« February 2009 | Main | April 2009 »
Pictured is Jeff Ohe (Edina Rotary), Renee Thompson (Hope for the Child), Akinyi Menya and Larry Zilliox (Alexandria Rotary Club). Akinyi is the daughter of a couple that operates Arise and Shine Day Care in Kisumu, Kenya. The check being handed to Akinyo is possible because of funds the Alexandria Rotary Club and other clubs in District 5950 donated to the Fast For Hope program. The check Akinyi holds will allow Arise and Shine Day Care to feed pre-school children for six months.
Akinyi came to the United States with a $150 check made out to Anoka Hennepin Votech, $100 in cash and a sweater in January several years ago. She worked at three or four fast food establishments to earn enough money to live and attend school. Today, she works for United Health as a consultant and will be finishing her MBA at the University of Minnesota in May. She is working on getting her parents to Minneapolis to attend the graduation ceremony.
Akinyi's father worked in the oil industry and her mother was a vice-president of Barclays Bank. The Menya's have retired and moved back to Kisumu and then started a day care center called Arise and Shine for pre-schoolers. They have hired several teachers and a cook and have plans to build a primary school with dormitory space. Land has been purchased and if you visit the web-site hopeforthechild.org, you will see plans for the school grounds.
Alexandria Rotarians were regaled by Judge David Battey during his visit as this week's guest speaker. After Judge Battey detailed the daily tasks, and his goals, as an appointed Judge, he answered questions from Alexandria Rotarians. Battey was appointed by Governor Arne Carlson in 1995 and elected in 1996, 2002 and 2008. His current term expires in January 2015.
The Alexandria Rotary Club was pleased to have Tim Murphy as a guest at this week's (each Thursday at noon) meeting at the Broadway Ballroom. Alexandria Rotarian and District 5950 Governor-elect for 2010-11 Larry Zilliox (left) invited Tim to talk about International Service Projects. Tim is a member of the Edina Rotary Club and also serves as the District Service Project Chairperson. During his presentation, Tim shared information about upcoming and upcoming Rotary International Projects such as Safe Water Plus Project in Haiti.
Three years ago a group of Rotary Districts partnered with World Vision and Haiti Outreach with the goal of building something substantial. The Safewater project began to drill 141 wells and and build 1,200 latrines in the Central Plateau in Haiti.
Death rates in the targeted Haiti project area ranged as high as 23% for children under the age of five, mostly from contaminated water. As of December 2006, 80 wells have been drilled and 475 latrines have been built.
Rotarians have made 14 volunteer trips to the area to build homes, build desks for students, work on soccer fields and much more.
