Rotary 7750 -- DG Travels 2009-2010

Thank You District 7750

2010-06-30T20:45:00.003-04:00

In another two hours, my tour as District Governor will end. I have made my thank you's in the June Newsletter. So in my last blog, I would like to look at the District goals for 2009/2010. Yeah, I know. Probably a real snorer. But the blog has been for me and the goals are worth a last look.

Membership
Membership Co-Chairs Baker and Golden announced that we were up a net 21 members. That does not include 20 new members in the Lake Wylie Club. If it holds, we were close to our goal of a net one new member per club.

Foundation
As of tonight, we had total contributions of $351,000. That was down from a total of $373,000 last year. I know there are additional contributions, including $10,000 of DDF money. Last year represented a 15% increase, and I believe we will be close to last year's number. The biggest increase was for polio, where club contributions went from $42,000 to $84,000. If anyone would like to see the whole report, please let me know.

My biggest disappointment was that there were three clubs who as of today had no contributions. A $5 contribution was made in their behalf. We had eight other clubs that at least to date, had less than $20 per member giving to the Annual Programs Fund. Some of these clubs do significant local service (see total funds raised below), but Rotary is defined by the Foundation and its enormous impact on world peace and understanding. Without significant participation in the work of the Foundation, these clubs would be better off as local service organizations. I hope that when the final numbers come in, many of these clubs will have stepped up.

Group Study Exchange
We had a fabulous exchange with Australia, and we sent a team to British Columbia, even though District 5040 opted not to send a team here. All of our team members said that it was an experience of a lifetime.

Literacy
Most clubs now have a literacy chairman, and Sara Mansbach started a new initiative called Ready for Reading, oriented to early childhood. There were Dictionary projects all over the District. I am very pleased with the literacy efforts.

International Projects
I had the opportunity to see District projects in Honduras and Haiti before the earthquake. The Haitian projects were even more important after the earthquake. I have said that if every Rotarian in the District could observe an international project, we would never have to worry about contributions to the Foundation again.

District Awards
Twenty six clubs won Presidential Citations. My goal was 30, and at least one club would have earned a Citation, but did not apply. There were individual club accomplishments that were incredible. Greenville Evening and Emerald City raised the bar for everyone.

Training
This is an unending challenge for District and Club Leadership. We had training sessions at District Assembly, RLI, Membership, Foundation Seminar, Literacy Chairs, Mid Year Assembly, PETS, Governor Elect, Governor Nominee, International Assembly, Secretary and Treasury efforts online and major training efforts from district officers and Assistant Governors. At every level of Rotary, especially Club Presidents and District Governor, about the time you know what you are doing, you are (happily) put out to pasture.

District Conference and Awards Luncheon
I would like to have had more signups and fewer commuters, but for those that came, it was as good as it gets.

Communications
Like training, communications are a sort of an unending battle. The Blog, some newsletter revisions, an expanded website, quarterly conference calls with AG's, metro club organizations in Greenville and Aiken, all made inroads. We got a PR Grant from RI and had billboards promoting Rotary around the District. PR is now one of three primary strategic objectives of Rotary, along with Strengthening Clubs and Increasing Service.

There are new tools, e.g. social networks, that I was too old to use. Perhaps future DG's will do a better job.

Youth Exchange, Rotaract, Interact, Early,Act, First Knight
What can I say. The programs operated beautifully, largely independent of the District Governor.

Vocational Service
We wanted Rotarians to signup for SC Pathways to Success. Rick Murphy and I pretty much failed, but part of that was a system problem. We will try again next year.

Administration
Pam Weaver was a tremendous addition and will provide badly needed institutional knowledge to future District Governors. She donated more time than she billed. Another thank you to Pam.

At the Montreal International Conference, it was said there were two kinds of Past District Governors. Those that talk too much and those that are in the cemetery. If you printed out my blog, it would run 50 pages. Obviously, I have been well trained to be a Past District Governor.

One of my goals was to track the hours and dollars that Clubs raised. We rolled out the numbers in a slide show at District Conference. District 7750 raised over $1.3 million for charity and contributed some 35,000 hours. We are reworking the slide show and spread sheet to get accurate numbers. My first effort as PDG will be to put this information on the website. Congratulations and thanks to all of the clubs.

It has been an honor to be your District Governor. My goal was to make every district event memorable. We succeeded beyond my expectations. To all those (and there were many) that planned, lead, spoke or participated in any of those events, I offer my profound thanks. And with all of the CART bucket contributions, I hope it is memorable for a long time.

In Becky Faulkner, Gary Goforth and Kim Gramling, you have outstanding future leadership. I hope you will support them as well as you have supported me.

