Memorial Day Ceremony.  In attendance were

Veterans, City Officials, Police Color Guard, Boy Scouts,

other Guests and some fellow Winter Springs Rotarians.

Click here to view the latest photos from Rotary events.

Chereshenskiy Orphanage (prounced: Chery esch in ski) is located near the northern boarder of Ukraine within the Chernigovskaya oblast, Koropsky region. The orphanage is approximately 4 hours north of the capital city of Kyiv. The setting is very rural and is adjacent to a small village. The closest city is Chernigov which is 2 hours away. Chernigov is a city of 300,000 and is home to the host Rotary Club for this project.

This International humanitarian project will not only improve childrens health but also their future. The project has two components which both directly impact the children of Chereshenskiy Orphanage. The first part addresses health and environmental issues, the second focuses on education.

EDUCATION

Rotarian Yuriy Kucherov of the Rotary Club of Chernigov Ukraine has identified an opportunity where we can provide humanitarian services of great value to these children in need, benefiting both the children and the community. Yuriy has led the way in assembling a Skills Training Program for the older orphans right at the Chereshenskiy orphanage. The children can participate in the program while still living within the safety and security of the orphanage community.

Proper course completion certification is key in obtaining employment. The Rotary Club of Chernigov has made arrangements to establish a satellite training center from a state certified trade school. The course curriculum will be provided by the sponsoring trade school and upon completion the children will receive certification of course completion.

For children in orphanages – education is the difference between life and death.

Take a look at these orphan statistics:

1. There are over 100,000 orphans in Ukraine.
2. The older an orphan gets the chances of his/her adoption drastically decreases.
3. Each year many orphans between the age of 15 to 18-years-old leave the orphanages.
4. Most of these orphans have no one to turn to for help.
5. About 10% of them will commit suicide after leaving the orphanage before their
eighteenth birthday.
6. 60% of the girls will end up in prostitution.
7. 70% of the boys will enter a life of crime.
8. Only 27% of these youth will find work.

These youth live in a country that labels them as “useless” and gives no assistance to turn their lives around. It’s a society that has created its own problem by placing thousands of children in orphanages, then when the children come of age, they give them no assistance to lead a successful life. It’s almost as if the system places children in trade schools to become “slaves of the State” to fill low-income jobs of unskilled labor and remain the under-trodden, second class citizens the majority of the population of Ukraine believes that they are.

COMMUNITY BENEFITS

This humanitarian project will directly benefit all of the children and staff of the Chereschenskiy orphanage and surrounding community in many ways. Hazardous septic waste will no longer pollute the river and drinking water supply. The entire community and ultimately our world will benefit from a clean water supply.

The community is strengthened by providing higher education to its residents. The trade school program at the orphanage will be available at no charge to all children over 16 years of age living in the surrounding community. This is especially important because these local children are often taking care of their families and farms and do not have an opportunity or money to go to the city to attend a trade school.

By providing specialized education to children within the safety of the orphanage we will better prepare these children for life and gainful employment and eliminate the negative aspects of living at a trade school. By educating orphans we are giving them a chance to become-self sufficient responsible members of their local community and society.

For more information please contact:  Tom Mack, Rotary Club of Winter Springs
telephone: 407-359-2220        email tmack11@earthlink.net

Rotarian Boris Gabelev from the Rotary Club of Chernigov Ukraine writes “They are almost finished, now we are looking for some funds locally to finalize cabins for toilets.”

OK, it took us a while to figure it out “cabins” refer to toilet stalls or the enclosure we usually put around toilets for privacy.

Looks like the snow is starting to melt in Ukraine, spring will be on the way soon.

For the boys.

Good – safe lighting. Tile on the ceiling, walls and floor.

Beautiful tile job.

This is a beautiful sight.

WOW! Remember what the kids had before? An Outhouse.

This is what the shower building looked like before we started. Scroll back up to the top photo see the difference.

Registration started early.

Rotarian Roger Owen was working hard registering kids.

Some of the many Winter Springs Rotarians who participated in this event.

Ton’s of awards.

Starting line

The Winners!

We start at 6:00am and prepare breakfast for the 40 +- residents. After serving breakfast we clean up and start on preparing lunch. Once lunch is served and cleaned up we prepare dinner which is usually a light meal, usually soup and sandwiches.

For more information about Pathways to Care in Casselberry, Florida click here:  Pathways to Care

2009-2010   -  Intesar Terkawi

2008-2009  -  Brantley G. Tillis

2007-2008  -  James B. Moriarty

2006-2007  – Donald Gilmore

2005-2006  -  Maureen Simmons

2004-2005  -  Tim Slattery

2003-2004  -  Marty Kramer

2002-2003  -  Tommy J. Lenzini

2001-2002  -  Ruth Rudy

2000-2001  -  William F. Geisler

1999-2000  -  A. Mark Sardo

1998-1999  -  Owen E. Bailey

1997-1998  -  Kay B. Corum

1996-1997  -  Gregory Hess

1995-1996  -  Timothy Seibert

1994-1995  -  William E. Starmer

1993-1994  -  Ronald S. Kandzer

1992-1993  -  Raymond Rogers

1991-1992  -  Paul P. Partyka

1990-1991   -  Robert E. Owne

1989-1990  -  John R. Heninger

1988-1989  -  James T. Fry

1987-1988  -  Robert Navidomskis

1986-1987  -  Gregory Foppiani

1985-1986  -  Rich Flanagan

1984-1985  -  James Cooper

The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:

• FIRST. The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;
• SECOND. High ethical standards in business and professions, the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations, and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society;
• THIRD. The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian’s personal, business, and community life;
• FOURTH. The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.

Avenues of Service

Based on the Object of Rotary, the Avenues of Service are Rotary’s philosophical cornerstone and the foundation on which club activity is based:

• Club Service focuses on strengthening fellowship and ensuring the effective functioning of the club.
• Vocational Service encourages Rotarians to serve others through their vocations and to practice high ethical standards.
• Community Service covers the projects and activities the club undertakes to improve life in its community.
• International Service encompasses actions taken to expand Rotary’s humanitarian reach around the globe and to promote world understanding and peace.

The Four-Way Test

The test, which has been translated into more than 100 languages, asks the following questions:

Of the things we think, say or do

1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

Mission

The mission of Rotary International, a worldwide association of Rotary clubs, is to provide service to others, to promote high ethical standards, and to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through its fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders.
Diversity and Rotary

Rotary International recognizes the value of diversity within individual clubs. Rotary encourages clubs to assess those in their communities who are eligible for membership, under existing membership guidelines, and to endeavor to include the appropriate range of individuals in their clubs. A club that reflects its community with regard to professional and business classification, gender, age, religion, and ethnicity is a club with the key to its future.
Moving toward the future

In 2001-02, Rotary International began developing a strategic plan to guide the organization as it entered its second century of service. In June 2007, the Board of Directors approved the RI Strategic Plan 2007-10, which identifies seven priorities:

• Eradicate polio.
• Advance the internal and external recognition and public image of Rotary.
• Increase Rotary’s capacity to provide service to others.
• Expand membership globally in both numbers and quality.
• Emphasize Rotary’s unique vocational service commitment.
• Optimize the use and development of leadership talents within RI.
• Fully implement the strategic planning process to ensure continuity and consistency throughout the organization.