views expressed on each side. In the end the Club voted overwhelmingly to support the motion that the Club should award Paul Harris Fellowships from time to time ………..’6

It promptly awarded a Fellowship to the headmistress of the Court Meadow School for children with severe learning difficulties, the Club’s main charity over the past three years, in appreciation of the highly professional way in which she runs the school.

In 2002 at the San Antonio Convention, Malcolm Wykes received a certificate from the RI Chairman complimenting the Club’s outstanding website.7 This award represents another example of the way professionalism has developed and advanced over the past few years. It involves the ability of seeing and responding to a new opportunity, developing it and mastering it. It then has to be shared with others and maintained. Its use involves a new form of discipline and teaching.

‘An e-mail address first appeared in the Club Members Directory in 1996, and two more were added the following year. After something of a slow start in the remaining 1990s there has more recently been quite an upsurge in the number of Club members going online. In fact the current proportion is probably in the region of three-quarters of the Club, so we are now making giant strides in the use of information technology. Or so it would seem ….. in e-mail and web publishing. We have a couple of very powerful tools for communication, both within the club among our own membership, and outside it, bringing our wares to the notice of a much wider public ….. like golf e-mail has its own etiquette ….’8

He then goes on to teach the rules of computer courtesy which include acknowledgement of any email sent, using extracts of a message in reply where relevant, avoidance of sloppy composition and looking in the mailbox daily. After all we complain if the postman does not come on time. In addition it is wise to have a good antivirus programme and to update software regularly to maintain professional and ethical standards.

Third: The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian's personal, business and community life.

Page 9: GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY - rotarysussex.org  · Web viewGRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY. ... Barry spent some time at Headway Hurstwood ... ‘When we speak of development the first thought

DAVID JENKINS GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY 9

It is this ideal that draws people today towards Rotary membership. That ideal can be maintained through the supportive activities within the Club, through the dynamism stimulated by sharing ideas and carrying them out, and by the friendships that develop between members and their families over the years. Many of the activities involve supporting children and their helpers. One of the Club's prime charities is the previously mentioned Court Meadow School.

‘Our first major project (this year) is a community service one - the new patio at Court Meadow. It is a big undertaking and requires an estimated 34 man days of effort. Practical service makes a welcome change from fundraising ……….. it is really good fun, the repartee that flies around gets worse by the hour and the session in the pub is necessary to reinforce the virtuous feeling of being one step nearer heaven that undertaking a good work engenders.’9

The team was led by Brian Davey, an architect, using his professional knowledge with design and materials, with the remainder of the building team exercising their muscles. To start this project the Club raised £9300 through its darts marathon event. The project team visited local pubs and clubs in the Mid Sussex area and recruited 30 teams of darts players. There were ladies teams, mens teams, and mixed teams, each of six people who undertook to throw darts at the board rapidly and continuously for one hour with the objective of scoring as many points as they could. Cash prizes were awarded to teams that obtain the highest sponsorship, and score the highest number of points. Rotary teams of four used their professional skills in counting, refereeing and socialising at each venue. It was a whole Club activity spread over a period of three months. Fundraising activities raise money but more importantly bring a sense of fellowship between Rotarians and the community.

‘When Val West saw the article in The Mid Sussex Leader last October she immediately contacted us and asked to put two teams in for the annual Charity Darts Marathon run by the Rotary club of Cuckfield and Lindfield. The family is heavily into darts, including son Barry who, five years ago at the age of 19, was severely injured in a motoring accident resulting in him becoming tetraplegic. That did not stop him playing darts ….. with a specially made blowpipe which is fitted to his wheelchair …. Barry spent some time at Headway Hurstwood Park, Newick, which is also supported by the Rotary club …. despite having their own family difficulties, the West’s generously donated the proceeds of their efforts to the Rotary Charity which is Court Meadow School, Cuckfield, for children with severe learning difficulties. After the Marathon the family played a friendly match against Rotarians; needless to say the latter were thrashed. Many thanks to a great sporting family.’10

Fourth: The advancement of international understanding, goodwill and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.

Since Paul Harris’ death the growth in Rotary has been about consolidating and refining the strengths and tackling the weaknesses of the organisation. In 1978-9 ‘Service above Self’ crystallised in the 3-H programme - health, hunger and humanity, which reminded members of the needs of others.11

The Club has been involved in international affairs at local, district and national levels as well as globally. Links have been forged with three Clubs, Laval Ambrose Pare in France, Karlstadt Arnstein in southern Germany and in 2003 with Novi Sad in Serbia.

The Club’s attitude to international affairs is summarised by President Elect David Wilson’s speech to the Rotary club of Novi Sad on the Club’s inaugural visit in May 2003. He said

‘Thank you for your warm welcome. It is a great pleasure for us to be here. We had enjoyed learning about the people and history of your region; exploring your interesting city; enjoying your beautiful countryside; experiencing your wide and varied culture

‘Rotary is a wonderful organisation which knows no barriers. Its members are caring, responsible people of ability who can reach out to each other in the service of humanity. Borders are no barriers, politics are put aside, service through friendship is our sole objective.