Rich Waugh

2010-06-29T11:30:00.002-04:00

District congratulations to Rich Waugh, who recieved the Rotary Foundation's Distringuised Service Award. There are only 200 of these awards given annually. The award was in honor of Rich's efforts as District Foundation Chair and Regional Chair for four other Districts. District 7750 had an increase of 15% last year, the highest increase in contributions in Zones 33 and 34. Zone 33 was also the only zone in the world that had 100% of its clubs contribute to the Foundation.

Congratulations, Rich, on a well deserved honor.

Polio

2010-06-29T10:04:00.003-04:00

Dr. Bruce Aylward, WHO's head of polio, provided an update at the International Conference in Montreal He said that there is not good news, but "great news." No new cases of polio in the two worst provincss in India for the last six months. A 99% reduction in polio in Nigeria. The bad news was an outbreak of polio in Tajikistan, but htat is very controllable. Dr. Aylward said that
polio will be eradicated within the lifespan of those at the conference." I believe that eradciation will occur within the next few years. When it is eradicated, there will be one huge international celebration.

Montreal

2010-06-24T04:25:00.005-04:00

I wish that every Rotarian in the District might one day have the opportunity to attend a Rotary International Convention. It is hard to believe the common bond that you feel with, in the case of Montreal, 18,500 Rotarians form 135 countries. There are five plenary's with world class speakers, an House of Friendship showing Rotary projects from around the world, Host Organizing Committee events to show off oneof the great cities on earth.

Greg Morentson (Three Cups of Tea) talked about building schools for educating women in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Taliban have bombed or burned 2000 schools, but today there are 9 million children in schools, compard to 800,000 in 2000. 2.3 million are girls. Mortenson and the Central Asia Insitute have now built 178 schools, which are a "candle of hope" for this war torn region.

Bruce Aylward (International polio coordinator for the World Health Organization. He started his talk with "I don't have good news...I have great news." Polio has become WHO's #1 priority. There is a new vaccine and new resources from Rotary, the Gates Foundation and others. Here are the incredible results. Nigeria: 99% reduction. India (provinces of Bahar and Uddar Predesh): NO NEW CASES IN SIX MONTHS. For the first time, I heard officials of the World Health Organization say that polio will be eradicated in the near future. The overall number of cases are about the same because of an unfortunate, but very solvable outbreak in the European country of Tyrgystan, north of Afghanistan. It is the reason that we need to END POLIO NOW. The important thing is that WHO is winning in the difficult areas of the world.

There were other speakers at the conference that are having a worldwide impact: Dolly Partin (imagination Library), Bob Marusca, (Executive Director of the Boy Scouts of America), Jo Luck (President, Heifer International), Rocky Evangelista, President of the Taloy Foundation,, a polio survivor in a wheel chair who is now Lt. Governor of Ontario and an international advocate for people with disabilities, Queen Noor of Jordan(an American who married King Hussein), a Peace Scholar from Cypress forging connections between Greek Cypress and Turkish Cypress.

World class entertainment included Celtic Thunder, Cirque du Soleil and British Opera Singer Russell Watson.

Highlihgts of the speeches are avilable at a video gallery on the following link: http://www.rotary.org/en/MediaAndNews/News/Pages/conv10june_videogallery.aspxk:

The complete proceedings will be available in six weeks. There are presentations that would be well worth running at club meetings.

Beyond the official events, there is a kaleidoscope of experiences.

Please plan to attend one of the future conferences: 2011: New Orleans; 2012: Bangkok, Thailand; 2013: Lisbon, Portugal; 2014: Sydney, Australia; 2015: Seoul, korea; 2017: Atlanta, GA;

Closing Out May

2010-05-31T18:04:00.004-04:00

The merry month of May closed out with some memorable events.

Thursday, May 20th. Keowee Sailing Club. The Seneca Rotary held a steak dinner on the lake in honor of the Australian GSE team. The picture speaks for itself. I wrote DG Brendan Porter in Australis not to worry about Brad and Raymond wearing skirts. They only did that 25% of the time they were here.

Monday, May 24th. The Zen. Our Inbound Youth Exchange student (Aijan Bapaeva - Abby) asked Michelle Moore, Charlie Slate and Paula Byrd to help her raise money for the Rotaract Club of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. There has been a recent coupe and many people are in the hospital. The state will pay for the hospital, but food must be provided by the families. In many cases, there are no families. Abby had proposed going door to door, but her sponsors decided that was not a great idea. So they held a fundraising dinner at the Zen. Abby spoke and showed video of Kyrgyzstan, which is stunningly beautiful. They raised $1100, which was to be matched by the club in Bishkek. The President is an American and was able to thank the group by a speaker on a cellphone. Thanks to Abby and all those who contributed for a nice event.

