A little while ago, the Rotary Club of Berwick applied for a second District Grant of $1000 to train Scout Leaders in Mental Health First Aid. This Grant was approved just before Christmas. The Club has also put a further $2000 (the Club must match at least what is applied for through District) and now the project is live. Viv Armstrong is running this project.
1. Along with our $1000 grant from District, we have $2000 from the club to go towards training scout leaders in MHFA (Mental Health First Aid).
2. We have negotiated with Annmarie Bayard to train 18 Scout leaders.
2. We have negotiated with Annmarie Bayard to train 18 Scout leaders.
3. Lilian Wellings from Narre Warren Rotary was able to put me in touch with the Regional Commissioner for Scouts, Jenni Warden and we had a very productive discussion spanning some considerable time. She is head of all Scout Districts from Bayside, to Casey and in between. She is as excited as I by the outcome we both feel we will achieve. She will have met with all the District Commissioners under her by early next week, 6th Feb, and is telling them that the Casey area is to be a pilot program for MHFA and her wish for other districts to follow once we have completed training locally. She will liaise with Annmarie as to dates for training while Jim and I are in India and keep me informed.
4. On my return from India, I will meet with Jenni to discuss promotion of our collaboration and how we might be able to build some momentum through other scouting districts. We have so far agreed to visit some of these Districts together to discuss what she feels is a vital step in bringing them on board.
5. I, of course, will write appropriate articles for the paper when the time comes, and she is fully supportive of having interviews, photos etc included in any media we can use, including Rotary Down Under if possible.
6. Jenni is keen to have this joint project recognized at the top levels of scouting and will be seeking a badge to be awarded to those completing MHFA. She has in fact done the course herself so knows the value.
Some background. Jenni has dealt with several scout suicides, one being her son’s best friend. She has seen the devastation and felt it through her son's distress. She has in her own way been trying to bring awareness and will be embarking on a trip to Mt Everest base camp with her son at the end of March. Her purpose, to put a replica scouting medal there to honour scouts who have died. She has been interviewed by Ch 9 and Amanda Stapleton and is seeking any publicity she can get in her quest. It is because of her acute understanding, and our shared enthusiasm that we will stretch our small amount of money to the absolute limits.
I will be keen to invite her and her son to our club to talk after they get back from their journey.
Jim and I as always thank our club for the support we have always received, and we particularly wish to say yet again how this club is doing great things for the community, and how proud we are to call Berwick our club.
Rotary Information: A District Grant is money that the Rotary Foundation gives to a Rotary District based on the giving of that District. "Districts may use up to 50 percent of their District Designated Fund to receive one (whole of) District Grant annually. This percentage is calculated based on the amount of DDF generated from a District’s Annual Fund giving three years prior, including Endowment Fund earnings".
This includes all money given through the Centurion Program. Without your personal support of The Rotary Foundation, Club level District Grants become harder to get. This year David Grant is our Centurion representative.
The aim is $100 per member per year, but the fact is any amount is fine. Please see David G or me if you would like to contribute as a Centurion or you would like to know more about it. Many members also contribute to the Rotary Foundation directly. See me if you want to know how that works.
Worried that you are not getting value for money by supporting the Rotary Foundation??? Check out this link: https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=4553&utm and then ask Terry Carmichael how many hoops you need to jump through to get a Global Grant up. We also have a Global Grant running, but that is another story. All donations to the Rotary Foundation are tax deductible.
I support the Rotary Foundation not because they are one of the most efficient and transparent Charities in the world, I support them because Rotary (us) has the opportunity to put our money into projects that we feel strongly about. Which Charity lets you do that? (Giving to the Rotary Foundation also supports Global Grants)
Any questions? Let me know.
