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The Rotary Foundation, along with dedicated Rotarians around the world, is one of the best instruments for lasting change that mankind has. It is committed, effective and efficient.
How can we do this?
One of the ways by which we can increase District 5520 support of the Foundation and our own grant activities is by increasing the number of Paul Harris Society (PHS) members in our district. Currently, about 50 Rotarians in our district are PHS members. I and our District Foundation Committee have set a goal of enrolling one or more new members per club in the Paul Harris Society this year. This is where we ask for the help of District 5520 Rotarians.
What is the Paul Harris Society?
Named after Rotary International’s Founder, the Paul Harris Society recognizes those who have pledged to contribute and annually do contribute US$1,000 or more to the Annual Fund, PolioPlus, or an approved Rotary Foundation grant.
Rotary Direct, Rotary’s recurring giving program makes it easy to join the Paul Harris Society. I urge your members to consider making gifts of $85 per month or $250 per quarter. $1,000 may seem like a lot of money and it is, but another way to look at it is that by using the monthly recurring gift process, your contribution is about the cost of one tall espresso drink per day. Isn’t making the world a better place worth as much as an espresso?
More information about the Paul Harris Society and an enrollment form is found at http://www.rotary.org/ridocuments/en_pdf/099en.pdf.
Why is this important to District 5520?
Funds for Foundation activities are distributed worldwide through the SHARE system. This system transforms contributions to The Rotary Foundation into district grants, global grants, packaged grants, and more. At the end of each Rotary year, 50 percent of each district's contributions to the Annual Fund -- SHARE is credited to their District Designated Fund (DDF). Thus, 50% of Annual or SHARE funds contributed by District 5520 Rotarians are returned to our district three years later to fund our district grants.
How you can help? Each club president can offer his or her members the opportunity to become Paul Harris Society members. Our District 5520 Foundation Committee would be happy help you in any way we can or to speak to your club about this. Feel free to contact James Morrison at james