Page 10: GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY - rotarysussex.org  · Web viewGRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY. ... Barry spent some time at Headway Hurstwood ... ‘When we speak of development the first thought

DAVID JENKINS GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY 10

‘The Rotary Club of Cuckfield and Lindfield as a very international outlook. We have had many exchange visits with Clubs in France and Germany. We have hundreds of banners from clubs all over the world which members have visited over the past 20 years.

‘For many years we have had the "Iron Curtain" between us and we all lived under the threat of the "Cold War". More recently we watched with consternation as your country suffered a period of great pain.

‘We are here because we want to deepen our understanding by personal contact. We want to compare our lives and our Rotary activities so that we may learn from each other. Above all we want to make new friends and enjoy a wonderful fellowship that exists throughout Rotary. This group is proud to represent our club and we wish to give you these pictures of our two villages as well as our club banner.’12

For many members it is the international connection that provides the ultimate stimulation in fellowship, making membership so worthwhile. David Wilson tells the following story:-

"A week after the opening Charter Night of the Club in 1984 I was in Chicago on business. I asked at the hotel reception desk whether there was a Rotary Club meeting nearby. He said there was one a couple of blocks away from hotel and I went along and found they had a meeting that night. I asked whether I could attend and I was put on a table where they were a number of other visitors. There was a very large audience. At the appropriate time the President asked us to present ourselves. When my turn came I explained that our Club’s initial Charter Night was the previous week. With that the President asked me to come up to the top table where he presented me with the Club’s banner with the words ‘From the oldest Club to the youngest Club, welcome’. On it was written ‘ Rotary One.”13

Ever since, Club members travelling abroad have exchanged banners. The Club displays its collection of regalia at every meeting.

THE FUTURE

How Times ChangeIn 1900: Fathers could count on children to join the family business.

Page 11: GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY - rotarysussex.org  · Web viewGRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY. ... Barry spent some time at Headway Hurstwood ... ‘When we speak of development the first thought

DAVID JENKINS GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY 11

Today: Fathers pray their kids will stay home from college long enough to teach them how to work the computer and the video.1

Grassroots AcquaintanceIn the year of his death, though he did not know it, Paul Harris ranked high on the short list of twenty for the Nobel Prize for Peace.2

During his travels in the inter-war years he would give ‘Trees of Friendship’3 to his hosts and that was often reciprocated. He would take guests round his home garden at Comely Bank, Chicago, showing the trees that had been gifted to him. Each one was labelled with the name of the donor. 4 This was his way of remembering the lasting gift of fellowship and remembering the countryside of his youth. Making friends was what sustained him. Sustainable development is the most important issue for the future survival of this planet and its flora and fauna, including the human race, as we know it. This is supported as current archetypal thinking by the award on 8 th October 2004 of the Nobel Peace Prize to Professor Wangari Maathai ‘for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace’.5

A Kenyan, she received a western education, qualified as a veterinary surgeon, established the Green Belt Movement, is now an MP, and is Kenya’s assistant environment minister. She became the first African woman to receive

‘The award (which) recognises an effort which began in 1977 when she walked into the ministry of forests in Nairobi and asked for 15m tree seedlings to stop soil erosion, provide fuel and improve the lot of the poorest communities …. her award, for promoting ecologically viable social, economic and cultural development in Kenya and in Africa, was welcomed as recognition of African women's efforts to improve their lives and the importance of grass-roots environmental initiatives … she is a leader whose example should inspire us all, especially the women and children of Africa, who shoulder so much of the continent’s burden of poverty, conflict and environmental degradation …. "we are overwhelmed by experts who sap confidence. People [have been made to] believe they are ignorant, inexperienced, incapable and backward. The idea of setting up the Green Belt Movement is to create local expertise to create confidence."’6

Ethical considerations‘Paul was a good lawyer …… who held “that the practice of law is a trust relationship of the highest possible order”’7

The Nobel prize was established in 1901 in the will of another philanthropist, Alfred Bernhard Nobel (1833-1896), a Swedish chemist and inventor. It is ironic that his legacy is dynamite which is so misused today by the wrong people, the environmental and social terrorists. The bulk of his estate established prizes of merit in chemistry, medicine and physiology, literature and world peace.8

Rotary has a philosophy of helping causes that have a major impact on the community. Its members have had an influence on policies world-wide aimed at the well-being of all people. The Rotary International website timeline for 1945 states

‘In a series of meetings between 1943 and 1945 a group of Rotarians participated in the early formation of the United Nations. At the 1945 UN Charter Conference, Rotary International is given adviser status and Rotarian observers provide a variety of services at this pivotal meeting, including translating and settling disputes among delegates.’9

Through the development of its PolioPlus campaign, Rotary has demonstrated its ability and its determination as an international organisation to follow through a world-wide campaign in partnership with other organisations for the benefit of all children in the world. In the process it has met with political, social and community difficulties which have attempted to thwart that campaign. It has demonstrated flexible thinking and statesmanship to enable it to overcome those difficulties. Its aim was to eradicate polio worldwide by 2005 and that end-point is almost here.10 There is a need to consider a new campaign.

