Fellow Rotarian’s –

I wanted to share with you that when Raef Fadel met and talked about his Peru Global Outreach Mission a few weeks ago, it was his hope that we, as a club, would offer some project support, specifically financial. This will be the ninth year this mission trip has taken place.  If you remember from his presentation about 35 pre-med students, doctors and professors travel to South America with many supplies to help the people in need as best they can. The spend one week in Lima, and one week traveling up the Amazon, stopping at small villages and providing medical services off the boat.

The International committee listened to Raef share his experience and wants to support their project, but as a club we have already made our financial commitments for the year. Therefore, the International committee has agreed to put it on their agenda and will look at supporting this project as a budgeted line item for next year. That being said, Raef and his group of pre-med students have been a big help to us in working towards getting our MSU Rotaract club back off the ground. Raef himself is a past president of our previous  Rotaract club and has introduced us to Colleen Reidy, a premed student who is helping us get the program reignited at Michigan State. Good things are happening as it pertains to the Rotaract club including working cooperatively with Okemos and Lansing in sponsoring our “renewed” club at Michigan State.

I would like to speak to the club about this project and ask that we “Pass the Hat” at our next meeting to support the Peru project this year. They have support from five other Rotary clubs including a $5,000 match from Traverse City, but it would look good for them to get support from what they would like to consider their parent club (because of the Rotaract connection).

Please bring your wallet or checkbook and an open heart and I hope we can send a few dollars to support this worthwhile project.

Yours in Rotary Service,

John Stauffer