District Governor Message - October 2022

Dear Rotarians,

World Polio Day is on October 24, 2022. We will be commemorating this day on Sunday, 

October 23rd by inviting you to attend our Polio/Abilities Awareness Expo at Touro Medical School in Vallejo. You will hear nationally renowned speakers and participate in interactive experiences to learn how you can improve accessibility for those who have disabilities, including Post-Polio Syndrome. To learn more about this exciting event and register, please go to https://rotarydistrict5150.regfox.com/polio-alternate-page

October is Rotary Economic and Community Development Month. Nearly 1.4 billion employed people live on less than $1.25 a day. Rotarians can promote economic and community development and reduce poverty in underserved communities both locally and globally through training for well-paying jobs, and access to financial management institutions. Projects range from providing people with vocational training, to microcredit loans, to providing equipment for small businesses. Our members work to strengthen local entrepreneurs and community leaders, particularly women, in impoverished communities.

Here are some ideas how your club can help:

• Partner with local microlenders such as KIVA or NamasteDirect to improve access to financial services and provide financial infrastructure in poor communities.

• When supporting service projects in a developing community, purchase goods and supplies locally to stimulate the economy and avoid unnecessary shipping fees.

• Expand vocational training opportunities, including job placement programming, at local nonprofit organizations.

• Send a vocational training team to teach business leaders in developing communities how to create a business plan and maintain accurate financial accounting.

• Partner with a cooperative that provides training, joint economic ventures, and ownership of assets for its members through a democratic structure.

• Provide equipment or supplies to a cooperative to increase production and sales in the local market.

• Support entrepreneurs and small businesses in developing communities. The success of local business leaders can multiply employment opportunities in the community.

If you would like to learn more about how your club can participate in this Area of Focus, please refer to the

Economic and Community Project Strategies Guide (619) on the www.rotary.org website.  You also can connect with the Rotary Action Group for Community and Economic Development at http://ragced.org.

To connect with our District’s key resource, please contact Keith Axtell a keaxtell@aol.com.

Until next month, thank you for all you do for Rotary by “being the change” you wish to see in your community!