Helping People Survive Disasters and Conflicts (Aired on August 22, 2021)

Montecito (CA) Rotarian Kerri Murray, president of ShelterBox USA, joins Jonah Triebwasser and Kathy Kruger to talk about how the ShelterBox organization helps survivors of disasters and refugees from conflicts around the world. ShelterBox is a program that provides disaster or conflict relief based on a specially designed tent that can hold an entire family and also the tools, food,
solar lighting, cookware, and water filtration needed to support that family for up to half a year—including toys for children. The traditional ShelterBoxes resemble trunk-sized Tupperware boxes that contain everything needed for a family, but sometimes a tent is not the answer, so ShelterBox also provides as needed ShelterKits with tools and supplies for rebuilding and restocking a damaged home or other specific materials such as SchoolBoxes to replace lost lessons. When ShelterBox was started by a group of British Rotarians in 2000 they expected to 8 to 10 families a year, but today more than 200,000 persons facing such disasters as tsunamis, earthquakes, floods, giant storms, and civil wars are being helped. Listen and learn much more.

Learn More:
ShelterBox USA: https://www.shelterboxusa.org/
Stock the Box Campaign: https://www.shelterboxusa.org/stockthebox/
Rotary International and ShelterBox: https://www.rotary.org/en/shelterbox-and-rotary-help-disasters
Montecito Rotary Club: http://www.montecitorotary.org/

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August 30, 2021 · Posted in Disaster Relief, International Programs, Service Organizations  

Dutchess County Fair Returns (Aired on August 15, 2021)

Andy Imperati, president and CEO of the world famous Dutchess County Fair joins RadioRotary to tell about the events at this year’s fair, which has returned for its 175th season after a one-year break due to Covid 19. In 2021, although masks are suggested for the unvaccinated, proof of vaccination is not required for entry. The many familiar Fair events will be returning, including all the animals on display on Livestock Hill (with this year the addition of the Two-by-Two Zoo); milking the cows twice a day, with children allowed to milk Miss Dutchess, a fiberglass cow; the famous 4H milkshakes; the crafts, food, and garden competitions; museum village with its antique engines; the carnival rides; and the shows in the grandstand. A new feature this year will be Thursday mornings cleared for those with sensory problems—no lights on the rides and no pervasive music.

Learn More:
Dutchess County Fair: https://www.dutchessfair.com/
Dutchess County 4H Fairbook 2021: https://www.dutchessfair.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/FINAL-2021-FAIRBOOK-dutchess-fair.pdf

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August 18, 2021 · Posted in Dutchess County, Events  

Climate Crisis and Climate Justice (Aired on August 8, 2021)

Ugandan Climate Crisis activist Vanessa Nakate visits RadioRotary from Africa via Zoom for an essential account of how climate change has become a crisis, and about the need for Climate Justice. Her home nation of Uganda, in East Africa along Lake Victoria, has been ravaged by climate-induced floods in the east and west and climate-induced drought in the north. While major lakes in the western United States are drying up, Lake Victoria has risen to the highest level in 120 years, flooding homes and infrastructure along the shore. The same disasters that are injuring Uganda are occurring across the globe as well as fires in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Africa, which contributes only 3% of the atmospheric gases that are causing the Climate Crisis, is just as endangered as the Western nations, China, and Japan, which produce about half of the carbon dioxide and methane globally. Climate Justice is a movement to equalize the attempts are remediation.

Learn more:
Vanessa Nakate on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Vanessa-Nakate-106155294113113
Vanessa Nakate at Rotary Convention 2020: https://rotarynewsonline.org/world-leaders-must-take-africas-climate-crisis-seriously-vanessa-nakate/
UN Climate Change Conference, Glasgow 2021: https://ukcop26.org/
Rise Up: https://www.riseupmovementafrica.org/

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August 12, 2021 · Posted in Environment, Quality of Life, Rotary International, United Nations  

Rerunning Rotary’s Ribfest Restaurant Revival (Aired on August 1, 2021)

Highland Rotarians Tony Marmo, Steve Laubach, and club-president Dave Lambert visit RadioRotary via Zoom to tell how the club’s principal fundraiser, the annual Ribfest, which started in 2005, has been reconfigured for the Covid-19 era. For a second year, the Highland Rotary Club has decided to replace the Hudson Valley Ribfest at the Ulster County Fairgrounds with a fundraiser that helps local restaurants impacted by Covid, provides a great value for diners, and also raises a little cash for the Rotary Club’s many community grants. Rotary’s Ribfest Restaurant Revival is based upon diners being able to purchase a $30 voucher that is worth $50 at a local restaurant. Event sponsors make up the $20 difference, so the restaurant receives the full cost of the meal—a “win-win” opportunity. Go to the website to participate, August 20-22, 2021.

Learn more:
Hudson Valley Ribfest: https://rrrr.rocks/
Highland NY Rotary Club: http://highlandrotaryclub.com/
Highland Rotary on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/highlandnyrotary/

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August 4, 2021 · Posted in Events, Hudson Valley, Nutrition, Rotary Club Projects