Bjorn Lomborg11 provides a synopsis of current thinking on environmental matters by the world’s top economists together with some eighty graduate and post-graduate students from the generation who are most likely to produce the next world leaders. Their conclusion was that implementing the Kyoto Agreement would cost $150 billion dollars and would delay global warming by only six years. In comparison it would cost $27 billion for a comprehensive programme to prevent AIDS, saving over 28 million lives; £13 billion would halve the incidence of malaria by the use of mosquito nets and

Page 12: GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY - rotarysussex.org  · Web viewGRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY. ... Barry spent some time at Headway Hurstwood ... ‘When we speak of development the first thought

DAVID JENKINS GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY 12

medication; tackling hunger and disease with water and agricultural technology is not priced; establishing free trade would have a low cost and would provide benefits of $2,400 billion a year. This fits well with Rotary’s 3-H programme of health, hunger and humanity.12

‘Rotary’s priorities seem to be about right. ….. Maybe we can’t tackle AIDS the disease. But we could combine the key elements of Hope & Homes, Water Aid and Send a Cow to establish independent, enterprising and sustainable communities of young people who could change the future of the world.’13

However, there is a deeper problem. Rotary during the 20th Century has been founded on the collective wealth gained from profit of industries involved in processing agricultural and marine products for food, the mining of minerals for industrial and cosmetic reasons, and from fossil fuels primarily for energy production. The negative effect of this has been the uneven distribution of wealth and power, pollution of the environment and the depletion of the land of its power. Unless firm action is taken, the nightmare scenario is that there will be no living flora and fauna left in the world. Specifically there will be no members left alive to maintain Rotary Clubs.

‘When we speak of development the first thought evoked by the word is development of the people. It is an anthropocentric concept. The work carried out by governmental and non-governmental agencies is at best addressed to the alleviating condition of the poor and oppressed. But James Lovelock, a scientist, pays homage to Gaia and speaks for the rights of micro- and macro-organisms. He stands up for bacteria and the butterflies. In his view, rivers have rights to flow and remain unpolluted, rocks have rights to stand where they are, forests have rights to be free of the chainsaw and human intervention. For Lovelock, Earth acts as if it were a living organism, maintaining its life forms, its climate, its seasons and weather patterns as a self sustaining, self organising and self-correcting system……. Gaia theory challenges the view that the natural world should be conserved, protected and managed as a resource for human use ….(it)….. suggests that the appropriate attitude is reverence for the Earth itself.’14

That statement forms the basis of the argument of this essay. Preserving the planet cannot be costed yet everything that humans take from the planet has a price and has an outcome. Humans act economically as if they are isolated from the rest of the planet and do not recognise that they are interconnected with everything in it, on it and around it. A variety of international conferences have attempted to find common agreed human solutions only to meet an unwillingness to agree, implement or monitor the agreed solution. One example of this is with the Kyoto Protocol on carbon dioxide production which comes into effect on 2nd February 2005.15 Resolving these problems and fundamentally changing our attitude, our awareness, and our intention toward resources, is the single most important issue for the 21st century. There is a need to educate ourselves about sustainability and its implications.

The Skeptical Environmentalist16 makes no reference to Gaia Theory or James Lovelock. As Christmas approaches it should be remembered that the red and white figure of Father Christmas is an ageless ‘shamanic’ figure representing humankind’s intimate relationship with the gifts of the earth whilst the Christian festival celebrates the gift of human relationship. Reflect upon what Christmas costs financially today and how so many miss the reverence of the occasion.

Corporate Social Responsibility‘…… Chicago….. thinks in perverse pride of itself as the town of Al Capone. Few Chicagoans have ever heard of the lawman from Racine.’17

Companies continue to make profits for their shareholders and have no obligation, moral or otherwise, about the effect of their business in the wider world. Over the past twenty years the words ‘sustainability’ and ‘corporate social responsibility (CSR)’ have become buzz-words that have been taken up by the major environmental agencies and global organisations. The British government appointed the world’s first minister for CSR in March 2000. One author believes that corporations should have a social responsibility for the effect of their trade and suggests that they should adhere to the following Code for Corporate Citizenship which should be written into their contract:-

‘Directors and officers would still have a duty to make money for shareholders ….. but not at the expense of the environment, human rights, the public safety, the communities in which the corporation operates or the dignity of its employees.’18

Page 13: GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY - rotarysussex.org  · Web viewGRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY. ... Barry spent some time at Headway Hurstwood ... ‘When we speak of development the first thought

DAVID JENKINS GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY 13

Schumacher states that industrial and technological advancement is governed by size with huge bureaucracies, giant companies and enormous factories being seen as the symbols of success. He sees them as being antihuman with people losing their identities and becoming a mere number.

