for our raffle baskets at TriCon, all benefitting Polio Plus.
This Week: Sarah Graf - WINN
Sue Rieple Graf is the founder and Executive Director of WINN (What I Need Now), a mobile mission to care for our un-sheltered neighbors. We seek out and serve our un-sheltered neighbors where they are and accept each individual as they are. Sue has lived in the Coulee Region most of her life and is a graduate of La Crosse Central high school and Viterbo University. Sue and her husband, Tim have 2 grown daughters, Racheal and Anjela. Sue has volunteered/worked with our un-sheltered neighbors for 14 years. Sue received a Distinguished Alumni - Spirit of St. Francis award and the Hometown Hero award for her work with the homeless community. (you can include or take out what you think is appropriate)
As we approach the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam war, we heard what it was like to be a kid in a small village while the war raged in the nearby countryside. Tan Pham talked about the stroke of luck that allowed him (at age 12) and his immediate family to escape shortly before the fall of Saigon.
We were moved by Tan’s experience of joy when he was finally able to return to Vietnam and to see his grandparents for the first time in 20 years; and you gained an understanding of how the country has grown since the war ended and the military presence left.
Tan is the owner of Cuisine Adventure Tours and at least twice a year takes inspired visitors to see his homeland.
THANK YOU to our Rotary team who volunteered last week at the Hmong Eggroll Fundraiser. It was quite the process! What a great group of people to work along side. CLICK HERE for more pictures.
Rotary Blood Drive - April 1st
Sign up to Donate to theRotary blood drive on April 1st, NOTE: for every pint donated (or attempted) Rotary Works receives $10, and there are still 43 slots - $430 - available, so PLEASE sign up if you can!12-5 pm at Olivet Beacon of Light Lutheran Church on French Island. Rotary will get $10.00 per pint of blood donated since The Rotary Foundation is a 501(c)(3). Web link to sign up: https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/drive-results?zipSponsor=RotaryBlood
TriCon
TriCon is April 25-26 in Brookfield, WI and we could love for you to join us there! As a member of the three represented districts (6220, 6250, 6270), we invite you to come together for a weekend of lively discussion, educational sessions, and tons of fun and networking. Come and be inspired by the plenary speakers and be exposed to the true breadth and depth of Rotary International through the many breakout sessions. We have 12 people registered from our club so far and our delegate spots are fulfilled. Please note that pricing will go up at the end of the week so REGISTER NOW if you can go!
Rotary Youth Exchange News
Let's Celebrate!
Active Rotarians
182
Honorary Rotarians
14
Rotary Attendance
107 between in person, guests, and Zoom
Welcome to Week ONE of RI’s Month of Maternal and Child Health.
Young women from economically disadvantaged backgrounds in India face a
number of economic challenges, educational gaps and career interruptions due to
caring responsibilities and gendered expectations around working after marriage.
There is a gender gap in participation in STEM courses in India, with female students
constituting 40% of the total. Rotary Club Bibwewadi Pune has been delivering its
‘Asmita’ program in Pune for 7 years, empowering girls and young women aged 12-
20 through awareness-raising and training on a range of topics such as financial
literacy, mental health, self-defense, communication skills, and female health. To
date, more than 120,000 young women have been trained through Project Asmita.
Emerging technologies such as generative AI can transform talent across India’s key
growth sectors, generating a projected 2.73 million new tech jobs by 2028. In alignment with this, and with the support from Serrala, a global financial automation and B@B payments software company, and The Hg Foundation, the club will pilot ‘Asmita Nxt’, a new program designed to train young women in generative AI and prompt engineering skills.
In alignment with its mission to improve tech education and skills, The Hg
Foundation will join forces with Serrala in a combined £55,000 grant. The grant will
fund 60 women to complete a twenty-week training course with the Pune Institute of
Computer Technology. They will receive laptops and subscriptions to relevant
programming tools, and complete a dynamic and hands-on course in generative AI
across popular deep learning frameworks. “At the Rotary Club of Bibwewadi Pune,
we have always believed in empowering young women, who we call daughters, through meaningful initiatives… By bridging the skill gap, we are not only creating opportunities but also fostering long-term economic and social empowerment” – Dr Prachi Pandya, Project Chairperson, Rotary Club of Bibwewadi Pune.
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