Shraddha's summary:   

December is Disease Prevention and Treatment Month in Rotary. The pandemic has taught us all about the toll that disease takes on our communities. But fighting disease is something that Rotarians around the world have been doing for decades. In fact, it is one of Rotary’s seven areas of focus.

I am heartened that so many in our community run grass
roots programs aimed at raising awareness and support to fund research into preventable solutions & cure for diseases.

 
Our club is privileged to be able to support the fantastic effort of foundations like Live for Lily and one by our very own member, Yvonne Filter your future.
Please visit the websites by following the link, if you’d like to know more about how to be involved.
 
November has been another busy month, one with lots of good feelings for the support we are able to extend to the youth and to our community.
Several members including Edith, Lesley, Anne and Shraddha have been filling the Food Pantries at Kensington Neighborhood House and Ascot Vale.  There is an ever growing need for support for our community, many ofwhom are struggling at the moment. The Board has agreed to fund both pantries as well as Flemington Mission {which provides food hampers everyTuesday to over 130 people}.

A fabulous afternoon spent by PP Lesley & member Yvonne at Debney Meadows Primary School working with year 5/6 students on their favourite places for the Intergenerational Mapping project.
We attended the presentation at Kensington City Soccer club, where our charter member Geoff awarded the outstanding player.
On another night at Mount Alexander college, PP Lesley presented this year’s Del King Award and we also inaugurated the Ted Frank Vocational scholarship.
I then presented the scholarship to an amazing student at Ascot Vale Heights School.
We also congratulated a student from Kensington Community High School on being awarded the Eugene Odachowski Scholarship.
 
It’s always very inspiring to see all these young people with dedication and the community of teachers, coaches and mentors who support them so dedicatedly. Congratulations to all the students!
 
We also had our District Cluster meeting with DG Amanda on 9th of November, it was a great night with updates from the DG on key highlights, the For-a-Meal packing event and a special mention of her pledge to jump off a plane if our district raises AU$500,000 to contribute to the Rotary Foundation Annual Fund. I have raised my hand to support the cause as a representative from our cluster to help raise awareness.  Any other members or clubs willing to join, please feel free to get in touch so together we can Tell the DG to go jump … for a donation to Foundation.
 
This month Kensington Neighbourhood House was in news as the winner of the Melbourne Awards 2022. Congratulation to our member Rebecca and the team, it’s amazing to see whole of Melbourne appreciate what we already knew.
 
Last week, we had an amazing end of the year celebration at the Maribyrnong Park Bowling Club, it was wonderful to see all those who could make it to help us celebrate the year in service with those who’ve made giving a way of living. Special thank you to Geoff, Dulcie and Lesley for putting together a wonderful meal for us all to enjoy.
At the Christmas event, it was a a pleasure to present Rotary’s vocational advantage by acknowledging the outstanding mentorship within our club. Mentorship of our own people attracts new members, instils our next generation of leaders with Rotary values, and engages and retains valuable experienced Rotarians.  Congratulation to Peter Cribb, Lesley McCarthy and Edith Chen for receiving the acknowledgement of the support you’ve extended to the newer members of the club.
 
Looking forward, the last of the event for the year is the festive MVCC Carols night, where we will be having our BBQ set up from 4 PM Queens Park.
Lesley is preparing the roster now.  Please call her with your availability ASAP for shifts of 3.30-6.30pm or 5.30-9.30pm or another time to suit.
 
