Rotarian Jim Elliott (Downers Grove, Illinois) took the lesson he had learned in a college course in scuba {Self-Controlled Underwater Breathing Apparatus) to found what has become a worldwide. volunteer-driven organization focused on building confidence and independence in disabled children, adults and veterans. The program, Diveheart, provides this help by teaching disabled persons scuba diving and scuba therapy. Through Diveheart, persons with disabilities who struggle with life on land have discovered that the forgiving, weightless wonder of the water column provides the perfect gravity-free environment. Underwater, everyone is equal. The cooperation of local Rotary clubs has enabled Diveheart to travel to Malaysia, Australia, and the United Kingdom, among other locations. Learn about Diveheart from the Radio-Rotary interview with Mr. Elliott.

Learn more:

Diveheart: https://www.diveheart.org/

Diveheart on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=Diveheart

Downers Grove Rotary: https://dgrotary.org/

Downers Grove Rotary on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DGRotary/

Categories

Words to List: Persons with disabilities, SCUBA,

Andrew O’Grady, CEO of Mental Health America of Dutchess County (MHA) visits Radio Rotary to introduce “Mental Health First Aid,” an eight-hour course that  that teaches ways to identify, understand, and respond to signs of a mental health or substance use problem. Similar to physical First Aid and CPR, Mental Health First Aid helps a trainee assist someone in a mental health or substance use crisis. MHA, among the sponsors of the First Aid course, is a nonprofit devoted to community-based services for dealing with mental-health problems. Its many programs include care management, mobile crisis aid, community residences for persons experiencing substance misuse, veterans’ services, mental-health backup for police, supported housing, several varieties of support groups, and workshops and educational programs. MHA has aided more than 6,000 persons solve their mental-health problems in the past twelve years.

Learn more:

Mental Health America of Dutchess County: https://mhadutchess.org/

Mental Health First Aid: https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/

National Council for Mental Wellbeing: https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/

Categories

Addiction Recovery

Education

Mental Health

Service Organizations

Support Groups

Veterans

Words to List: Mental health

Radio Rotary welcomes Rotarians Boe Loendorf (Cairo Durham Rotary) and Elena Mosley (Hudson Rotary), part of the eight-member Committee for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in Rotary District 7210. The members of this committee are fanning out through District 7210, helping Rotary Clubs increase their commitment to DEI. Rotary was once an international club whose members were primarily wealthy male businessmen or government leaders, which might still describe Rotary in some nations. But in the United States, Rotary has been growing more diverse to reflect the local community.  No longer does Rotary include primarily professionals—people of all vocations are welcome. Since 1987, when Rotary clubs in the United States began to admit women as members, the clubs in this country have become more devoted to service without abandoning fellowship. Clubs actively change their meeting schedules and practices to attract younger members and members of all community groups. From this program you can learn about some of the ways to make DEI happen. 

Learn more:

What is DEI? https://www.inclusionhub.com/articles/what-is-dei

DEI in District 7210: https://rotarydistrict7210.org/page/dei-home

Hudson Rotary Club: https://rotarydistrict7210.org/clubinfo/hudson-2

Cairo Durham Rotary Club: http://www.cdrotaryclub.org/

CATEGORIES

New Generations

Rotary District 7210

Rotary Membership

Vocational

Words to List:

DEI, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Rotary

Hyde Park Rotarians Richard Mattocks, 2022-23 club president, and John Vanderlee are interviewed on Radio Rotary about their club’s activities, focusing mainly on a comedy night at Coppola’s Hyde Park restaurant to support Rotary’s Polio Plus program, which is making great strides toward eradicating polio completely throughout the world. The comedy night program will feature two well-known stand-up comedians, Kendra Cunningham and Katina Corrao. Dinner is at Coppola’s is included. Proceeds of the event will benefit Polio Plus and also other activities of Hyde Park Rotary such as scholarships, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), and “Little Libraries.” The “Little Libraries” are available day and night—residents can take a book and/or leave a book for others to read,

Learn more:

Hyde Park Rotary: https://rotarydistrict7210.org/clubinfo/hyde-park

Hyde Park Rotary on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RotaryHydeParkNY/

Kendra Cunningham: https://www.kendracunningham.com/

Katina Corrao: https://www.katinacorrao.com/

PolioPlus: https://www.rotary.org/en/our-causes/ending-polio

Coppola’s Restaurant: https://www.coppolas.net/coppola-s-of-hyde-park

CATEGORIES

Events

Global Polio Initiative

PolioPlus

Rotary Club Projects

Words to List: Polio, Polio Eradication, End Polio Now, Hyde Park Rotary, Kendra Cunningham, Katina Corrao

Rotarians Steven Caine and Laura Lee (Burnt Bills Ballston Lake Rotary) visit Radio Rotary to tell about their efforts to help bring medical facilities to Muchila Center, an isolated village in Zambia—the nearest hospital is two hours away.

