Marcus Egli is a familiar face to many of us in the club., visiting with us from his residence in Switzerland from time to time during the year. At the May 11 meeting Marcus shared what he felt were the differences between Rotary in Switzerland and the US. He is a member of the Bachtel-Zürich club. Bachtel is a mountain near Zürich.
The main difference is created by the Swiss government having information on almost all citizens and has programs set up to meet the needs of people as they occur. In the US, many people are “below the radar”, thus creating an opportunity/need for providing social services for people with unmet needs.
Two situations’ Marcus illustrated was one case where if groups try to provide services it would be interfering with governmental programs and the jobs of its employees. The other was an opportunity to clean up the environment, but the rules, regulations, and training made the task out of range.
One of the opportunities available is in the area of global grants, such as programs training police in Africa or providing medical facilities. Marcus’s club puts much emphasis on the sustainability of the programs they are asked to support.
A fire in a nearby village did provide an opportunity to provide support to the residents until the government programs could get started. In response to the opportunity was, “Now we can do something.”
The club membership remains at close to 40 members. It provides opportunities for social interaction; hiking, visits to nearby Rotary clubs, and creating and maintaining a garden in front of the restaurant located on the slopes of their namesake mountain.
Many thanks to Marcus for an insightful program.
Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona
President Steve filled in for an ill presenter, presenting a slide program about the opportunities the local girl scouting program offers. Steve does some volunteer work with scouting here locally. And, as the slide says, “It’s not your mother’s Girl Scouts.”
One of the most impressive features of what is available here locally is the number of programs offered in cooperation with local businesses and groups to provide avenues for the girls to earn badges.
Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) programs, with Biosphere 2, Sonoran Desert Museum, Tohono Chul, Reid Park Zoo, among others
Outdoors, with REI, Colossal Caves, camping activities, and others
Life Skills, with tea parties, drama, and the arts, and more
Entrepreneurship, with Angel Charity for Children (philanthropy), financial literacy, and how to design a business plan, “sell it”, and implement it (with real money to do it)
Currently the Girls Scouts use the following chart for participation in programs.
An additional pathway has been added - Juliette Girl Scouts. Juliette Girl Scouts are busy, independent, self-confident girls of all ages. do not belong to a troop, but instead work on Girl Scout programs on their own with the guidance of an adult mentor.
L to R: Gerry McReynolds, Jane Shurtleff, Linda Stratton (Jane’s sponsor), President Steve (Tim’s sponsor), Tim Aalbu
During the May 11, 2023 meeting two new members were inducted into the Rotary Club of Oro Valley. Membership Chair Gerry reminded us all that the genesis of the Polio Plus program began in 1979 as the first major grant in the then new Health, Humanity, and Hunger program. The grant’s goal was to immunize 6.1 million children in the Philippines against the polio virus. Because of the grants success, in 1985 Polio Plus was launched with the goal of the total eradication of the polio virus.
After members both current and new were reminded of the responsibilities of being a Rotarian, Jane Shurtleff & Tim Aalbu were inducted as new members with pin, certificate, new member information, and a club banner.
This was followed by a bio sketch by Jane, including her work with philanthropic organization, such as, Habitat for Humanity, and skills in grant writing.(!!) Tim’s bio included his membership in other Rotary clubs, several successful stints in the landscaping business, and a book that he and his wife publish and use to teach early elementary students about the principals emphasized the Four Way test.
Swiss Follow-up
As a follow-up to last week’s presentation, Marcus brought a package of the finest Swiss milk chocolate, to replace the weekly drawing prize. The winner was John Barnett.
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Marcus Egli is a familiar face to many of us in the club., visiting with us from his residence in Switzerland from time to time during the year. At the May 11 meeting Marcus shared what he felt were the differences between Rotary in Switzerland and the US. He is a member of the Bachtel-Zürich club. Bachtel is a mountain near Zürich.
L to R: Gerry McReynolds, Jane Shurtleff, Linda Stratton (Jane’s sponsor), President Steve (Tim’s sponsor), Tim Aalbu
As a follow-up to last week’s presentation, Marcus brought a package of the finest Swiss milk chocolate, to replace the weekly drawing prize. The winner was John Barnett.