Tuesday, May 25th. Rotary night at the Greenville Drive. The DG fulfilled a lifetime dream of throwing out the first pitch. His 65 year old arm was not as good as it once was (and never as good as he remembered.) The ball did go over the plate but shorthopped the catcher. Ah well. Call it a Sinker. Or maybe Stinker. Anyway, it was a great game that the Drive won 1-0 by scoring a run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.

Saturday, May 29th. GSP Airport. The Australian team gathered for one last photo and then left the Upstate for either Florida, California or home. Leader Rob Antoniazzi called Lyn Kenney this afternoon to say he was home after a 31 hour journey. He reiterated that the team had the experience of a lifetime and to thank all of those involved. Thank you, Rob and team, for enriching our lives as well.

The Canadian team arrived later early Saturday evening. We will have the highlights from both teams in our May newsletter.

GSE - Queensland

2010-05-23T08:43:00.002-04:00

I have not used the blog of late, but as I close out what has been for me a fantastic year, there are some things that I would like to publish. For example, I received the following postcard from Brendan Porter, District Governor of District 9550 regarding our GSE Team to Northern Australia.

Brendan wrote "Just a quick notes to let you know that the GSE Team that you sent to D9550 were exceleent ambassadors for yourself, Sarah and all Rotarians in D7750. Patrick was an amazing leader and all members of the team showed great enthusiasm for their vocations. I hope all will be invited to join Rotary."

Thank you, Brendan. We will invite them.

Proclamations

2010-02-26T06:32:00.002-05:00

I want to thank Governor Sanford and 12 Mayors around the State for issuing Proclamations making February 23 Polio Eradication Day. I also want to thank 7750 DG Alan Walters, PDG Carol Burdette and others for securing these commitments.

End Polio Now

2010-02-26T06:27:00.003-05:00

As part of Rotary's International publicity this week for ending polio, iconic buildings from around the world have been lit. Here is the Wrigley Building in Chicago. Others were in Italy, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan and Brazil. You can see them all at www.rotary.org.

Wall Street Journal, February 23

2010-02-26T06:07:00.002-05:00

WSJ ran an aricle about Zanmi Agrikol, or Partners in Agriculture. This progrm was started by Charles and Gillaine Warne in 2004, to provide food to Partners in Health Clincis. Since the Earthquake, they have put an additional 4000 acres into production.

The article is titled "Agriculture Program Yields Hope in Haiti." You can see the article online at www.wsj.org, then search for haiti+agriculture. Or try this link:http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703494404575081744058479892.html?KEYWORDS=haiti+agriculture#

District 7690 (Asheville)

2010-02-03T07:24:00.002-05:00

The following e-mail was from Carol King, DG in 7690 (Asheville, NC). By comparison, we packaged 13,000 meals at our District Conference in Clemson.

"Please know that over the next two months our District will be packaging 1,000,000 meals that will be sent to Haiti. This project is being coordinated with Stop Hunger Now, an NGO out of Raleigh. Part of this food is earmarked to be distributed through the Delmos Rotary Club and Stop Hunger Now. Perhaps you are aware of their efforts.

"I hope this information is helpful. We continue to do all we can to be help our friends in Haiti."

Gillaine Warne, January 18

2010-01-30T15:56:00.003-05:00

Precious friends all over the world,

We know you are with us and have been since the beginning of the horrendous events of the past few days, which seem like an eternity. I haven't been able think straight or had the time to send messages, but as things seem a little bit more stable and the huge influx of wounded is slowing, I know you want to hear what's happening and where we are.

Our group left Port au Prince only about 30 minutes before the earthquake, and didn't know what had happened until we arrived in Mirabalais. Wondered why there were so many people in the streets and all the commotion, only to learn of the event and even then we were unaware of the enormity of what had happened.

Of course most everyone up here in Cange has family in Port au Prince and so a general exodus to go and search was the first thing that happened, leaving a skeleton staff here for the first few days. Fortunately there was a visiting team of a surgeon and drs., who jumped into the fray and with Dr.Koji and Sarah Marsh. We started to prepare for the inevitable wave of injured who would arrive.

The church was cleared and we started gathering mattresses, sheets, and setting up a pharmacy, with Jackie raiding the Artisan Center for all that could be used and laughing that all the stock she couldn't move was being used for a wonderful cause.