In addition to assistance from the Rotary clubs of Kusinta and Lusaka, the new clinic uses equipment supplied by Project C.U.R.E. Much needed dental facilities and transportation are also part of the nonprofit Muchila Access Project, which will serve over 43,000 persons in the Muchila region.  Burnt Hills Ballston Lake Rotary is working on a Rotary Foundation Global Grant directed primarily toward providing maternal and child health and disease prevention and treatment, including dental health. As many as 1 in 13 women die from maternal related causes in regions like Muchila, compared to 1 in 4,000 in developed countries, and about 80% of the population in the region suffers from oral disease.

Learn more:

Burnt Hills/Ballston Lake Rotary: https://bhblrotary.org/

Rotary Club of Lusaka (Zambia): https://lusakarotary.org/

Rotary Club of Kusinta (Zambia) on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KusintaRocks/

Muchila Access Project: https://www.muchilaaccess.org/

Project C.U.R.E.: https://projectcure.org/

CATEGORIES

Health

International Programs

Rotary Club Projects

Rotary Foundation

Words to List:

Zambia, maternal and child health, disease prevention and treatment, Rotary Foundation Global Grants

CAPE is the Council on Addiction Prevention & Education in Dutchess County. For this program, Dora Celestino, Community Educator, returns to Radio Rotary to talk about how CAPE uses education about the harm caused by substance misuse disorder—including addiction to tobacco, alcohol, prescription drugs, or street drugs— as a way to prevent such misuse.  Duchess County currently experiences more overdose deaths than any other county in New York State, mainly due to the synthetic drug fentanyl. While fentanyl may be taken deliberately, it is also used as an additive to other drugs, so persons may be exposed without expecting it. CAPE teaches children, often younger than 13,to avoid buying drugs over the internet. Another frequent misuse of drugs is taking a prescription medicine by raiding a medicine cabinet. But the most common form of drug misuse among children is vaping, nicotine delivered with an electronic device as a substitute for cigarettes. CAPE is also showing a movie about a family after their 19-year-old dies from drug misuse (Life After You at the Millerton Moviehouse)

Learn more:

CAPE (Council on Addiction Prevention & Education: https://capedc.org/

U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, One Pill Can Kill: https://www.dea.gov/onepill

Dutchess County Addiction Prevention Services: https://www.dutchessny.gov/Departments/County-Executive/38732.htm

Trailer for Life After You: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUic3dmeHU4

CATEGORIES

Addiction Recovery

Education

Mental Health

Service Organizations

Words to List:

Addiction, Opiates, Fentanyl, Substance Misuse Disorder, Vaping

Millbrook Rotary is 50 years old and celebrating the anniversary Radio Rotary welcomes Millbrook Rotarians past-district-governor Cindie Kish and charter member David Brinkerhoff to describe the history and activities of the Millbrook club. In 1973 a group of about 25 men—at the time only men were admitted to rotary—began meeting in the Cottonwood Inn and soon petitioned Rotary International and were granted status as the Rotary Club of Central Dutchess with an official territory extending from Pine Plains in the north, LaGrange and Pawling in the south, and Pleasant Valley in the west. As time went on groups from that club spun off the Hyde Park, Rhinebeck, Pleasant Valley, and LaGrange Rotaries, leading the Central Dutchess club to change its name to Millbrook Rotary. A major change occurred when women were admitted to Rotary starting in 1987. The 50thAnniversary will be celebrated at the Links in Unionvale, guest speaker Cara Mia Bacchiochi, founder of Hope on a Mission, one of the many organization that Millbrook Rotary partners with in community service.