‘Economics should serve the values of humanity and even the spiritual growth of human beings. In my view that cannot happen if our organisations are beyond a certain size. That is why I called my book “Small Is Beautiful."’19

This view recognises the lack of trust that exists between big business and individual people. It represents a conundrum for Rotary, an organisation founded and developed by businessmen who, in seeking fellowship, are expected to display a consistent application of ethical social responsibility. The Guardian published its fourth ‘The Giving List’ in November 2004 which makes an up-to-date assessment of CSR .20 It states that the government prefers a voluntary creative approach looking at the opportunities for CSR rather than impose duties. It sees that education, investment strategies and shareholder empowerment would enable companies to respond to human rights issues, illegal financial arrangements with corrupt governments, and support victims of corporate malpractice. Rotary as an ethical world-wide businessmen led organisation should be in a position to empower CSR. However, today there is a greater sense of CSR in young people.

Gap years, backpacking, church membership and involvement with organisations such as Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO), give young people the opportunity to travel, to become aware of needs in the countries that they visit and to carry with them a desire to continue this work in a meaningful way in the future. VSO was established in the UK in 1958. It recruits and places volunteers between the ages of 20 and 70 years to enable them to share their skills with people in developing countries and aims to help them deal with their economic, technical and educational problems. The organisation was voted International Development Charity of the Year 2004.

‘…… almost a quarter of the charity’s outgoing volunteers this year are business and management professionals helping with projects as diverse as supporting groups fighting the HIV & AIDS pandemic in Africa, to setting up micro-finance projects in Papua New Guinea ….. (its VSO Business Partnership [VBP] scheme)….. allows parent companies to release employees to take short term assignments with VSO ….. (for) a strong and properly regulated private sector is essential for sustainable development and the elimination of poverty. VSO Business Partnerships complements our own approach and recognises the important role that business has in promoting development ….. it is a triple win experience; businesses benefit from HR development and consumer credibility; individual employees gain invaluable experience and the developing world gets the skills it so urgently needs …..’21

In exploring the web site of Rotary International22, there is no linkage with the words ‘sustainability’ or ‘corporate social responsibility. The RIBI23 has seven reference links. The Corporate Responsibility Group24 lists 64 websites, including 9 charity/ voluntary sector organisations, that provide background information about CSR and community involvement. Rotary is not listed. However, a message has appeared on the RIBI website from Rotary International President Glenn E Estess Sr. dated October 2004 which shows that Rotary is recognising the issue. He says

‘During an era of corporate scandals and questionable business practices, it is essential that Rotarians maintain high ethical standards. When I visit a commercial establishment, I am always pleased when I see a Four-Way Test plaque on the wall. It tells me that the manager or owner is a Rotarian who cares about his customers. I feel a sense of trust that the job will get done well.

‘The centennial year is an ideal time to recognise business leaders who act with integrity and responsibility. This year, we have established the Rotary Centennial Service Award for Professional Excellence to recognise non-Rotarians for exceptional professional achievement consistent with the ideals of Rotary. We are looking to recognise those community leaders who have demonstrated high ethical standards, achieved professional distinction and trained or mentored others in their field.’25

Slow FoodNobody is more influential than a sceptic with a dream and a healthy appetite. Nothing is more weakening than the nightmare of having no food. In the West, the Slow Food Movement 26 grew as a

Page 14: GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY - rotarysussex.org  · Web viewGRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY. ... Barry spent some time at Headway Hurstwood ... ‘When we speak of development the first thought

DAVID JENKINS GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY 14

specific response to the opening of a fast food McDonald's outlet in one of Rome's most historic squares. The rapscallion grassroots protest came from a group concerned about mass produced food, its reliance on intensive methods of agriculture, and the potential loss of delicacies. Local Italian gastronomic delights embody the flavour of local soils and are the stock of a peasant culture that lives in close harmony with nature.

‘Today, the grassroots activities of the Movement are being bolstered by the creation of the Foundation for Biodiversity and by the advocacy of a new model of sustainable agriculture that focuses upon products of quality and the contributors to environmental, nutritional, cultural and local economic value; small farmers are respected as "earth artisans"; consumers, as citizens who have basic human rights to enjoy life's simplest pleasures - through the shared act of eating and through their landscapes.27

Communication‘….we all understand one language – that which is spoken by our hearts….’28

One of the legacies of Paul Harris was his recognition that some people lacked the understanding and goodwill to be other than strangers to one another. He wanted to do something to heal that communication divide. Over one hundred years it has been possible to witness the ways in which communication barriers have come down. Writing this essay has been helped in part by talking to members of the Club and by reading the Gazette to get their stories and views. It has been aided by the use of the latest communication advance, the internet.

