The meeting started at 7.30 am;
Members Present:
Twelve members were present plus two guest speakers. Apologies from: Greg, Kathy, Don, Henry and Peter.
President:
The President welcomed Margriet Theron and Jennie Herring, our guest speakers. An RCG meeting was held the previous evening - AI is being considered for future Bulleting preparation - Bring it on says the Scribe!
The President reportedly fell off his motorbike on a flat straight bit of road. Lost dignity and a fine as well! He is off to ride in the Pyreneese Mountains and holiday in Spain for six weeks in June and July.
PnS St Lukes (?) has donated clothing to Starlight. Don is talking to Kepa Road Countdown for food donations.
Sargeant Colleen:
Nick had offered to act as Sargeant for six months of the current year, then questioned his two-week stand-in terms and conditions - resulting in a personal fine! Not even a letter in the Herald could save him!
There was a debate as to who was the longest-serving Rotarian - it seemed that Nick once again took the honours at 43 years.
A new (and welcome) defence plan! Daylight saving ended, Wendy rubbed shoulders with Graham Norton (figuratively speaking), Trump's tariffs - the most beautiful word in the dictionary! (What a scholar!), Ingrid is a bit too close to the Waiheke club, with her own name badge, some students are getting sick from too much fizzy drink, Max and Malcolm are birthday boys, and for some reason, David owes a fine for something Wendy did. Cash flowed.
We learned nothing new!
Three-Minute Speaker:
Our guest Margriet had not been scheduled to speak so she was offered this slot, much to Wendy's delight.
Margriet arrived in New Zealand in 1978 to take a position as a forest scientist in Rotorua. A transfer to Wellington saw the start of her Rotary career. She returned to Rotorua as Dean of the Faculty of Forestry at Rotorua Polytech, retiring 20 years ago.
She is a Founder Trustee of the Rotary Foundation Trust.
Her special area of interest has been supporting fellow immigrants by teaching skills and knowledge, particularly relating to the employment challenges faced by those from diverse and different cultures, and also dealing with prosaic matters such as food, medical, and social services.
A particular challenge has been addressing domestic violence in ethnic communities and the practical barriers and risks being faced. Six identifiable groups have been set up, each with an ethnic champion for arranging help where needed.
There will be a stall at the Conference promoting these services.
Main Speaker:
Ingrid introduced Jennie to speak on the Rotary Endowment Fund, of which she is the Endowment/Major Gift Advisor (EMGA).
Jennie joined Rotary in 1997. She is from the Otahuhu Club, she owns and runs a private hospital in Papatoetoe, and is the mother of eight children.
There was quite a lot of discussion on the structure of the Rotary Foundation and the Endowment and Major Gift section in particular. Those who wish to see more details of the mission and structure should go to the website.
She is pushing to make the EMGA Chair mandatory. The role includes fundraising, collaboration of events, being a knowledge centre, and education.
There are four funds for endowment giving - Annual, Endowment, Polio, and Disaster. The target for the year is $2.025 billion. Net assets plus committed funding comes to $1.927 billion as of February - so it is getting close.
For personal gifting, there is the Named Endowment Fund with a minimum contribution of US$ 25k. There are seven areas of focus to choose from. The funds are invested in perpetuity with annual proceeds going to the selected uses.
A club can also participate. There is also a bequest option for deceased estates. Documentation is important - a codicil can avoid the need for expensive will reviews.
Jennie mentioned the Polio fund. If it meets a US$50M minimum, the Gates Foundation will contribute double the amount pro-rata. Apparently there are seven cases this year - down from the level of recent times, and the Taliban is supportive. It will be officialdom that is the problem!
Malcolm thanked Jennie on behalf of the Club.
There was a final note on RYPEN and reaching out to Fiji. A donation of $500-$600 is mooted.
Ingrid will send out a notice on the Seminar scheduled for this coming weekend. Check your email!
The meeting closed at 8.35 am.
