Pete Burrell and Carol Cartier, two of the club’s most active members, have spent the past couple of years heavily involved with Rotary at the International level. They have travelled extensively and visited numerous countries and Rotary projects.
Speaking on behalf of both of them, Burrell said they, “Do everything within a Rotary framework”. In the past 13 months they used this framework on six different trips to Dominica, Nepal, South Africa, Zambia, Europe and Australia. Here are six of area frameworks Pete and Carol described.
Projects.
There are literally 1,000s of Rotary projects around the world and many would welcome visitors/helpers. This year Pete and Carol along with Rotarians Sylvio and Lori, went to Dominica and taught 20 people how to be bee keepers, hired carpenters to help construct bee houses, and found business men to show the locals how to set up a co-op and how to market their product.
Projects are an excellent way to select a destination and provide the opportunity to meet the locals and establish good working relations.
Friendship Exchange.
This is another way to select a destination and an excellent opportunity to cement relationships and develop trust.
Friendship exchanges are usually organized at the District level and occasionally at the Club level.
Pete and Carol travelled to Zambia on a friendship exchange, stayed in their hosts’ homes, and ating at their table.
They toured the country and there were two significant outcomes of their visit. In Livingstone, Zambia they visited the DeSantos School for the Deaf which was in need of a workshop The new workshop is fully financed by our club.
While visiting the Rotary Club of Luanshya, Zambia they toured the Roan Antelope Hospital which was in terrible condition.
Carol took on this project by raising more than USD $44,000 with good old-fashioned fundraising and matching grants from both District and RI! The project is nearing completion. In September the Zambian hosts will come to Canada and it will be our turn to be tour directors.
Friendship exchanges are usually organized at the District level and occasionally at the Club level.
Pete and Carol travelled to Zambia on a friendship exchange, stayed in their hosts’ homes, and ating at their table.
They toured the country and there were two significant outcomes of their visit. In Livingstone, Zambia they visited the DeSantos School for the Deaf which was in need of a workshop The new workshop is fully financed by our club.
While visiting the Rotary Club of Luanshya, Zambia they toured the Roan Antelope Hospital which was in terrible condition.
Carol took on this project by raising more than USD $44,000 with good old-fashioned fundraising and matching grants from both District and RI! The project is nearing completion. In September the Zambian hosts will come to Canada and it will be our turn to be tour directors.
Conventions.
One of the easiest things you can do is attend an International convention. Everything is in one spot and is fully organized. Just buy a plane ticket and book your hotel. High quality guest speakers are the norm (Laura Bush, Dolly Parton, Justin Trudeau, Bill Gates). Activities outside the convention, “before and after trips” are routinely organized. At next year’s convention in Singapore the before trip is to Japan and the after trip is to Viet Nam. A cruise is also planned.
Fellowships.
Fellowships are groups of Rotarians who share like-minded interests. Collect stamps or coins? Like to curl? Are you a boater? If it’s fun to do, there’s a fellowship for it! Pete and Carol were particularly intrigued with the International Travel and Hosting Fellowship and with this connection joined a three week tour of the Amazon River basin.
Project Fairs.
Pete and Carol attended a Project Fair in El Salvador which was a gathering of four Rotary Clubs showcasing their projects and it was a real eye-opener to visit the assorted projects and see the impact they were having on communities.
They were unable to attend a Project Fair in Columbia where our club has been supporting a hospital with equipment such as incubators, pre-natal monitors and blue light therapy equipment for the past three years. Administrators said our equipment was saving the lives of two babies every month.
Visiting other clubs.
Almost everywhere you go, you will find a Rotary Club. Just think about the atmosphere in our own club and how we treat visitors. Rotarians are like-minded people around the world and are welcome in all our clubs.
As Burrell and Cartier live their lives they do everything “within a Rotary framework”. Put another way Pete and Carol put Rotary at the centre of their life and that includes giving, having a concern for the World’s big problems and small local problems, travel, recreation and making friends every where. It’s what Rotary does well.