Rotary International, RIBI and Districts appear to have good informative websites. Some Clubs like the Cuckfield & Lindfield Club also have good websites. The expectation for the future is that all young professionals will be adept in the use of computers and will conduct all Rotary business through them. Apart from encouraging more Club members to become skilled in their use, the next challenge is in the use of the conferencing facility they offer. This is widely used in business now and organisations such as Open University are beginning to conduct their education courses by this means. Rotary members need to be aware of this facility to save travel, to reduce the paper load and to be aware of the tools used by young people applying for Foundation programmes

‘Group working is becoming an increasingly important element of many higher education courses, partly because it is also increasingly the way the workplace is organised. Employers look for evidence of group-working skills. It has a sound educational basis too; educationalists believe that group working tends to promote deeper understanding of a subject and better critical thinking …..’29

Communication has been affected by the development of film and of television. Media studies is now a popular choice of study at school. The vocational opportunities from that style of training encourages self-expression, extraverted behaviour, and professional development that encompasses style and presentation.

Given the amount of money that it raised, many see that Rotary should be run on business lines with appropriate marketing, research and development, and public relations skills to give a positive message to the general public. The most common complaints within the Club are that nobody knows about Rotary; it is seen as a group of old fuddy-duddy’s; the only pictures and articles seen in the local press are of large cheques being handed from Rotary to another organisation with an accompanying script; there is never anything in the national press; nobody knows about the role of Rotary in PolioPlus. It has to compete with many professionally run charities which are skilled in the business approach of raising money. Rotary Twelve Fifty News, Rotary and The Rotarian are all important in-house publications. There is a need to find a way through the public relations channel to disseminate information to the wider public about the activities of Rotary. To this end District 1250 has been given a national grant from RIBI to have a stand at the prestigious South of England agricultural show at nearby Ardingly in June 2005 and the Show’s publicity director has been helping the District prepare a dynamic public arena show.30

The Ideal of Service in the future‘Of all interests in life, none is so inexhaustible as making and studying friends’31

The perceived emphasis of the Foundation programme of Rotary is seen to be towards helping successful young people through Ambassadorial Scholarships, GSE and Youthspeaks. However, there is enormous concern about the behaviour of certain young people in the community and the lack of

Page 15: GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY - rotarysussex.org  · Web viewGRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY. ... Barry spent some time at Headway Hurstwood ... ‘When we speak of development the first thought

DAVID JENKINS GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY 15

facilities and support for them. A partnership formed by NCH, the children’s charity and ‘Churches Together in Haywards Heath and District’ started a project in 2002 called ‘Streetmate.’ Through the enthusiasm of a detached Youth Worker, Streetmate ‘aims to respond to the needs of young people aged 13-25 years within Haywards Heath and surrounding areas, to enable them to achieve their potential and live a rewarding life.’32 The youth worker leads a team of volunteers who go out into the community to wherever young people congregate to meet and talk with them. It aims to give them a voice, identify their needs, help to empower them, and deal with issues that affect them personally or as a group. The emphasis in government is to invest in educational success whilst issues affecting social development are poorly funded, methods of control are punitive, few people are trained to deal with these issues and so often they wither through lack of support. The Cuckfield & Lindfield Rotary Club is in discussion with the leaders of Streetmate to find a way in which it can support the project in the future.

International sustainable projects‘Rotary has something the world needed. Do we still have it today? Yes. Does the world still need it? Yes.’33

In the past two years the Cuckfield and Lindfield Club have been involved in three projects through speakers and donations, each of which aims to sustain people in poor communities in Asia and Africa.

The ‘Send a Cow’ project is literally a grass roots scheme which was established 15 years ago when a Ugandan bishop visited England, noted the milk surplus that existed, and then appealed to British farmers for help. A number of Christian farmers responded by sending cows to the country in a managed scheme. In all over 300 animals were sent from the UK in the period 1988-1996. The care of the cows was given to selected women who were trained in methods of husbandry, who used the manure to fertilise the land and who were able to donate a female calf to another woman.

‘Today, well over 3000 families - some 35,000 people - have directly benefited by receiving animals and training from Send a Cow or the passed-on offspring of animals we have given. These are families who have been able to feed the children, afford healthcare when they are sick, send their children to school and even university, build homes - all because of that original gift of livestock and training from Send a Cow…..’34

The Club has supported the ongoing Guildford Charity Eye Project initiated by local Rotarian eye surgeon Dr Samar Das, at Hooghly, 25 miles northwest of Calcutta, India. He found that the local eye hospital lacked essential equipment. This prevented good-quality modern surgery for cataracts, glaucoma and retinal diseases being undertaken. With the support of all clubs in this District (1250) and in other Districts, 25% of the funds required was raised. This was matched by a further 25% from Calcutta district with a 50% matching grant from Rotary International. By establishing a single vocation GSE, four eye surgeons from Calcutta and one from Nepal were able to receive further training in UK. They are now able to provide first-class treatment for eye diseases at Hooghly and train local doctors.35

The Ardingly/Old Jeshwang Association is a local charity set up by a local Public Health doctor and his midwifery wife originally to provide and sustain midwifery and child health care at Old Jeshwang township near Banjul, the capital of The Gambia in Africa. Now the remit is to provide primary health care. They have been able to raise the finance to bring the clinic up to standard, to equip it and to establish a training programme. Currently one in 12 women dies in child birth and one in five children die before their fifth birthday from the effects of malaria, malnutrition and anaemia, and from infectious diseases.