“Mash” has now become my most favorite program—I know exactly how it all works!
The cases coming in are tragic, mostly all with crushed bones in every part of the body, but the stories coming with them are even worse—always buildings falling on top of people, students from schools which completely collapsed, markets gone, houses gone, families gone. Now we are getting those who spent days under the rubble and only just being brought here, some who have already been treated by someone but sent on.

We have many cases where children have been brought in and just left, and what we are to do with these little ones remains to be seen. Children's bones being so fragile have been shattered, but seeing two little girls lying face to face, trying to help each other drink, sharing the one sheet to keep warm, and giving one another the courage to face the future with the loss of a limb—well what can I say?

Amputations have to be done more and more as patients coming in with infected wounds to limbs that cannot be saved and others with limbs so crushed that they cannot be repaired.

One young seminarian who was in class when the building collapsed, spent two days under the rubble with one live and two dead friends lying on him, and will now probably lose his leg because all the muscles, etc., were so compressed they cannot revive.

Our beautiful Episcopal Cathedral is nothing more than a pile of rubble, all the murals and frescoes gone. The school and auditorium—same thing. We have the wife of the Archbishop and the head of the school here. Fr. Val in Croix des Bouquets is OK but with severe damage to the church and school.

The stories go on and on—no time for all of them here.

In fact all the universities are gone and most of the schools. I am sure you have all seen the Official Buildings list, so I won't go there. Every house and family without exception has been affected. Fr. Lafontant, Marie Flore, JeJe—all have serious damage.

Our church in Cange is proving to be the perfect place (in fact, Dr. Sheridan said "what a wonderful use for a church"), and now there are several school rooms in use for those who have been treated and are able to walk. Everyone has a role to play. I have become the chief pharmacienne and anything else, and Jackie is wonderfully bathing the patients in the morning and emptying bedpans; food is being prepared for the patients, and students have become runners and assistants taking people up and down to the operating theatre.

Logistics are going to be the greatest problem. The largest food market in Port au Prince is on the ground and of course gas and diesel are at a premium, if they can be found. The problem of feeding all those coming to help when there is very little food left in Port au Prince is real.

For the moment our water is in fine shape and we will speak to Marcelin today to see if there is anything we need to think about. I actually told him last night that he needs to prepare for 1,000,000 people—you can imagine how he laughed. This in fact is a real possibility— people are coming from everywhere because they have nowhere else to go, and once they get here they have no desire to leave. People are in the streets walking, but not knowing where to go, and most are heading up the mountain.
Everyone is asking what they can do. I really don't know at this time apart from praying and sending emergency funds.

OK, everyone is calling now, so I will send on this first chapter, hoping to be able to send another, which is never sure as all system are very precarious. I guess you must realize that I am OK and while the first three day were exhausting, I have had four hours sleep and am a new person!

I don't think I could have been in any other place.

Please know that we feel all your prayers, we have had a miraculous escape here in Cange, I keep thinking of the songs we sing on Wednesday night like "Have you seen Jesus?"

YES.

We are expecting Charles and Breck at some time today which will be wonderful.
Much love and hugs to you all.

Gillaine

Gillaine Warne, January 22

2010-01-30T15:54:00.002-05:00

Precious friends,

We thank you for all your prayers and messages of encouragement, they give us much strength. I know you are all waiting for more news and I’m sorry it has been so long, but I’m sure you also know that time has galloped away and I’m not even sure what day it is!!

Firstly, to back up a little, as you are aware Charles, Breck and the son of friends in New York, Jake Turlinsky, arrived on Saturday, coming through the Dominican Republic with many a story to tell of that passage – but leave it to a Warne to add a bit of spice to the trip!. Once through the frontier and certainly not wanting to spend the night in a very difficult area, it was decided to ride on to Beladaire where ZL has another hospital – yes! – on the back of motorbike taxis. Bags and boxes of supplies loaded on to the handlebars, they took off, much to the amusement of the surrounding spectators, and rode the 3ks. to the hospital. Those on the side of the road saw 3 crazy ‘blancs’, and the ride has now become the stuff of legends.!
You may think I am being a little frivolous, but the few laughs available are therapeutic.

The last few days have been very difficult, with cases coming in that have been waiting in other hospitals for a week to be seen, or have been sent on here for difficult surgery. The same syndromes go on – crushing, fractures, several paraplegics, some with complete paralysis. The great news is that wonderful teams of surgeons – general, plastic surgeons and orthopedic, anesthetists, (with one from SC) have arrived and are working nearly around the clock. Plasters are being put on, operations and of course the inevitable amputations, which have been many but many have been saved. Breck and Jake are a formidable stretcher team and have all the young volunteers running almost as fast as they, Breck using his first responder skills to the max. Charles has been wearing many hats, filling in wherever necessary.
Many of the very complicated operations have been moved to Hinche, including some of my first little friends, and it was so hard to see them go. Breck has been making the difficult trip with them, and is in awe of their courage and strength in the face of incredible pain. Today several patients were moved back to PauP for kidney dialysis, but with little hope of survival. We have lost two patients, one who was paralyzed and none of her systems could work, and the other a paraplegic. The sound of wailing women is very difficult for the staff and all the other patients lying in the church.

