Volume 2, Issue 9 – March 2013

1. Rotary & Literacy

2. Governor’s Letter

3. Membership

Matters

4. Notables

5. Rotary & Literacy

Continued

6. Governor’s Message

Continued

7. Celebrate in Lisbon

Rotary District 5340

Monthly Newsletter

Rotary and Literacy

In 1985, Rotary declared basic literacy to be a pre-condition to the development of peace. Through this organizational emphasis, more than half the world’s 34,000 Rotary clubs address the full range of literacy challenges for primary, vocational, and adult learners as well as teacher training. Many Rotary club members promote what is termed "lighthouse" literacy projects – which utilize the Concentrated Language Encounter method (CLE) – those that can be replicated easily, thereby increasing the scope of their impact. Lighthouse literacy projects have been created for formal schooling, older children who are not in school, functionally illiterate adults (particularly women), special groups, and teacher’s training. The

purpose of these projects is to inspire, guide and support national authorities toward alleviating mass illiteracy in developing countries. In Thailand, for example, the “lighthouse” literacy effort has been so successful that the government adopted it as a national program. Similar literacy initiatives have been sponsored by Rotary clubs in Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, and South Africa.

Continued on page 5

Page 2

Governor’s Message

“As a District, we can be proud of our efforts to make literacy one

of our most important community efforts.” Dick Stevens, District

Governor

Greetings Fellow Rotarians,

March is Literacy Month. We have some wonderful programs for Literacy in our District. This year, 28

clubs will participate in the Third Grade Dictionary Project. Rotarians distribute about 17,000

dictionaries, reaching about one half of all third graders in our District. We’d like to reach more

children, so if your club does not participate, please consider it. We offer dictionaries in both English

and Spanish-English. Children entering the third grade generally have mastered basic reading and

math and are primed to expand upon what they have learned. Third graders are beginning to make

more use of reference books, and that makes our Dictionary Project an excellent fit for this age group.

We also just completed our 2012-13 Rotary International public image campaign. Our theme again

this year was literacy. You probably saw “Gear up for Literacy” on billboards and taxi cab tops in and

around San Diego. We had over 900 responses to our websites from viewers who wanted to know

more about Rotary. This positive public image helps show who we are, what we do and what we

believe in.

Continued on page 6

Page 3

In the early years of Rotary, the growth of our organization was phenomenal. From one club with just

four members we grew in a matter of decades to an organization of 1.2 million members in over

34,000 clubs. From the very beginning, Rotary has never had a problem with attracting new

members. The problem, right from the start, often has been with keeping them. Of the first four

members of the Rotary Club, two left. And, even today, Rotary attracts about 120,000 new members

each year - the same number it loses. If we could find a way to keep all of those new members in

Rotary, our growth today would rival our growth in the days of Paul Harris - and our organization

would be capable of so much more.

Identifying the barriers to membership growth is the first step; overcoming them is the second. In

order to proceed effectively, we must have information on which to act, and this means talking openly

and honestly with our members. Why did each of them come to Rotary, and what were they seeking?

Have they found what they came for?

Rotarians decide whether or not to remain in Rotary based on their own equation of value versus cost.

What do they get out of Rotary membership, and what does it cost them, in terms of resources, time

away from work and family and other responsibilities? Our goal must be ensuring that Rotary always

gives it members more than it demands - the satisfaction of Rotary service always outweigh its cost. If

we can achieve this, then our future will be bright indeed.

John Hewko

General Secretary, Rotary International

Membership Matters

Page 4

Affinity Clubs

By: Larry Sundram

District 5340 has submitted applications for the

creation of two new Rotary clubs. The first is the

Rotary Club of Solana Beach Ecological and the second

is the Rotary Club of North San Diego County-Route

78. Both of these proposed clubs would be known as

“affinity clubs”, and have a membership with shared

interests/passions. Here are examples of existing

affinity clubs:

Military Clubs (Camp Pendleton, Miramar,

Naval Base, etc.)

New Generations Clubs (San Diego Coastal,

Mission Valley Sunset)

Ethnic Clubs (African American - El Cajon

Sunset and Southeast San Diego), Filipino -

Paradise Valley) and Asian (Convoy)

In parts of the United States there are clubs with

memberships that are pre-dominantly Japanese, Thai,

Korean, etc. Outside the US, there are English-

speaking clubs in countries where the predominant

languages are Chinese, Spanish, etc.