‘The Association aims to implement the World Health Organisation Mother and Baby Package for safe motherhood in Old Jeshwang and Kanifing municipal councils with the hope that it will be adopted by the whole of The Gambia in due course. The baby package is based on a number of underlying principles which have elements of primary health care …. (and aims for)….. health interventions (to) be cost-effective and sustainable.’36

As a project for the future the Club is investigating the establishment of a needed simple pathology service with the help of matching funding.

A Sustainable organisation

Page 16: GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY - rotarysussex.org  · Web viewGRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY. ... Barry spent some time at Headway Hurstwood ... ‘When we speak of development the first thought

DAVID JENKINS GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY 16

‘”The story of Rotary”, said the man who started it, “will have to be written again and again”’37

Rotary is concerned about the effect of ageing in its membership. This natural phenomena cannot be prevented. Within a Club it is not so much the age as the vitality of its members that keeps it going. For the Cuckfield and Lindfield Club there are two approaches to this. The first is to maintain a dynamic programme within one Club. The second, is to explore the possibility of establishing a new Extension in the centenary year that will recruit new members under the age of 45 years, male and female, whilst maintaining the membership size of the existing clubs locally. This essay aims to give essential background information about Rotary for prospective members.

There is a fear that the next generation are not interested in joining such an organisation. The observation is that other organisations are having difficulty in attracting membership and are withering. However, Rotary has been active for one hundred years. It has proved that it is a sustainable organisation, that is still expanding world-wide. Its twin attractions of fun and fellowship, and community service, provide its vital energy which attracts some people at a certain stage in their life.

Indeed, the essence of today's society lies in the opportunity for everyone to communicate openly and freely, to become one's own person, to be autonomous, and to achieve one's potential. Every young person wants to "party". It is a generation that has been very successful educationally yet it carries the image of living an apparent hedonistic lifestyle. It is represented as the Adrian Mole generation - he will be over 37 ¾ years old on the date of the Rotary centenary38 – and it will be in the evolutionary nature of life the next generation to be targeted for Rotary membership. It is a generation that challenges social conventions for it has come to terms with living as divorced parents, with late marriage and parenthood, with living with partners, of loving illegitimate children, of having a loss of work ethic yet having both parents working. It is a generation that has an easy going attitude to money generated through the ease of obtaining it through credit cards and mortgages. It is also a generation that has travelled the world like nomads and is respectful of changing attitudes to indigenous cultures.

An Objective for the FutureThe Dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral said in his address at a memorial service for Paul Harris

‘Paul Harris is a name which would convey nothing to the majority of this country. But what he started – Rotary is known in almost all the countries of the world.’39

There are three elements to the sustainability of Rotary into the future, retaining membership, continuing fund-raising activities, and developing a new perspective for the organisation. There are now many creative ways of raising money for charity. National lotteries make the process easy for the fundraisers and give little commitment to donor or to the money collector. National fun runs such as the London Marathon and the Northern Fun Run create a more active way with the dual purpose, for the runner to complete the course and to share with many others the joy of achievement in time and distance, and to raise money from their individual supporters for a specific personal charity. Local charities give support to a myriad of causes run by people who have a focused intent about a specific charity. Each charity creates its own fellowship which shares the purpose guiding the charity with friends and family within its community.

Rotary was founded at a time when there were few charities and many philanthropists. Today it tends to use its purpose to raise money for a number of local specific organisations. The Club gave a presentation to this year’s District Conference in October 200440 to show the way in which the interactive strands in the web of the Club’s activities worked in raising money for one charity. The project was to build a patio for Court Meadow School. This was funded from an innovative fundraising event, the Darts Marathon. The Club built the required patio using the skills, hard work and camaraderie of its members. The cycle was completed when good publicity in the local weekly newspaper was ensured through the link between the Club’s publicity officer and a journalist willing to publicise good news.

This essay proposes as a proactive policy, based on the above evidence, invoking the qualities of statesmanship at National and International level and ‘fun, fellowship and food’ at local level, that Rotary is in a position to declare its future vision through its past record by adopting a proposed fifth objective:-

Page 17: GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY - rotarysussex.org  · Web viewGRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY. ... Barry spent some time at Headway Hurstwood ... ‘When we speak of development the first thought

DAVID JENKINS GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY 17

To recognise that: Rotary is a sustainable organisation promoting sustainable projects.

Rotary is sustained by the donors of large sums of money. But it is truly sustained by qualities and attitudes that form the perspective of ‘Paul Harris Vision’, of people who are seen through the 5-S’s: stories of their culture; their self-respect; their self-determination, their sustainable development; and their spirituality which forms their relationship to their land and to their people.

The power of fear and illusion has been the fuel that has fed the images of fantasy and violence beloved by Hollywood, through corrupt gangsters and terrorists, so that even powerful governments act out the ‘power of nightmares’41 by protecting the world through the message of ‘what if …..’ However, it is sharing fun, fellowship and food at the grassroots that will always sustain others to stay in touch with reality and their dreams, staying balanced with ‘what is…..’ Through the natural rhythms of life, Rotary will flourish into the future, men-as-boys with tomboys.