Sunday was one more unforgettable day but in a different way. Having the church occupied by patients, church service was set up in the External Clinic Auditorium, with the Alter on the platform, and seeing it all set up as in any other Episcopal Church was of great comfort. As you can imagine the space was packed with people overflowing out on to the road, but everyone dressed and clean, children polished to a shine and voices lifted in glorious harmony.

Even some of the choirs were able to squeeze in, and thanks to a few words to the music staff, the speaker sound was reduced so as not to shatter eardrums! Words from both Fr. Lafontant and Fr. St Louis were hard, very hard, with the descriptions of the losses in all areas -- but with the final words of hope and prayer, and Communion being served to everyone. I’m afraid to say that this was my moment to break down a bit, and I guess my neighbors didn’t quite know how to deal with a normally very smiley Guilene with tears streaming down her face. But tears were soon mopped up and the plea to be given "'Strength and Courages' to do the work He has given us to do” resounding in all of our hearts, has given just that.
Both Priests visited the Church, hospital and surroundings taking words of comfort and communion to patients, the small Acolyte choir singing a couple of special hymns.

Difficult situations of sanitation and trash are being dealt with, as even now the risk of infection and disease is real. Tanks of drinking water are being filtered through our system, a connection to the septic tank outside the church has been accomplished and even the showers and latrines at the school are being used. Jackie is on an endless march against trash being left around the complex and has made huge bags to be put in many areas. Even with all this, people still chuck stuff beside the bags and don’t seem to see what they are doing. Jackie’s patients are smelling just wonderful, she having tapped in to her precious stock of French soap and creams to be used when bathing patients in the morning. Her “Pollyanna” attitude has helped us all remain focused and positive.
Shock is still high, and the second shake yesterday morning threw everyone into a panic yet once again, with people not wanting to work inside some of the buildings for a while and others refusing still last night to sleep indoors. Beautiful Cange, has held strong with no evidence of damage.

After dealing with all the casualties of the moment, my mind has continually been moving on to that saying that I have been using in other areas of our work here “and now what”, and I am convinced that we here in the Plateau Central will have a huge part to play in the rehabilitation of Haiti. I am working on a very large and optimistic plan for the agricultural side of this, and know that as much as this is a rural country it is from this source that help and strength will come. As you can imagine, my little brain is buzzing with ideas and am off to a meeting about that as soon as I close this off.

Charles and the others are waiting impatiently at the door, so will send you these words and hope to continue again later tonight.
Next message will be a tough one because ---

YESTERDAY I WENT TO PORT AU PRINCE.!
We all send our love, and are hanging in there. Nap Kembe
Gillaine

Haiti

2010-01-30T15:45:00.004-05:00

Haiti is in our Sister Zone and the Zone leadership has been closely tracking activities. Gillainel Warne, wife of our District International Service Chair, was in Port au Prince with a group of agronomists from Virgina Tech and left just 30 minutes before the earthquake hit on January 10. She and Charles run Zanmi Agricol, an organization that produced food for 12,000 malnourished children last year.

Charles flew down a week later, reaching Cange by flying to Santa Domingo and apparently taking a motorccycle loaded down with luggage and medidcal supplies through the backroads of the Dominican Republican. While Gillaine worked the hospitals set up throughout Cange, Charles ramped up cultivated land from roughly 100acres to 500 acres to help meet the food crisis.

Gillaine's e-mails are at the same time humorous and heart wrenching. We will transfer the two of them this afternoon. Stay tuned.

Congratulations 7750

2009-12-07T07:27:00.002-05:00

For Rotary Year 2009/2009. contributions to Rotary Foundation's Annual Programs Fund from District 7750 increased 15.4%. AT Zone Insitute, this was recognized as the the highest percent increase for any District in Zones 33 and 34. This District also contributed $836 per club to Polio. The two zones were the only zones in the world that every club in every District contributed something to the Foundation.

Congratulations to DG Carol Burdette, Foundation Chair Rich Waugh, the Foundation Committee Chairs and all Rotarians who contributed.