Learn more:

Rotary Club of Millbrook: https://millbrookrotary.org/

Millbrook Rotary Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/129723737055248

Millbrook Rotary Business Directory: https://www.millbrookrotarydirectory.com/

Rotary District 7210: https://rotarydistrict7210.org/

Hope on a Mission: https://www.hopeonamission.org/

CATEGORIES

Humanitarian Service

Rotary Club Close-ups

Service Organizations

WORDS TO LIST: Millbrook NY, Millbrook Rotary. Rotary Clubs

Radio Rotary interviews Steve Gessner, Chairman of the Pleasant Valley Ecumenical Food Pantry. This is a local community food pantry sponsored by the four local churches in the hamlet of Pleasant Valley, NY. We serve the hungry and needy families in the district surrounding my local community. The Pleasant Valley Food Pantry is an agency the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley, purchasing most of the food it distributes from the Food Bank at a discount. It distributes free food and items of person hygiene to about four hundred persons during a ninety-minute window each Wednesday. Families can choose the foods or supplied they want from a menu, although all get a package of fresh produce and bread along with their order. While 80% of the food distributed is from the Food Bank, the remainder is donated by individuals and groups such as the Pleasant Valley Rotary Club, which runs a food drive to fill a bus or truck with donations several times each year. The food pantry is an entirely volunteer effort with fifty or more local residents volunteering each week.

Learn more:

Pleasant Valley Ecumenical Food Pantry: https://www.nyconnects.ny.gov/services/pleasant-valley-ecumenical-food-pantry-sofa34725

Food Bank of the Hudson Valley: https://foodbankofhudsonvalley.org/

Pleasant Valley Rotary Club: https://rotarydistrict7210.org/clubinfo/pleasant-valley

CATEGORIES

Nutrition

Rotary Club Projects

WORDS TO LIST: Food Pantries, Food Banks, Hunger,

Sarah O’Connell-Claitor and Kathy Kruger learn the latest development of  the Vassar-Haiti Project (VHP) from Lila Meade, Executive Director of Vassar-Haiti Project (VHP),  and Laury Senecal, Vassar senior who is president of the Vassar Rotaract Club and co-president of Student Executive Board.  For twenty-one years, VJP the has improved the lives of Haitians in the remote mountaintop Haitian village of Chermaitre and its surroundings. Today Chermaitre and the surrounding area is served by a 200-student school, a clinic that treats 3,000 patients annually, solar-power system to bring electricity to the clinic. and a system bringing clean water to the community. A new project is adult education, teaching illiterate patients to read. Education, health, community economic improvement, and clean water are all Rotary goals as well, and 14 Rotary Clubs from District 7210 as well as three others from other districts, have been one of the main supports of VHP, along with annual sales of works by Haitian artists.

Learn more:

The Vassar Haiti Project: http://www.thehaitiproject.org/

The Rotary Foundation Global Grants: https://my.rotary.org/en/take-action/apply-grants/global-grants

Rotaract: https://www.rotary.org/en/get-involved/rotaract-clubs

Rotary District 7210: mailto:https://rotarydistrict7210.org/

CATEGORIES

Education

Health

International Programs

Rotary Club Projects

Rotary Foundation

Water Projects

WORDS TO LIST: Haiti, Rotary projects

The Sparrow’s Nest charity that provides meals to the families of persons experiencing cancer is planning a big expansion, Krista Jones returns to RadioRotary with news of a $50,000 grant from Astra-Zenica  and a vision of the charity’s future. When a good friend developed stage-4 colon cancer, Ms. Jones recognized that cancer affects the whole family and began to provide daily meals for her friend’s family. Today, with mostly volunteer help, her Sparrow’s Nest charity provides two free meals a day for some 300 cancer-affected families in the mid-Hudson with children under 18. Ms. Jones still manages to do all the cooking herself, but Sparrow’s Nest has moved from Ms. Jones’ kitchen to a professional kitchen and office in a commercial space. The hope is to obtain a new site where vegetables and perhaps chickens can be raised to provide even healthier local food to its clients. Donations, including those through several annual events such as a 5-k walk, are needed to make the dream of a small farm for the charity come true/

Learn more:

Sparrow’s Nest: http://sparrowsnestcharity.org/

Sparrow’s Nest Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/oursparrowsnest/

Nutrition and Cancer Treatment: https://www.cancer.org/treatment/survivorship-during-and-after-treatment/staying-active/nutrition.html

CATEGORIES

Health

Nutrition

Service Organization

Volunteers

WORDS TO LIST: