Guess who is coming to dinner?Service is what we do but on this occasion we were "serving" ourselves! 23 diners descended on four generous hosts (Michelle, Marie, Vic & Jan and Chris & Christine), bearing culinary contributions. Everybody enjoyed sumptuous tucker, stimulating conversation and the warmth of spending time with good friends on a cold winters night. A fabulous start to the weekend. |
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At times like now when the polar blasts move across the country, when there is ice on the windscreen nearly every morning and power is a limited resource, staying warm and healthy is a real challenge for far too many families. Cold homes can lead to many debilitating conditions including high blood pressure, pneumonia, and bronchitis. People already suffering from health issues, the elderly and children are especially vulnerable to the cold. The Rotary Club of Half Moon Bay, which meets weekly at the Bucklands Beach Yacht Club on Wednesdays, has teamed up with the Anglican Trust for Women & Children and the Warehouse in Pakuranga to bring some warmth into homes that are desperately cold and for whom, some respite from the shivers is welcome indeed. Dipping into their resources Rotary purchased a load of blankets for local families, and the Warehouse generously topped the quantity up as part of their support to the local community. Together with volunteers from the Anglican Trust for Women & Children the blankets have been distributed to many families in South and East Auckland, making a huge difference to folk who normally dread the onset of winter. This was a great team effort from three organisations, charitable and commercial, working together to deliver good outcomes to their community.
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RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) is an iconic flagship project for Rotary International and a very significant part of the Youth and Community thrust in our own District 9920. Whilst it is a District wide project each year there is a "Host Club" that takes on the task of staging and managing this amazing course and this year was The Rotary Club of Half Moon Bay. RYLA is an intensive leadership experience organised by Rotary clubs and districts which is designed for young adults, all clear leaders in their chosen field, to further develop leadership skills while having fun and making connections. One RYLA alumni reflected on his involvement as follows; "That one week at RYLA shaped me in ways that are hard to describe, across all aspects of my personal and professional life. But most of all, I left with a raging desire to become a better leader and even move active and involved in my community"  With the experienced and dynamic District 9920 team, the members of Half Moon Bay had a wonderful week providing support, management, logistics and mentoring to the 120 young leaders attending. Their experience covered; presentations and workshops facilitated by community and business leaders particularly focusing on leadership development, opportunities for the exchange of ideas, opinions and experiences in discussion groups etc, open sessions, sport and keep fit exercises, the opportunity to experience and practice leadership skills in action and finally involvement in Half Moon Bay community projects with our members. Every aspect hit the spot, from the outstanding Kiwi speakers, all local and global leaders in their field and enormously motivating, to the team exercises and community projects that set the week into context. This was a celebration of all that is Rotary. Personal development, fun and networking. |
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Golf Day koha: Rod Cooke, with an eye on good planning, reminds members that the golf day is around the corner in November (at Pakuranga Golf Club) and we need to be building stocks of "Duty Free Koha" for prizes. Please keep this top of mind, especially when returning to Auckland from foreign climes! Bangers to Bluff 2020: Rod Cooke's company is very generously donating a car for next years Rally, including a fuel card!! We are looking for two members to participate in the Rally and take the X Trail to Invercargill. Please contact Rod Cooke. Club Secretary: There is a vacancy for Club Secretary, please contact President Terry if your are able to help with this task. |
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 On the 13th of May 2019 the Murawai Surf Lifesaving Club was venue for an event totally different to its norm! The Rotary Club of Henderson and their Satellite Club Rotalite West hosted the District 9910 & 9920 annual Challenge Camp. In the same way that the venue was taken out of its comfort zone, the camp provides an environment that physically, intellectually and emotionally challenged young people who may not otherwise have the opportunity to attend such a camp. Personal development and interaction of youth who experience special needs with the support of Rotary International Youth Exchange Student mentors. The broad range of activities included; a tree and ropes course at Tree Adventures, Woodhill, a visit to the Parakai Hot Water Pools, motivational speakers and visiting celebrities, as well as many enjoyable social activities. Our own Rotary International Exchange Student, Jenni Puth attended with all the Distrint 9910 & 9920 inbound students, and thoroughly enjoyed this uniquely fulfilling adventure and opportunity on Aucklands wild and wonderful west coast. Apart from the fun and interest of the program she really appreciated the opportunity to buddy with and mentor a camper. An awesome week was had by all. |
