Birmingham Rotary - The Rotary Club of Birmingham Website

The Rotary Club of Birmingham is working on ways to celebrate the Centennial anniversary. We want to determine how to best acknowledge this club’s 100 year presence, 100 year record of service, as well as its 100 year membership of community leaders.

This survey questionnaire provides an opportunity for you to share your opinions and

participate in the planning process. The information you provide will help us

better understand how members would like to commemorate this important milestone.

Please help us by using this URL site:

http://www.surveymk.com/rotary2013

ROTARY CLUB OF BIRMINGHAM IN PARTNERSHIPS TO PROVIDE

CAMP SOUTH HAMPTON

Immediately following the April 27^th tornadoes, the members of the 586-member Rotary Club of Birmingham, many of whom were responding individually, felt that the Club should reach out to its neighbors in Birmingham who had been harmed by the recent tornados.

Club President Charlie Perry established a committee of members representing several areas of expertise to work to determine how the club might best use its resources to help with pressing, unmet intermediate and long-term needs.

The committee included the mayor in charge of the county disaster relief program, the CEO of the Jefferson County Department of Health, the Superintendent of the Birmingham City Schools, two construction company executives, the President of the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, the Club’s Vice President of Community Service, the chairman of the Rotary Club of Birmingham Foundation, an insurance company executive and local civic leaders.

The committee decided on four primary objectives:

1. We wanted our efforts focused on Birmingham. The Jefferson County Health Department suggested three sites where we could be most productive, and we chose Pratt City.

2. As a club, we are committed to education and children, and wanted a project that would protect and improve the health, education and emotional stability of the children harmed by the tornado.

3. We wanted our project to provide real assistance to the parents of the children in order to allow them time and peace of mind to rebuild their lives.

4. And we wanted to help the community without interfering with or duplicating the work of the first responders, FEMA or other relief organizations.

Camp South Hampton emerged as the favored project.

Camp South Hampton, a combination reading and activity-based summer camp for children ages 5-13 at the South Hampton Elementary School in Pratt City, is a joint venture between the Rotary Club of Birmingham and the Birmingham City Schools, working alongside many valuable partners, such as:

1. Harbert Corporation's HERO Fund

2. Coca Cola

3. Golden Flake

4. Hibbett Sports

5. Concepts and Associates

6. CTS

7. Highland UMC

8. Full Moon Barbecue

9. The Birmingham Zoo

10. The Birmingham Art Museum

11. The Sloss Furnaces

12. The Botanical Gardens

13. Vulcan Park and Museum

14. The McWane Center

15. Congressman Spencer Bachus

16. SuccessBy6

17. Focus First

18. The UAB School of Dentistry

19. The Cultural Alliance

20. Dr. Henry Panion and Audiostate 55.

21. Kids4Al

22. The Crisis Center

23. Girls Inc

24. The Birmingham Police Department

25. The Birmingham Public Library

26. SONY Corporation

27. Publix

28. Morgan-StanleySmith Barney

The State of Alabama and the City of Birmingham are providing nutritious, hot breakfasts and hot lunches daily.

Dental and vision screenings and Counseling services will be provided for the campers during the camp (5 days per week for 6 weeks). Parents may drop their children off as early as 7:30 a.m. and pick them up as late as 5:30 p.m. daily.

Classroom counselors have been hired from a terrific pool of high school and college students, most having Pratt City roots.

Coaches and teachers have been hired from a loving and capable group of full time teachers in the Pratt City schools who know and love the children.

One thing the Birmingham Rotary Club learned in the process of developing this project was that the children who lived in the path of the tornadoes – and who are dispersed around the city, many of whom suffered a loss, wanted to get back to their own schools, especially to their teachers and their friends. That consistency is important and will be maintained by the professional teachers and coach hired for Camp South Hampton from the set of teachers they already know and love.

A real benefit to this camp, in addition to providing a comforting, fun and safe environment to the children of Pratt City, is that the parents no longer had a daycare to look after their children. The Rotary Club of Birmingham is very happy to be able to help the families of Pratt City through Camp South Hampton as a solid, 6-week option for summertime, supervised care. With the help of our partners, Camp South Hampton is safe; it is going to be fun; and it will be nourishing in more ways than one. It will provide at least 204 children, hopefully more, with activities in art, sports, reading and play. It will also provide them with exciting and educational field trips.

It will offer each camper the opportunity to build a permanent, community garden in a plot of land next to the school, and will provide them with a reading program that will make a difference. And, the camp will be offered free of charge to the children, parents and the School District.

Rotarian and community volunteers will participate in the gardening, the reading program, the arts, the sports and the special days like field trips and Olympic Day. Rotarians invite everyone who wishes to participate to send contributions to Rotary Club of Birmingham Foundation/ 2019 4^th Avenue North/ Birmingham, AL 35203 and please note the memo line with Tornado Recovery. IF there are unused funds, they will be applied toward the club’s long-term tornado recovery project which will benefit the children and parents of Pratt City in an educational project.

2011 RI CONVENTION IN BANGKOK

The 2012 RI Convention will be held in Bangkok. I have already registered myself and am pleased to say that the early fee for the Bangkok convention is a good indication that their claim of keeping prices down is proving true. I brought forms back with me for those who are interested. Even before announcing the Bangkok convention in the Birmingham club, 8 of our members have let me know they want to attend. With a core group already at 16 (including spouses/guests), I hope to have everyone registered by the end of June (cancellations are permitted until March 30, 2012). During June, to make the most of the trip, I plan to meet with friends of Mary Carolyn Cleveland (Boothby) who lived in Bangkok and you are welcomed to attend that information meeting. Some have said they want to add on China and some said they want to add on Cambodia, Laos, Viet Nam and one couple say they want to add on Australia. Please be thinking about the convention, May 6-9, (there are related symposiums prior to the convention so take a look at the rotary.org website) regarding your own interest in attending the convention and what you may want to see or do in addition to Bangkok (like sea kayaking in Phuket).

For now: check out the information and video about the convention at http://www.rotary.org/en/Members/Events/Convention/Pages/ridefault.aspx?housead

and read up on Thailand. I have already learned that you will want to arrive in Bangkok early enough to take an empty suitcase to the JayJay weekend market (I was told to say it this way as the authentic name is unpronounceable). Convention will begin on Sunday, May 6. Market will be open on Saturday, May 5. The same experienced traveler said to make sure to book a sea kayaking trip from Phuket where you kayak through tunnels in the sea stacks. (Someone else does the paddling so you can enjoy the breathtaking scenery). And, you could consider Chiang Mai where you can ride elephants through the rain forest. For example.

Rotary Theme 2011-2012:

Reach Within to Embrace Humanity

Kalyan Banerjee - President, Rotary International
Martin Uptain- District Governor, District 6860

Kate Nielsen - President, Birmingham Rotary Club
Whit DeBardeleben - President-Elect, Birmingham Rotary Club