I wish you and your family a blessed Christmas and a safe new year...  Shraddha
 
Shraddha and Lesley have been busy presenting scholarships to students at local schools.  Our club funds scholarships at local primary schools and:
MAC - the Del King Award to a student entering Year 11,
The Ted Frank Vocational Scholarship for a graduating Year 12 student,
KCHS - The Eugene Odachowski Award to a student entering Year 11,
AVHS - A Citizenship and achievement award to a graduating Year 12 student.
Del King Scholar - Nasteho Salaat
Ted Frank Vocational Scholar - Anh Tran
AVHS Scholar - Sebastian Timpano
Kensington Community HS - Clay Crawford
The Defibrillator Project
This is a new project for our club.  Following requests, the Board has agreed to provide AEDs or defibrillators to our local schools and community groups.  Request are reviewed by the Board and a limited number offered annually.
PDG Grant Hocking ASM {Ambulance Victoria} was asked for advice.
The first device was presented this week to Mount Alexander College.
President shraddha and Len Seddon will present a device to Ascot Vale West Primary School at their assembly on 20 December.
PP Lesley will present a device to RIMERN next week.
RYLA 2022
Jules Borghouts and Sarah Briggs were sponsored by the club to attend RYLA.  
Jules is well known to members and Sarah has been a Work Placement student and volunteer at the Op Shop for some months now.  Many thanks to Zoe Borghouts who again attended as a leader.
Christmas function
A large group gathered at the Maribyrnong Park Bowls Club on Wednesday 30 November to acknowledge and celebrate the year.
Several people tried their hand at lawn bowls or croquet before dinner.  Rakesh and Bob showed a good eye for bowls, while Beate, Anthony, and Bill, and Samara and friends were excellent at Croquet.
Many thanks to Dulcie Heard, Geoff Cawsey and friend Lesley for the fabulous catering.  This was very much appreciated as was the effort they out into making the room look festive for us all.
President Shraddha addressed the group and thanked everyone for their work this year.
Shraddha together with PP Lesley McCarthy then made a special presentation to Dulcie.  She was recognised as an Honorary Member for her 35 years of dedicated service to the club in so many different ways.  Lesley then presented her with a Paul Harris Sapphire pin.
Shraddha then made presentations to:
Peter Cribb - acknowledging his efforts as a Mentor to her when she first joined the club. 
Edith Chen - as a mentor to Melina Caccetta in her role as the new Op Shop Manager.
She also acknowledged Lesley McCarthy who was Mentor to Yvonne Farquharson. The Mentor/Mentoree awards are an initiative of DG Amanda and were introduced as part of her DG Cluster visits. 
Kensington City Soccer Club Awards night
President Shraddha, Geoff Cawsey and Dulcie Heard attended the presentation evening on 12 November. 
They witnessed the great camaraderie, wonderful display of strength, passion and energy among the girls, 2 special coaches, parents, guardians, and the whole community of people behind making this sport accessible and fun for the girls.
Our charter member Geoff felt a sense of pride and happiness in presenting the awards to the outstanding players on the night.
The Rotary Club of Flemington Kensington feels very privileged to be able to extend our ongoing sponsorship support to this wonderful club.
Congratulations to Katherine James, Mia Devine, Jessica Dutton, Mavis Chan and Elizabeth Giovannitti Nowak on your awards.
Playgrounds to Port Blair, India
After 12 months in the planning, first inspired by President Shraddha's visit in August 2021, the container is now packed and on its way. 
Thanks to the incredible effort by Bob Allardice and a team of people, 15 playgrounds plus 2 extra swing sets were loaded - a new RORP record.   John Arena is very pleased as he has most of his yard free again - but that won't last.  
Those who helped out during the loading were Peter Cribb, John Sklenar and Sam Nicol from Flemington-Kensington.  
Rotarians from other clubs were Ian Armstrong, Jerzy Ordega, Des Shiels, Isiah Lahai, Gerry van Horick, Matthew Gibney, Roger Wilson, Cheryl McKay, Peter Peyton, and Scott Allardice.   
District Governor Cluster visit
The Yarraville Club was packed as Rotarians and partners from the clubs in the Gateway Custer came together on 10 November to welcome District Governor Amanda Wendt.  Together with DGEN Michael Lapina and Alex, AGs Tony Laycock and Peter Shepheard and Club Service Chair Lilli Teichman the room was abuzz.
 
During the evening everyone participated in a For-a-Meal packing event where 125 bags were paced in 13 minutes!!!  These were distributed between Reaching Out Melbourne, WERN, Kensington and Ascot Vale food pantries.
Intergenerational Maps
This project is based around drawing together older, longer-term residents with younger, newer residents in a local area they share.
In 2019, Gallery Sunshine Everywhere joined with the Public Pedagogies Institute in a successful grant application to Moonee Valley Council to run a similar program in Flemington.
The program ran at Debney Meadows Primary School in early November.
RIMERN
Edith, Yvonne, Karolina and Lesley continue their volunteering at RIMERN.  The club is rostered onto assist on the 4th Thursday of each month 10.30-3.
Lesley also collects rags and donations for the op Shop every Tuesday. This is a symbiotic relationship where goods are exchanged between the 2 sites: the Op Shop has excess kitchen supplies and bedding and RIMERN receives items they cannot use.
 
CHRISTMAS BREAK UP – “REVEL WITH RIMERN” next Sunday, 11.30 – 1.30, please invite all your Club volunteers and your partners, please advise approximate Club attendee
numbers to susie.cole@rotaryprahrah.org.au by Friday.
Please bring a plate or a bottle…. See you there!

Districtb9800 is leading capability development for Zone 8 in Rotary Down Under

Check your December copy of Rotary Down Under for a profile of our very own capability development platform Grow My Club growmyclub.org. Our district is proudly leading the conversation on meaningful, hands on, convenient projects to connect with more volunteers, Rotary’s vocational advantage to convert volunteers to members and engage and retain our invaluable experienced Rotarians and develop the next generation of community leaders with community fundraising events.

This RDU issue also features some of our hands on volunteering projects: 
Rotary Balwyn’s from Tiny Seeds Mighty Trees Grow, Rotary Canterbury’s FORaMEAL, Rotary E-club’s E-meals and Rotary Melbourne’s Second Bite. Congratulations on well-deserved profiles on how to connect with more volunteers from across our community.

See the full list of our projects, clubs and members featured, on our District website article, and be sure to read the RDU issue. Congratulations everyone, huge round of applause, you’ve made us all proud!

View at epubs.media/rotarydownunder/ezine/2022/656/

RICON 23 - Exciting Volunteering Opportunities
The Host Organising Committee (HOC) is looking for Volunteers to assist with the running of the Rotary International Convention in May 2023 in Melbourne (RICON23). Volunteers are required to primarily assist as Welcome Marshalls at the main convention sites ( Melbourne Convention and Entertainment Centre and Rod Laver Arena ) as well as at HOC Events, Major Block Hotels, Tullamarine Airport and Southern Cross Station. Volunteers will also be first-hand providers of information and advice to delegates on a variety of aspects of RICON23. 
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