Zone Institute

2009-12-07T06:41:00.003-05:00

In the Rotary Bureaucracy, all Districts belong to a Zone. There are 34 zones in the world and the boundaries are adjusted to keep each of them with about the same number of Rotarians. We belong to Zone 33, which includes Delaware, DC, Virginia, West Virginia, North and South Carolina. Combined with District 34 (Georgia to the Caribbean), we jointly elect a Director to the Rotary Board. There are 17 Directors and they serve two year terms.

Zones 33 and 34 will meet annually at what is called the Zone Institute. It is held at a location is chosen by the Director. Our Director and RI’s Vice President is Eric Adamson is from Virginia, and this year’s Institute was at The Homestead in Hot Springs, VA. With Christmas decorations and six inches of snow on Friday night, the place was gorgeous. Attendees include past, current and incoming Governors for the District and Zone officers. There were also four Rotary Directors and the incoming RI President Ray Klinginsmith.

I provide this background because attending the Zone Institute is one of the privileges of being a DG and I would like to relay some of what I learned.

John T. Capps

2009-11-25T00:29:00.003-05:00

Today, John T. Capps spoke at the Rotary Club of Greenwood. Capps is a Rotary Institution. He is the beefy and bald founder of the bald headed men of America, now boasting 35,000 members. (I am not a member.)

John is also a Rotary institution. He has attended 35 international conventions. He has participated in 10 national immunization days. He us a Past District Governor from Morehead, NC. A speaker at countless District Conferences, Foundation Banquets, PETS and other Rotary events, John Capps is considered a Rotarian's Rotarian.

The last time John was in Greenwood, he had a massive heart attack after his speech. The American Legion Hall where Greenwood meets is less than 2 miles from Self Regional. That probably saved his life.

During his speech, John thanked and presented Paul Harris Fellowships to his caridologists, Dr. Paul Kim and Dr. Thomas Pritchard. He also made a donation to the Wheel Chair Foundation in honor of St. Claire Donhaughy. Ms. Donhaughy was a writer for the Greenwood newspaper and got interested in Capps' story. He credits her articles with giving him the will to survive. She did it from a wheel chair.

Capps thanked Bill (recently deceased) and Ruby Clark, who housed John's wife Jane during the ordeal. And to all the Rotarians who provided support.

It was a great meeting.

Cange

2009-11-16T07:03:00.003-05:00

The story of Cange can best be described as an oasis in the middle of one of the poorest areas on earth. The story began when the Haitian Government built a large dam in teh central plateau and displaced a large number of peasant farmers. The peasants became squatters and moved to the hillsides above the lake. In this environment Father LaEnfante started an episcopal church.

In the late 70's the Bishop of Haiti hooked up with the Bishop of the Upstate Episcopal Diocese. The Diocese established a clinic to provide medical services to the squatters. They called the area surrounding the Clinic Cange. For many years, physicians from Greenville flew medical missions to Cange.

Paul Farmer came to Cange, first as an Anthropology student and then as a medical student. He would collect his books at the first of the semester, fly to Haiti, then return for exams.

Farmer and Ophelia Dahl formed Partners in Health (PIH) to rasie money for the clinics. The story has been well documented in the book "Mountains Beyond Mountains." Today, there are 14 PIH Clinics in the rural areas of Haiti. The largest and Best equipped is in the walled compound of Cange. The Clinics surround Father LaEnfante's Episcopal church.

Al Steele and I shared a 12 x 12 room that basically consisted of two beds with mosquito netting and two places to stack clothes. There was a common bathroom and shower (no hot water) for four rooms. When you consider that families of six were living outside the walls in houses this size, the accomodations seemed pretty nice.

Church service on Sunday was a production. 130 performers in three choirs, a ten piece band which included keyboard, drums, trumpet, trombone, bass guitar, lead guitar and a clarinet. The service including communion took 2.5 hours. Father LaEnfante (a young 84) presided. There was a 60 person children's choir, all dressed in white and red choir robes and lined up by size from 5 yr olds to 18 6 ft 8in teenagers. It was quite a show.

We toured schools, hospitals and the various parts of the Warne's Partners in Agriculture. At one hospital, we picked up a four hour old baby that looked to weigh 3 pounds or less. We carried her and her teenage Aunt to the main hospital in Cange where they have incubators. This gave the drivers even more of an excuse to speed on the gravel roads.

Gravel road is too nice of a term. The roads are bulldozed routes where drivers have to navigate coffin sized potholes, children carrying water jugs, trucks carrying 10 or more people to work, goats and dogs, all on rocks ranging from gravel to boulders. They drivers seem to compete to see who can negotiate these hazards the fastest.

Haiti is beautifully green this time of year, as it is the end of the rainy season. The lake is spectacular and American developers would hang million dollar homes off of its steep hillsides. However, by the end of the dry season, the hillsides turn brown. A limestone dust cloud hangs over the roads, which people have to breathe. The dust will turn vegetation on either side of the road white until the cleansing rains return next spring.

