President Sue with District Governor Phillip Beasley cutting the birthday cake at the conclusion of the baton relay.
Rotary Members support the St. Mary's Parish Pantry Program through the donation of their normal Rotary lunch payment.
A major donation from the Rotary Club of Geelong enabled Samaritan House to proceed with installation of a solar system with battery storage.
Now operational the system has reduced the power bill by 80% for the December quarter.
Donations in kind recently sent a container to Sri Lanka. The consignment included 35 hospital beds that were donated locally and have a second use in the Kandy hospital. This is just one of the 300+ .jpg)
The St Andrews Homework Club has been active for over 10 years and was established to assist refugees where English is a second language. St Andrews Church work in conjunction with teachers and students from Kardinia College and Geelong Grammar School. The Rotary Club of Geelong recently donated $1000 when Anglicare's Jillian Giddings made a presentation to the Club. She was joined by Delta who was a refugee from Burma (Myanmar)., and was one of the first members of the Club. 
For years, Angalia Bianca had slept in abandoned buildings throughout Chicago. She stole. She did drugs. She spent time in and out of jail for forgery, theft, trespassing, and possession of narcotics. But after she landed in prison for the seventh time, something changed -- Bianca knew she wanted a better life. She just didn’t know how to make it happen.After serving her time, Bianca sought help from a local homeless organization, A Safe Haven, and moved to its shelter in the Rogers Park neighborhood. Bianca followed the program closely -- she attended all the required meetings, passed drug tests, and volunteered at every opportunity.
Music has been an important part of leading an ordinary life for students at the Music School for Children With Disabilities in Honor of Paul Harris in Lublin, Poland. Founded by Rotary members, the school serves 20 students with various disabilities, including Down syndrome, autism, and visual impairments. The Rotary Club of Lublin-Centrum-Maria Curie-Sklodowska has provided funding with help from Rotary Foundation Matching Grants and the Henryk Wieniawski Musical Society, which houses the school.
After their son Mateusz was born with underdeveloped eyes, Mariusz and Joanna Kania looked for ways to help him be active. When he showed an aptitude for music, they looked for a teacher and were thrilled to find the Paul Harris music school.
What is it like taking a large team to Africa? It has probably been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. In mid February, I began leading Rotary members from all over the East Coast of the United States through Ghana. I’ve tried to give the team a warm Ghanaian welcome like I’ve received on my earlier trips. A large trip is a real blessing because each person sees Ghana and our work in a different way.A highlight for the team was greeting the chief of Sagadugu. The team got excited about buying goats and food for children in the villages where I support eight churches. It was good to see the pastors of most of the eight churches, and I had to explain that we were just passing through on our way to Bolgatanga.
Service Above Self
Geelong West, VIC 3218
Australia