Rick Chimblo, from Rotary Club of Oro Valley, presented the many ways that local clubs can partner with international clubs to support meaningful projects abroad.
Rotary Club of Marana Meeting Minutes October 17, 2023
In anticipation of World Polio Day, October 24, President Laura shared with us a video by RI President Gordan McInally. Two countries remain with endemic wild polio: Afghanistan and Pakistan. We must remain vigilant to stop further spread and to eradicate the virus completely. After the video, Randy Brooks led our club in pledging to participate in the Rotary End Polio Now campaign. Within minutes we raised $700 that will be donated to RI’s Polio Fund via El Tour de Tucson fundraising rider, Shirley Grace. Thank you, Randy, for your leadership and congratulations to our membership for being committed to eradicating polio.
Program on International Service:
Rick Chimblo provided an informative and inspiring program for us on International Service today. Rick is a 23-year Rotarian in the Rotary Club of Oro Valley. He has been president of 3 clubs and is the Charter President of an Inter-Country Committee (ICC) USA-Spain. Rick is an active member of the District 5500 Grants Team, a Rotary Major Donor and an honorary member of the Rotary Club of Denia, Spain. Rick is a retired geo-physicist. He and his wife, Rianne, have been married for 38 years and share a passion for adventure and the great outdoors. They have 3 children and 5 grandchildren.
Rick spoke with us about 3 ways to engage internationally in addition to participation in a global grant. They include adopt-a-village, sister clubs, and Inter-Country Committees (ICCs), and each has it’s unique benefits and inspirations.
Adopt-a-Village involves developing on ongoing relationship with a specific town, village, or area in another country. This continuity allows Rotarians and community members to develop more joyful, trusting, and robust relationships with one another. Through these relationships Rotarians can learn what is most meaningful to the community and how to interweave individual service projects to support sustainable viability in all of Rotary’s 7 areas of focus. Additionally, the partnership allows the community to develop more agency in the projects themselves and leadership in their own development.
Development of Sister Rotary Clubs from different countries is just plain fun. Friendship and peace are advanced through frequent, ongoing communication, visits, and collaboration on service projects.
Inter-Country Committees (ICCs) are a mechanism for Rotarians in two or more countries to link and get to know each other well. They involve a permanent working relationship that is richly rewarding. The ICCs particularly emphasize the international character of Rotary. They advance peace by offering a natural forum for dialogue between different cultures. ICCs also provide wider reach into international service because of the wider range of participants. Also, because ICCs involve multiple clubs, districts, and countries, funding for projects is more easily obtained, with and without assistance from TRF via global and district grants. Examples of projects that Rick’s ICC have facilitated include a special lift for children with special needs in Morocco, lighting and a water well for a community with leprosy in Cameroon, and a school science and arts labs in Mozambique.
We can’t thank Rick enough for expanding our understanding of Rotary International Service and inspiring participation.