The UN, however, is gradually paving these roads, and building drainage ditches and walkways on either side. Where the roads have been completed, living conditions improve and economic development can proceed.

I would like to talk about the schools and Partners in Agriculture in a later post.

Haiti, November, 2009

2009-11-14T01:34:00.004-05:00

I am writing this blog from a hotel room in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. It is a hotel room probably nicer than the Hampton Inns where I usually stay. Surrounding the hotel is some of the most unbelievable poverty on earth. 70% of Haitians are unemployed. Speakers have said that 50% of the population is under 15. One of five children will die of waterborne disease. Only 40% are literate.

The occasion is a Zone Meeting in Haiti to talk about projects. District participants are Al Steele, Tom and Becky Faulkner, Charles Warne, Rita Yarbrough, Tom Tiller and GWF. Gallaine Warne and Sara Mansbach are in Cange. My hotel room has two double beds. Hot water. Light switches. Internet.

The hillside outside of my hotel room has no electricity, or if it is there, most people can't afford to use it. A police escort will take us to an elderly home and school tomoorrow.

For many years, Haiti has been the poorest country in the western hemisphere. However, the work of the Upstate Episcopal Diocese, Dr. Paul Farmer, Charles Warne, Tom Faulkner, and others has had an impact. Former President Bill Clinton just agreed to be the UN liaiso to Haiti. He agreed to do so if Paul Farmer would be his right hand man. Farmer recently turned down the job of head of the US Agency for International Development, but agreed to be Clinton's aid.

The story of Farmer and others in Cange is one of the great stories on earth. More to come.

Polio Events

2009-10-18T17:49:00.005-04:00

I had the privilege of attending two fund raising events for polio this weekend. On Friday night, October 16, the Rotary Club of Clemson had their first annual oyster roast. It was the best oysters I have ever eaten. If you are considering an oyster roast, call Clemson and see who they hired. The event raised more than their $2000 annual commitment.

On Saturday, October 17, I attended the Octoberfest Road Race in Walhalla. All five Oconee County Rotary Clubs sponsored the race. Ben Smith from Seneca was the event coordinator and Larry Secrest was the race coordinator. There was a 5K race, a three lap race for children under 12 and a run across the field for the little ones with the Chick Filet cow. The cow finished last. Proceeds from the event went to polio plus.

Sadly, a light rain and cool temperatures reduced the number by half from previous years, but those that were there said it was a great event. Congratulations to AG Kim Gramling and all five Oconee County Rotary Clubs and thanks for your contributions to polio plus.

Terry Garrison

2009-10-18T17:31:00.002-04:00

Secretaries are often the unsung heroes of Rotary Clubs. From a District Governor standpoint, there work is essential. Terry Garrison has been a member of the Rotary Club of Easley for 32 years, he has had perfect attendance for 22 years, and has been secretary for 19 years. Easley hyas 100% of the members with pictures and e-mail addresses. He has been throughat least four iterations of the software and totally understands how to use it.

Thanks, Terry, and thanks to Steve Sokol and all of the Secretaries who realize what a powerful tool the database can be.

Clover HS Interact Club

2009-10-11T12:06:00.002-04:00

I just received an application package for the Interact Club of Clover HS, sponsored by the Clover Rotary Club. They have 150 paid members, have elected officers and have performed two community service projects sof far this year. Congratulations to the new club and to President David George and the Rotary Club of Clover.

Steve Mitchell

2009-10-10T06:10:00.003-04:00

I visited Pleasantburg on Thursday to hear Yupapone and to say "Hello" to Steve Mitchell. Steve has been a member of the Rotary Club of Pleasantburg for 48 years. For 40 of those years, he was in charge of incoming Ambassadorial Scholars for the District. Thirty eight of the incoming scholars were women; only two were men. Steve said he was outvoted twice.

The photo shows Steve and Yapapone.

Yupapone Vorapongsukantl

2009-10-10T05:53:00.003-04:00

I had the pleasure of driving our Ambassadorial Scholar, Yupapone Vorapongsukantl, from Columiba to Greenville. She is studying international relations at USC and she wants to become a diplomat. She was staying with Myles and Ann Golden and when we got there, the flag of Thailand was hanging out front. Yupapone spoke to the Pleasantburg, Greenville Breakfast and North Greenville clubs this week.

I asked her what she did for fun. She said that she did not have any time for fun, because it was very hard right now. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to come to a new country, speak a new language, learn to adjust to new food and new customs, find new living accommodations, keep up with what is considered the #1 School of International Business in the country and do it all on a very thin budget and no car. People that can successfully deal with those conditions will likely be incredibly successful in whatever they do.