Our two newest clubs will be English-speaking but each has a special “affinity”. The members of the Ecological Rotary club of Solana Beach share in interest in making their community more ecologically pristine by following green practices. The members of the North San Diego County Route 78 club are

predominantly (but not exclusively) of Hispanic origin.

All Rotary Clubs are required to adopt the same

Standard Rotary Club Constitution which prescribes

rules for membership, attendance and other familiar

Rotary practices.

Notables

Different Types of Rotary Clubs - One Size Does Not Fit All

Low Dues Clubs

Some clubs have opted to have low

dues to attract and retain

membership. Here are a few

examples:

Camp Pendleton - $106 a

year - no food;

Rotary E-Club of the United

Services - $125 a year - no

food;

Coronado Binational - $125

a year - no food

Time of Day Clubs

Often clubs make a determination on

the time of day to meet in order to

attract and retain membership. Here

are a few examples:

Clubs that meet at lunch

time - San Diego, Escondido,

La Mesa Noon, Santee-

Lakeside, etc.

Clubs that meet at

breakfast - La Jolla Sunrise,

La Mesa Sunrise, Bonsall, etc.

Clubs that meet for dinner -

Carlsbad.

Page 5

Rotary and Literacy continued

Early Childhood Literacy and Primary Education Early literacy training is critical to the success of a child's later education. Rotarians work with children, parents, and educators to encourage and build reading skills at an early age. In 2004, Rotary clubs in Brazil established Educafé, a primary school for the children of coffee farmers in a remote part of Bahia State. Previously, 80 percent of local children had not attended school or received regular meals. The school provides education, meals, uniforms, transportation, books, supplies, and preventive health care for nearly 80 children.

Adult Literacy Programs Many adults in both the developed and developing world lack the skills they need to hold a job or perform basic tasks required by everyday life. The hardships caused by illiteracy, from the difficulty

in finding employment to the constant pressure to cover it up, often lead to a host of other problems. In Turkey, nearly 10,000 adults – 95 percent of whom are Kurdish Turkish women – have participated in Rotary’s CLE programs, where they acquire basic literacy skills and vocational training. Similarly, Rotary members in Egypt have managed a CLE program that has provided nearly 5,000 students with basic literacy skills, reproductive health education, and sewing instruction.

Literacy and Women Because girls do not have access to education in many parts of the world, the illiteracy rate among women exceeds that of men. Studies of illiteracy rates in low-income countries have shown a 20 percent difference between the genders.

In 2008 the New Zabuli Education Center, a free year-round school located 30 miles outside of Kabul, Afghanistan, opened for girls who were not educated under the Taliban. Funded and organized by a United States Rotary club, the center has enrolled 200 children, ages 4-15, and classes for adult women are planned. In Jalalabad, the Rotary Club of La Jolla Golden Triangle, San Diego, Calif. USA, has supported numerous educational initiatives for girls and young women, from elementary school

through the university level.

Page 6

Governor’s Message Continued

‘s M

Several Clubs sponsor reading projects where Rotarians read to children in area schools. I spoke

with three who love the experience. Dick Trancone of the Rotary Club of San Diego reads every

Thursday morning at Caesar Chavez Elementary - this year to fifth graders. He says he looks

forward to each Thursday morning because he always leaves with a great feeling of fulfillment.

Dick’s been reading for the last 21 years!

John Addams of the San Diego Downtown Breakfast Club says “I’ll be doing this the rest of my

life”. John and nine other Rotarians read to students at Webster Elementary and Oak Park

Elementary every week. They generally read to first and second graders and give each child two

books per year. He says, as does Dick Trancone, that the teacher is very important part of the

success of these programs - their buy-in is critical.

Dianne Crawford reports that the Rotary Club of Southeast San Diego received $3600 last winter

from San Diego District Attorney, Bonnie Dumanis’ “Asset Forfeiture Fund” for dictionaries. Ms.

Dumanis heard a presentation about the Club’s project - reading to students at 17 of the 22

elementary schools in the area and was so impress that she authorized the funding. Dianne

reports that reading is the Club’s number one priority.

As a District, we can be proud of our efforts to make literacy one of our most important community

efforts.

Thanks to all for your efforts to build Peace through Service.

Sincerely,

Dick Stevens

Dick Stevens

District Governor

Page 7

Celebrate in Lisbon