EMILY DAWES, 2010/2011 AMBASSADORIAL SCHOLAR

Emily Dawes, 2010/2011 Ambassadorial Scholar, is a graduate of Purdue University. She has experienced three studies abroad and spent most of her time in Asia. She studied Ancient History and soon decided that she was more interested in Modern History. She speaks English, French and Arabic fluently and is working on Spanish as well as other languages. She will be using her scholarship towards Middle Eastern Studies for 2010/2011 at the University of Lebanon in Beirut. Her overall goal is to get her PhD in teaching and teach at the college level.

Emily is an amazing woman with a lot of work and a bright future ahead of her. In talking with her and hearing her speak to the club about her accomplishments and her goals, we have no doubt that she will be successful. Great Job Emily, and we wish you all the best!

BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA CHALLENGE DAY

Judy Painter talked to the club on January 12th about her experiences as a teacher. She became involved with a program provided by the Boy Scouts of America called "Challenge Day." The program focuses on special needs kids in schools throughout the state of Indiana. There are 17 volunteers in the program that teach children etiquette, proper manners and morals. The children range in age from 3 to 22 years old. The Challenge Day is held during the 2nd week of May, Monday through Friday. It takes place at Camp Belzer in Indianapolis. There are many activities for the kids to be involved in, such as a petter zoo, pony rides, games and many other activities. Some 2,000 kids per day attend the event. The kids earn the right to attend the event each year and many adult volunteers are involved. Judy expressed the wonderful feeling it is to be involved in the event for special needs kids. She will send additional information to the club regarding how you can be a volunteer for this event.

Everything you always wanted to know about Rotary

Ed Mattson, Mishiwaka Rotarian and Ambassador of Goodwill spoke to the Richmond Rotary Club on December 22nd about the power of networking to make a difference. Mattson is involved with multiple organizations, projects and fellowships. He uses these connections, in addition to Rotary to make a difference and accomplish his goals.

He brought awareness to www.humanitariannetwork.org , www.cancergroup.org and www.greatcausecards.com . These websites are not only extremely informative, but they can bring Rotarians together with non-Rotarians to fight sickness, hunger, thirst and disasters worldwide. Mattson also discussed Rotarian fellowships, which Rotarians have access to for FREE. Check out RI's website.

This super-committed man puts his heart and soul in to helping others have a better quality of life, and is a great role model for many.

Charlie Matthews, actor and local celebrity, talked to the Richmond Toary Club on December 15th about his childhood Christmas memories in Spiceland, Indiana.

With a wonderful sense of humor, this talented story-teller captivated the Rotary audience and our guests. Matthews gave vivid descriptions of a little boy spending Christmas with his grandparents and other family members in a small town some 80 years ago. He spoke of the great joyous season that Christmas was and the fun they had as they hand made many of the decorations for the Christmas tree. He told stories about the members of the family and roles each of them played as the family gathered for the holidays. He closed by reading selections from "A Christmas Carol" and the Bible.

It truly was a joy to have Charlie with us and we also thank Jim Hair for his assistance.

GIFT OF LIFE

Dottie Hancock, District 6560 Gift of Life Chair spoke to the club on December 8th. The Gift of Life Program began in New York when a Ugandan child was the first recipient of the surgery. Now a grown woman, the Ugandan recipient will speak at the 2010 District 6560 Conference.
District 6560 began supporting the Gift of Life Program in 1998 and has helped save more than 150 children worldwide. Previously, the program has only supported heart surgery needs, but recently has also helped children with other ailments. This year, a Haitian girl was brought to Indianapolis with a large tumor in her stomach. She was unable to stand up straight because of the size of the tumor. After her life-saving surgery, her father allowed her to be adopted by an Indiana couple. Also this year, a Kenyan girl needed heart surgery and cleft palate surgery. Another child from Honduras and 2 children from Uganda were also recipients of heart surgery at Riley Hospital in Indianapolis.
Another project Gift of Life supports is sending a medical team to Jordan. In the past 3 years, through 5 teams, 50 children have been saved because of this project. Rotarian Dottie also talked about the potential of a Pediatric Heart Center in Uganda, where surgeries could be completed without having to pay for the children to travel.
The Gift of Life Program is supported by donations from clubs and individuals, matching grants and Riley Hospital. For each sugery done at Riley, Rotary pays only $5,000 and Riley takes care of the rest. Children are chosen after an EKG of their heart is reviewed. The goal is to correct their ailment with only one sugery. Programs like Gift of Life and Polio Plus are what Rotary is all about.