My thanks to Rita Yarbrough, Myles Golden, Dee Kivett and I'm sure many others who have helped Yupapone get settled.

Andrea Pulliam

2009-10-05T21:56:00.005-04:00

Andrea Pulliam is the kind of volunteer that every non-profit would love. She spends forty hours a month working at the Generations Group Home in Simpsonville.

Generations Group Home (GGH) is a School and Residence for sexually abused boys ages 10 to 19. Currently GGH has 46 residents. The boys are referred by the Department of Mental Health, DSS and the Department of Juvenile Justice. The average age is 14 -15. The boys spend an average of 12 to 18 months at the home. They go to school on site. They play sports and have group and individual therapies. The therapy restores the childhood that the kids missed because of fear and shame. Abused children have behavioral problems that can last a lifetime. With the GGH, 98% of the kids have returned to a normal healthy life after they leave.

GGH has major involvement from the Rotary Clubs of Golden Strip Sunrise and Greenville Breakfast. Mauldin also has some involvement and perhaps other clubs.

Andrea helped the kids grow a vegetable garden and learn about organic gardening. She supervises art therapy, teaches art history and helps boys make Christmas decorations from gourds. She raises money, performs maintenance, runs errands and is a supportive friend for the kids. This is in addition to her regular job as manager of a specialty chemcial company in Mauldin.

"It is the most rewarding thing I have ever done. It is taking something bad and making it really good. It is incredibly satisfying to see the transformations."

Thank you, Andrea. There is a obviously a dimension of Service Above Self that also satisfies self.

You can learn more about the Dimensions Group Home at www.generationsgroup.com

National Parks and National Battlefields

2009-10-03T08:01:00.005-04:00

Ken Burns' newest series "The National Parks - Our Best Idea" was shown on PBS this week. In November, 2003 and without much fanfare, SC's own Congaree National Monument became Congaree National Park. This 22,200 acre park protects the largest contiguous area of old-growth bottomland hardwoods remaining in the United States. It borders the Congaree River in southeastern Richland County. SC ETV has an excellent documentary on the park called "Roots in the River. "

More relevant to the Upstate are the Revolutionary War sites, many of which are run by the National Park Service as National Battlefields. During my official visits, I have visited four of the 37 sites. Between my lunch meeting in Gaffney and my evening meeting at Blacksburg, I walked the one mile trail around the Cowpens Battlefield and watched the new park movie.

On a cold January morning in 1781, Daniel Morgan with less than 600 men defeated a British regular unit led by the hated "Bloody Ban" Tarleton that was twice the size of his own unit. The trail completely circles the battlefield. Signs describe every action in the battle. It took less than one hour for a major American victory that signaled the beginning of the end of the British. It is easy to see the ghosts. The Park Service is working on restoring the area vegetation to what it was in 1781.

In the bookstore at Cowpens is a small book with an epic poem titled "Daybreak at Cowpens." It was written by Greenville industrialist and philanthropist Arthur McGill. On January 17, 1981, on the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of Cowpens, Rotarian Don Koonce took McGill's poem, several thousand re-enactors, multiple photographers, three days and created a multi-image presentation of the battle. It was called "Daybreak at Cowpens - the Turning Point in the Revolution." He shot it at daybreak on one of the coldest days of the year. You can see the horses and soldiers breath, just as it was 200 years earlier.

I was honored to be one of 1200 people at a Regency Hyatt dinner when the show was presented. The British and American Ambassadors were present. It was a fabulous evening, with smoke and guns and flags, until the nine projector light and sound show overloaded the Hyatt electrical system and shutdown power in the Hotel. It was certainly memorable.

"Daybreak at Cowpens" is the story of a grandfather telling his grandson about the battle. The show won thie history category in a national competition at the International Association of Multi Image conference, beating out presentations from big agencies in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago and New York. The big agencies were further shocked when this small SC agency kicked their pitoutie and won "Best in Show." The muti-projector presentation ran at the park visitors center for nearly 25 years. Because of the difficulty of running nine projectors, it was eventually replaced with a single picture DVD, of course losing something from the original three screen preesentation. It was recently replaced with a new movie.

There are 37 listed listed Revolutionary War sites in SC. Some like Ninety Six and Cowpens have trails and elaborate visitor centers. Others like Musgrove Mill have a visitor center, but are still waiting for funding on the trail. As Walter Edgar in his definitive history of SC says, "The war (in SC) may have begun and ended in Charleston, but it was won in the backcountry of SC."