SOME ACHIEVEMENTS OF MEDELLIN
ROTARY CLUB
KIDS'
HOME
It was founded 55 years ago. During
the last five years (2001 – 2006) 5.000 children have received
assistance. There is also a mobile nutritional campaign that takes
care of another group of 50 children in a poor district of Medellín.
These kids receive daily this so called “nutritional service”.
In the San Cristobal neighborhood,
where The Home owns a comfortable country house, there is also a
nursery school for 110 children. At that place, their mothers may
receive instructions or get trained to fulfill other minor services.
In 2006, 317 mothers attended educational sessions and 28 received
training. The Home is now run as a separate organization, has its
own resources and the Board of Directors is integrated by Rotarians
of the Medellín Club
NURSING HOME
It was founded 23 years ago.
Provides total assistance to 32 persons of the 3rd age. It owns a
house in the San Cristobal neighborhood, receives participation of
the Club events and has permanent and occasional benefactors. Until
the end of 2006, a total of 6.300 persons per month have receive the
home´s services.
Several foreign Rotary Clubs, like
Wil (Swizerland) and Conejo Valley (USA) have contributed, directly
or via Matching Grants with The Rotary Foundation, to the endowment
of the installations. An operational and administrative staff runs
the Nursing Home operation, several Rotarians cooperate closely and
the Board of Directors is integrated by Rotarians.
WHEELCHAIRS
More than seven hundred wheel
chairs have been given to adults and children, partly bought with
Rotarians resources and partly through Matching Grants. The program
was started by a Rotarian whose son was disabled.
Selection of recipients is
carefully made by Rotarians of the club´s committee and with
cooperation of private organizations established in Medellín,
dedicated to care for these problems.
CATARACT
SURGERIES
350 surgeries have been carried out
in the Antioquia and Chocó States, for poor person living in remote
locations; in those cases the state air patrol collaborates with the
transportation. Intra-ocular lenses have been obtained with the help
or Rotary Clubs like Conejo Valley, and US agencies like DRI.
SPECIAL FUNDS
Special funds have been established
for child assistance at the San Vicente de Paul Hospital in
Medellín. So far, donations have been awarded to the Burned
Children`s ward, Col. Ps $ 39 millions or US$ 17.700 and to the
Children with Cancer ward, Col. Ps. $ 37 millions or US$16.800 .
These disbursements have been
possible thanks to a fund created in 1996 with the returns of a
sport event. As of December 2006, the fund´s principal amounts to
Col. Ps. $ 103 millions; 50% of the yield is capitalized and 50%
given every semester to the Hospital.
ENVIRONMENTAL
PROGRAMS
Cachimbero is the name of a lagoon
located in the middle course of the Magdalena River. The lagoon is
one of our most important natural resources of water and animal
life. Under the direction of a devoted Rotarian of the club and the
collaboration of the environmental committee, several studies have
been carried on in order to establish rules to preserve flora and
fauna. Additionally, a Rotary Community Group was established in the
region, and has developed programs like drinking water supply.
Several public and private entities
have given support to this program. A Matching Grant with Conejo
Valley and Simi Valley clubs of California, and The Rotary
Foundation, in the amount of US$ 10.000, allowed the preparation of
a complete report with rules for conservation. ISA, the national
electric transmission company, and the University of Antioquia, have
also supported the Cachimbero program.
EXCELLENCE AWARD
This special award was established
by the Club in 1999 to give recognition to a member of our community
who in the course of his life and/or in his occupation has had a
personal behavior which applies under the guidelines of Rotary
Vocational Service.
GERMAN
SALDARRIAGA’S AWARD
This prize is awarded every year by
the ¨Foundation Promoting Civic and Cultural Activities”, whose
members are those of the Medellín Rotary Club, to persons or
entities who have supported or carried on programs in different
areas such as in education, arts, sciences, civism, cultural
affairs, environment, research, etc.
The program started in 1969 when an
important industrial and Rotarian of our Club, donated Col. Ps. $
1´000.000 to create a fund, directing that a portion of the annual
yield should be assigned to the prize. Until the end of 2006, the
total of prizes awarded, in current Colombian money, amounts to
almost 2.000 millions (aprox US$ 900.000)
JOAQUIN LONDOÑO
ORTIZ’S AWARD
This prize is awarded annually to a
Rotary Club of our District 4280, different from Medellín Club, in
recognition for works in its community. Prizes so far awarded amount
to almost Col. Ps. $8’000.000 equivalent to US$ 3,600 aprox.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Our Club has sponsored and
encouraged many students to apply for scholarships of The Rotary
Foundation or other organizations (Georgia (USA), Japan, Turkey), as
well as candidates for GSE. A good percentage has succeeded.
POLIO
ERRADICATION
Medellín Club was the first one in
our District to raise the initial contribution suggested by The
Rotary Foundation to start the program, and collaborated intensively
in the vaccination campaigns. Colombia received an important amount
of vaccines. Now the country is Polio free, and the Club has
continued the efforts to encourage the state to maintain the
adequate population coverage.
HOSPITAL
ENDOWMENT
Throughout Conejo Valley Rotary
Club and with the help of Direct Relief International, our club has
helped many Hospitals (in Medellín and in other cities of the
country) delivering medical equipments with an original commercial
value of US$ 1´250.000.
MATCHING GRANTS
Since 1992, when the Medellín Club
got the first Matching Grant, we have received the collaboration of
several Clubs and Districts to sponsor programs like wheelchairs
supply, training of handicapped people, endowment of schools and
nursing homes, endowment of sewing machines for a workshop to train
women head of family, supply of hearing aids and medical diagnostics
for deaf children, supply of computers for rural schools, building
low cost housings in poor neighborhoods of Medellín, preservation
the natural resources, training youth leaders, etc. An excellent
collaboration of clubs Conejo Valley, Simi Valley, Peachtree City
and Lowell of the US, Wil of Switzerland, Didsbury and District of
England, Dinant of Belgium and their Districts 5240, 6900, 7910,
2000, 1050 and 2170 has been the reason in obtaining what we have
achieved in 80 years.
MEMBERS
The Medellín Club has had in the
last years about 80 members, 12 of them ladies. Two ladies have been
Club President.
CONTACT
INFORMATION
Club Rotario Medellín
Cra.50 No.52-22 Of.507 Edificio Bermora
Tel. (574)511 2932, Fax (564)511 9374
Medellín - Colombia
rotarymedellin@une.net.co,
rotary@rotaryclubmedellin.org |