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Water Quality, Erosion, Habitat loss and Climate Change are all pressing issues for New Zealand and the planet. There are few projects that can address all of these collective threats more effectively than Trees for Survival. Community based, involving schools, students and Club members it is an active on-going tree planting and recovery project that educates those involved and regenerates the environment. Trees for Survival is an environmental education programme which involves young people growing and planting native trees to restore natural habitats by helping landowners revegetate erosion prone land, improve stream flow and water quality and increase biodiversity. The Trees for Survival programme creates community partnerships by engaging schools, their community, local businesses and Councils all working together to restore our natural heritage. (TfS) The Rotary Club of Half Moon Bay has partnered with Trees for Survival for very many years working with generations of students from Mellons Bay and Bucklands Beach Primary schools, on sites in the Clevedon Valley and on the Southern Shores of the Manukau Harbour. Our recent planting in the Brookby was inspiring, 30 young students bursting to get involved, an engaged and helpful land owner and several Club members descended on a bare hillside, toiled, had fun, learnt and left tired and satisfied having planted around 200 trees. Every one dug deep! After 25 years, Trees for Survival has planted well over 1.5 million trees and is active in 133 New Zealand schools, with the involvement of 5000 pupils and planting around 70 000 trees per annum. A very worthy enterprise!
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Stand Children’s Services is both a valued neighbour and key partner in developing the Half Moon Bay and national community. Stand works to transform the lives of children and young people who are at significant risk of harm to their wellbeing as a consequence of the environment in which they are being raised and their own complex needs. Stand’s services include home and school based social work services, a nationwide therapeutic care and education service for children and families, child and family mentoring, and respite services for caregivers, including grandparents and foster parents. Together we find ways to support this mission and the resultant programmes, providing reading support, a dictionary for every pupil attending Stand and regular work teams. “Rotarians from the Half Moon Bay Rotary Club, continue to be much appreciated supporters and contributors to the everyday work at Stand Children's Services – Auckland. It takes very little to give hope and opportunity to children and the Half Moon Bay Rotary Club members offer their service and assistance throughout the year; sponsoring illustrated dictionaries for every child, providing funds for a much appreciated children’s reward scheme and practical assistance by way of working bees. Their contribution and championing of our service truly makes a difference”. - Pene Frost, Regional Manager |
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Music has been an important part of leading an ordinary life for students at the Music School for Children With Disabilities in Honor of Paul Harris in Lublin, Poland. Founded by Rotary members, the school serves 20 students with various disabilities, including Down syndrome, autism, and visual impairments. The Rotary Club of Lublin-Centrum-Maria Curie-Sklodowska has provided funding with help from Rotary Foundation Matching Grants and the Henryk Wieniawski Musical Society, which houses the school.
After their son Mateusz was born with underdeveloped eyes, Mariusz and Joanna Kania looked for ways to help him be active. When he showed an aptitude for music, they looked for a teacher and were thrilled to find the Paul Harris music school.
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 For years, Angalia Bianca had slept in abandoned buildings throughout Chicago. She stole. She did drugs. She spent time in and out of jail for forgery, theft, trespassing, and possession of narcotics. But after she landed in prison for the seventh time, something changed -- Bianca knew she wanted a better life. She just didn’t know how to make it happen.After serving her time, Bianca sought help from a local homeless organization, A Safe Haven, and moved to its shelter in the Rogers Park neighborhood. Bianca followed the program closely -- she attended all the required meetings, passed drug tests, and volunteered at every opportunity.
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 What is it like taking a large team to Africa? It has probably been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. In mid February, I began leading Rotary members from all over the East Coast of the United States through Ghana. I’ve tried to give the team a warm Ghanaian welcome like I’ve received on my earlier trips. A large trip is a real blessing because each person sees Ghana and our work in a different way.A highlight for the team was greeting the chief of Sagadugu. The team got excited about buying goats and food for children in the villages where I support eight churches. It was good to see the pastors of most of the eight churches, and I had to explain that we were just passing through on our way to Bolgatanga. |
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