Words: 9984 including title page

REFERENCES

THE PAST1. Gazette Cuckfield & Lindfield Rotary Club Gazette No. 205. August 20032. Rotary International Rotary International website. www.rotary.org (Accessed 12.11.04)3. Charter Night Cuckfield & Lindfield Rotary Club Archives4. Gelling M. Place-names in the Landscape. The Geographical roots of Britain’s place-

names. London;Phoenix Press. 1984. p.2435. Brandon P. The Sussex Landscape. London; Hodder & Stoughton, 1974. p.576. Armstrong J.R. The History of Sussex. Chichester; Phillimore, 1984 3rd edition. pp.101-1047. Oppitz L. Sussex Railways Remembered. Newbury; Countryside Books, 1987. p.88. Ford W.K. & Gabe A.C. The Metropolis of Mid Sussex. A History of Haywards Heath.

Haywards Heath; Charles Clark Ltd. 1981. pp. 1069. Chicago Microsoft ® Encarta ® Encylopaedia © 1993-1998 Microsoft Corporation.

Page 18: GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY - rotarysussex.org  · Web viewGRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY. ... Barry spent some time at Headway Hurstwood ... ‘When we speak of development the first thought

DAVID JENKINS GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY 18

See also: Encyclopaedia Britannica: Volume 16 Macropaedia. pp1-8 and Volume 3 Micropaedia pp.194-5. Chicago; Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc. 15th Edition 1995

10. Philanthropy Microsoft ® Encarta ® Encylopaedia © 1993-1998 Microsoft Corporation.11. Philanthropic Foundations Volume 9 Micropaedia. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Chicago;

Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc. 15th Edition 1995. pp.364-512. Briggs A. A Social History of England. Harmondsworth; Penguin Books Ltd.

2nd Edition 1987. p.240 & pp330-113. Lions International www.lions.org (Accessed 12.11.04)14. Cook A. America. London: British Broadcasting Corporation. 1973. pp.218-9.15. Roberts D. Minds at War. Essential Poetry of the First World War in Context. Burgess

Hill; Saxon Books. 1996. p.359. (See also Hart-Davis R. (Ed) Siegfried Sassoon: the War Poems. London: Faber & Faber. 1983.)

16. Schumacher E.F. This I Believe – and other essays. Totnes; Green Books Ltd. 1997. p.5717. Nicholl D.S. The Golden Wheel. The story of Rotary 1905 to the present.

Plymouth; MacDonald & Evans Ltd. 1984. p.1418. Ethan Allen website www.ethanallenhomestead.org19. Nicholl D.S. ibid p.1720. Nicholl D.S. ibid p.2921. Nicholl D.S. ibid pp.18-2122. Nicholl D.S. ibid p.2623. Nicholl D.S. ibid pp.34-5124. Nicholl D.S. ibid p.6525. Nicholl D.S. ibid pp.56-6226. Nicholl D.S. ibid p.22627. Nicholl D.S. ibid p.9028. Ford Microsoft ® Encarta ® Encylopaedia © 1993-1998 Microsoft Corporation.29. Wright Microsoft ® Encarta ® Encylopaedia © 1993-1998 Microsoft Corporation.30. Hollywood Microsoft ® Encarta ® Encylopaedia © 1993-1998 Microsoft Corporation.31. Edison Microsoft ® Encarta ® Encylopaedia © 1993-1998 Microsoft Corporation.32. Charlie Chaplin Microsoft ® Encarta ® Encylopaedia © 1993-1998 Microsoft Corporation.33. Nicholl D.S. ibid p.14534. Nicholl D.S. ibid pp.92-335. Nicholl D.S. ibid pp.125-636. Ford W.K. & Gabe A.C. The Metropolis of Mid Sussex. A History of Haywards Heath.

Haywards Heath; Charles Clark Ltd. 1981. pp. 13437. Nicholl D.S. ibid p.21738. Nicholl D.S. ibid pp.165-6; pp.223-22639. Nicholl D.S. ibid pp.311-240. Nicholl D.S. ibid pp.216-28741. Nicholl D.S. ibid p.474

THE PRESENT1. Gazette Cuckfield & Lindfield Rotary Club Gazette No. 205. August 20032. Nicholl D.S. ibid pp.279-2803. Gazette Cuckfield & Lindfield Rotary Club Gazette No. 213. April 20044. Hopkins D. To Stroke a Cheetah. Lancaster; Scotforth Books. 2002. p.1885. Gazette Cuckfield & Lindfield Rotary Club Gazette No. 6. Gazette Cuckfield & Lindfield Rotary Club Gazette No. 7. Wykes M. Personal communication. C&L Club website www.rotarysussex.org8. Gazette Cuckfield & Lindfield Rotary Club Gazette No. 198. January 20039. Gazette Cuckfield & Lindfield Rotary Club Gazette No. 205 August 200310. Gazette Cuckfield & Lindfield Rotary Club Gazette No. 212. March 200411. Nicholl D.S. ibid p.44312. Gazette Cuckfield & Lindfield Rotary Club Gazette No. 204. July 200313. Wilson D. Personal communication

