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 (+574) 511 9374
Medellín - Colombia
rotarymedellin@une.net.co
