Woohoomanity Challenge (Draft)

 

A year of your life up in smoke...

Imagine fighting wildfires and saving people's homes, only to walk through the ashes of your own home that took you a year to build by hand. In 2020, Colorado wildfires burned 1,000 square miles and destroyed over 1,000 homes, businesses, and other structures. Then in 2021, the Marshall fire near Denver destroyed 1,000 families' homes. Many thousands of people are displaced long-term.

Local Rotary Clubs quickly raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for recovery and have devoted many hundreds of hours so far to helping, with much more to come. We’re guided by the impacted Rotary clubs who best know the needs.

 

Hudson is hospitalized for a while...

His kyphoscoliosis causes a curvature of the spine. The headgear is part of his medical treatment, but the superhero cape is part of his being a kid. It came with his Bag of Fun.

Families with a child stuck in the hospital need joy, laughter and relief. Play helps cope with the stress and maintain a sense of normalcy. Bags of Fun began as a mother’s wish to offer a respite for her daughter fighting brain cancer. Since then, over 10,000 families have experienced happiness like Hudson’s. Rotary provides funding and volunteer support for Bags of Fun. Never underestimate the power of a superhero cape.

 

Saving a Life...

Mary is a Rotarian volunteering at Cross Purpose, a non-profit career and leadership program that lifts people out of poverty. One day there a young man next to her began softly singing a nursery rhyme... "Frere Jacques"... but with different words... "There are seven, there are seven, continents, continents". The lyrics had been made up years before in a geography class Mary taught at a juvenile detention facility. The young man, a former student, had grown up with gangs and violence, selling and using drugs, and living on the streets. He went on to adult jail, and Mary calls it a miracle he survived.

Rotarians help fund Cross Purpose and volunteer as mentors, trainers, and more. Most applicants were making less than $190/month. They get up to a $200/month stipend, learn personal and professional skills, earn a job certification, and receive placement help until they get a good job. Graduates average $1,700/month plus benefits. Mary credits Cross Purpose with saving the man’s life.

 

These are just three of more than 200,000 Rotary service projects worldwide last year.

1.4 million Rotarians devoted 47 million hours of volunteer time, and we backed it with significant funding. For instance, since 1979 we’ve contributed $2.1 billion to protect nearly 3 billion children from polio. Rotary has earned Charity Navigator’s top rating for 12 straight years, placing it in the top 1% of US charities. We'll make sure your contribution is put to good use. 

 

Your donation goes where it’s needed most.

Rotary isn’t limited to a single cause and can adapt to changing needs. We know our communities and can respond quickly and effectively. And efficiently… after 1% for expenses and a typical 4% credit card processing fee, 95% of your donation goes directly to helping people in need.

 

WILL YOU HELP?   CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW