There wasn't a dry eye when Joe Johnson told Heidi's story in Honduras, where a water project is being completed in memory of Heidi.

DG George's message for October

Vocational Service Month

October is Vocational Service month. In my official visits, I have been telling clubs that Vocational Service is my personal passion.   High ethical standards may well be Rotary’s greatest gift.  As RI President John Kenney said, “I have long believed that the bedrock of Rotary is our commitment to ethical behavior.  It has been putting right above what is convenient – and Service Above Self – that has made Rotary different from the rest.”   

Never has there been a greater opportunity for Vocational Service than the SC public school program called “Pathways to Success.”  This program requires every 8th grader to develop an individual graduation plan around one of 16 career clusters.  They will then take a core curriculum, electives in their “major,” and extended learning opportunities (ELO’s).  A Health Science major might ride with an EMS vehicle, observe a surgery or spend a day shadowing a Hospital Administrator.  Where this system has been piloted, test scores improved and graduation rates increased.  Students can see the connection between what they are learning in school and what they will eventually do as a career.  Rotarians can sign up their business a www.scpathways.org, or just call their local school and ask for the Career Development Facilitator.

We have selected the GSE Team for Australia.  It is an outstanding team, described in another part of this newsletter. There are still positions available on the GSE Team for Canada.  This is a Vocational Service Team to exchange best practices for forestry in British Columbia, which  produces half of all of the softwood in Canada.  The team will first be grounded in forestry practices in SC and then study what British Columbia is doing.  Mark Taylor, President of Synterra, is the Rotarian Team Leaders.  Candidates must be non-Rotarians, age 25 to 40, and have at least two years of experience in some aspect of forestry:  timber production, pulp and paper, forest ranger, etc.

I toured Honduras with Al Steele and seven other District 7750 Rotarians last month.  We visited Fort Mill Scholarship projects, kicked off the Heidi Johnson water project at Nuevo Esperanza  (translation:  New Hope), dedicated a recently completed water project in Nuevo Generacions (New Generations), visted three Rotary Clubs and one World heritage Site.   The highlights are detailed on my blog at www. Rotary7750.com. 

I wish every Rotarian in District 7750 could visit one or more of Rotary’s international projects.  We would never again have to worry about contributions to the Foundation.  See http://7750dg2009.blogspot.com/

District Governor George Fletcher
Rotary Club of Greenville

205 Rosebay Drive | Greenville, SC 29615
864.380.6392 |DG@rotary7750.org

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