Tom Wolf speaks at Peak to Peak Rotary

02/22/2007 - Tom is the past President of the Denver-Stapleton Rotary Club and, when not devoting time to Rotary issues, is an attorney in Denver. Back in 2000, he made a special trip to be with us during our Charter Night (first organized club meeting).

  Tom talked with us about the importance of the Rotary International Foundation. He noted that the mission of the Foundation is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill and peace. There are many ways the Foundation acts to complete this mission: improving the health of those in need, supporting educational development in areas where educational opportunities are lacking, attempting to alleviate poverty through financial assistance and training endeavors, and many other ways.

  According to Tom, District 5450 presently has chartered fifty clubs. Historically, this District has consistently led the country both in contributions to the Foundation and in developing and implementing projects that utilize these Foundation funds to meet the needs of people in developing countries. He also noted that “Polio Plus,” the Rotary program that was established to eradicate Polio worldwide, was envisioned and begun in Denver. To date, over $600 million in Rotarian funds has been spent on that very successful effort. Now Rotary has teamed up with the Gates Foundation to continue the assault on Polio throughout the world.

  Tom also mentioned the “Group Study Exchange,” which encourages Rotarians to organize month-long visits to developing countries to spread understanding and peace. There are also Ambassador Scholarships, World Peace Scholarships, Grants Programs, and other Rotarian-sponsored efforts used to meet the Foundation’s mission.

  If you want to learn more, Tom recommends you visit the Foundation website at www.rotary.org/foundation. Thanks, Tom, for a very enlightening and inspiring reminder of what Rotary is all about and how we can all become more involved in reaching those ideals.