Page 19: GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY - rotarysussex.org  · Web viewGRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY. ... Barry spent some time at Headway Hurstwood ... ‘When we speak of development the first thought

DAVID JENKINS GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY 19

THE FUTURE1. Gazette Cuckfield and Lindfield Rotary Club Gazette. No. 205 August 2003. 2. Nicholls D.S. ibid p.461 3. Nicholls D.S. ibid p.279 4. Nicholls D.S. ibid p.460 5. Nobel Peace Prize http://www.nobelprize.org/peace/laureate/2004.html (Accessed 12.11.04)6. The Guardian The Guardian Saturday 9th October 2004.

See http://www.guardian.co.uk/archivesearch/wangarimaathai.html(Accessed 12.11.04)

also ` Green Belt Movement http://www.greenbeltmovement.org(Accessed 12.11.04)

7. Nicholls D.S. ibid p455 8. Nobel A.B. Microsoft ® Encarta ® Encylopaedia © 1993-1998 Microsoft Corporation.9. Rotary International http://www.rotary.org/centennial/timeline/1945.html (Accessed 12.11.04)10. Rotary International http://www.rotary.org/foundation/polioplus.html (Accessed 12.11.04)11. Gazette Cuckfield & Lindfield Rotary Club Gazette No. 220. November 2004

Based on Sunday Times article 10 th October 2004‘Save the World: Forget about global warming’ by Bjorn Lomborg.

12. Nicholls D.S. ibid p443 13. Gazette Cuckfield and Lindfield Rotary Club Gazette. No. 220 November 2004. 14. Kumar S. ‘Development and Religion’. Resurgence No.227

November/December 2004. p2015. Kyoto Agreement http://www.unfccc.int/resource/docs/convkp/kpeng/html

(Accessed 12.11.04)See also http://wikipedia.org/wiki/kyotoprotocol.html (Accessed 12.11.04)

16. Lomborg B. Skeptical Environmentalist. Cambridge; Cambridge University Press. 2001. 17. Nicholls D.S. p.4118. Hinkley R. ‘Twenty-six words to save the planet.’ Resurgence No. 213

July 2002. p24-2619. Schumacher E.F. This I Believe – and other essays. Totnes; Green Books Ltd. 1997. p.920. The Guardian The Giving List 2004. Published in The Guardian 8 November 2004

See http://SocietyGuardian.co.uk/givinglist.html (Accessed 12.11.04)21. VSO Voluntary Services Overseas.

See http://www.vso.org/volunteering/business..html (Accessed 12.11.04)22. Rotary International http://www.rotary.org (Accessed 12.11.04)23. RIBI Rotary International in Great Britain & Ireland website

http://www.rotary-ribi.org/csr.html (Accessed 12.11.04)24. CRG Corporate Responsibility Group http://www.crguk.org/csr/links.asp

25. Estess G.R. http://www.rotary-ribi.org/6_news/ripres_messages/ripres 2004.html(Accessed 12.11.04)

Also printed in Rotary Magazine October 2004 p.3226. Slow Food International http://slowfood.com (Accessed 12.11.04)27. Fogarty W. Slow Food. Resurgence No. 225 July/August 2004. pp10-1128. Nicholls D.S. ibid p.32929. Open University Start Writing Plays. Course Guide. Miltonn Keynes; Open University. p.17

http://open.ac.uk/pc4study/pages/why_courses_use_online_conferencing.htm(Accessed 12.11.04)

30. Nightingale Peter personal communication – talk to C&L Club by District President 12.10.0431. Nicholls D.S. ibid p46032. Streetmate Talk given by Jenni Addison entitled ‘Streetmate Youth Project’ to

Cuckfield & Lindfield Rotary Club 24.08.04.See http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/Kandksavage/streetmt.html

(Accessed 12.11.04)33. Nicholls D.S. ibid p.473 34. Send-a-Cow see website http://wwwsendacow.org.uk/howitallbegan.html

(Accessed 12.11.04)

Page 20: GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY - rotarysussex.org  · Web viewGRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY. ... Barry spent some time at Headway Hurstwood ... ‘When we speak of development the first thought

DAVID JENKINS GRASSROOTS PHILANTHROPY 20

35. Samar Das eye camp www.rotarianseyecarefellowship.org (Accessed 13.10.04)36. Ardingly/Old Jeshwang Association www.aoja.supanet.com (Accessed 14.10.04)37. Nicholls D.S. ibid p.538. Townsend S. Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction

London; Michael Joseph. 200439. Nicholls D.S. ibid p.47440. Gazette Cuckfield and Lindfield Rotary Club Gazette. No. 220 November 2004

Also presented to the Club at business meeting on 19.10.0441.Power of Nightmares http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/programmes/3970901.stm

(Accessed 12.11.04)Three part series entitled 1. Those with the darkest fears become the most powerful 2. The phantom victory 3. Shadows in the Cave. References taken from programme 3.