International Service Committee

 
Our Rotary District (western Wisconsin) has raised and donated nearly $60,000 to Ukrainian relief efforts in various counties.  In early June the District’s International Service Committee (ISC) met via Zoom with Ms. Irma Kaminska of Olsztyn, Poland.  Irma is responsible for supporting the 80+ Polish Rotary clubs in their refugee response. She is primarily tasked with identifying good projects that need additional funding.  Irma is also a friend of our District having worked with the Rotary Clubs of Columbus, Mayville, Beaver Dam and Waupun on a Global Grant for a training kitchen in her community,now up and running.  She also attended our District Gathering in Hamburg in 2019 and presented at our Virtual District Conference in 2020.
 
Irma explained that projects in better known cities like Warsaw and Cracow are being funded quicker than projects in lesser-known Polish cities.  For this reason, the ISC recommended, and the District’s Foundation Committee approved, a $25,000 donation to the Rotary Club of Szczecin, Poland and a $14,000 donation to the Rotary Club of Bydgoszcz Stare Miasto.  The Szczecin funding will go out as a challenge grant funding the operation of 3 refugee centers in that community.  The Bydgoszcz funding will be used to support a Rotary Food Pantry “Rotary Shelf” for the next 6 months.
 
The following powerful videos was produced by the Szczecin Rotary Club and brings home the impact of this war on the 2-3 million Ukrainians currently living as refugees in Poland: 
 
 
Rotary Club of Szczecin “Appeal for Help to Rotarians”:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ej5gBwegTm0
 
 
 
 
Rotary Club of Szczecin “Far From Home – One Family’s Story”  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2S2DlWeQfwI
 
 
Stay tuned for news on future fundraising efforts related to the Ukraine.  To donate and for further details on how your funding is being used: