Dear Friends, Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and I’m writing about the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving table: PIE! This holiday season, we're partnering with Food & Friends, a local organization that provides home-delivered meals and groceries to thousands of people living with serious illnesses in the DC area. Food & Friends is offering five delicious pie flavors as part of their Slice of Life pie sale, and I’m proud to be joining them as a Pie Seller. When you buy your pies from Food & Friends, not only will you serve a delicious pie to your guests, but you will also provide healthy, life-sustaining meals for an adult or child living with HIV/AIDS, cancer or another serious illness. Please support our efforts by purchasing your pies today. To order, visit https://sliceoflifedc.org/sellers/ and select ME as your salesperson. If you won’t be in town, you can still show your support by purchasing a pie for a client or by making a donation. Don’t wait, sales close Wednesday, November 17th! As you order, you will be asked to select a conveniently located  pickup location on Tuesday, November 23rd. Thank you for joining me, and Food & Friends, in the fight against life’s most difficult challenges. Together, we can DELIVER HOPE, ONE PIE AT A TIME!  

Brandyn Snyder 
Community Service Chair

​A number of Afghan refugees are resettling in the DMV, and we'd like to give them a warm Rotaract welcome. We are collecting items and raising money for Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area, who are helping Afghan refugees resettle in the area. We'll be accepting items to donate and holding a raffle at our Rotaract picnic on August 28, 2021 from 11:00 - 2:00 at Hains Point park.

Ways to Help!
1.) Purchase raffle tickets! Tickets may be purchased for $10 each at the picnic or remotely via Venmo. (Venmo @RCWDC and specify that you are purchasing raffle tickets and how many you would like). The drawing will be held during the picnic. The raffle winner will receive a $100 gift card to Clyde's Restaurant Group!

2.) Donate household goods! You can drop off your items at the picnic, or email president@rotaractdc.org to arrange item pickup!
Suggested items:

• Clothing
• Electronics
• Kitchen appliances
• Household items
• Linens
• Pillows
• Blankets
• Dishes and utensils
• Pots and pans
• Cutting boards
• Waste baskets
• Lamps
• Towels
• Laundry detergent
• Dish soap
• All-purpose cleaners
• Brooms and mops
• New hygiene items
• Paper products
• Soaps/Shampoos/Toiletries
• Diapers
• Bicycles
• Children's toys
• Backpacks
• School supplies
• Office supplies
• Giftcards

We appreciate everyone's support, and are excited to share the impact we've achieved!

On September 12, we held an intimate documentary screening of the 13th followed by an important conversation about how we as a community could do our part. The group cultivated a safe space where we shared personal experiences and looked at hard data presented by the New York Times. 

We brain stormed ways to keep educating ourselves: 
Books: The New Jim Crow, How to be an Antiracist, The Warmth of Other Suns. 
Articles: NY Times Economic Inequality 
​Documentaries: The House I Live In, Broken on All Sides: Race, Mass Incarceration and New Visions for Criminal Justice, TIME: The Kalief Browder Story, Women Behind Bars

We're proud to announce we raised $205 for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which is a non-profit organization that provides legal assistance and is dedicated to defending and preserving the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.

A huge thank you to everyone who participated in this fundraiser. And a very special thank you to International Service Chair Landon Fortenberry and Fellowship Chair Ta-Sha Watkins for taking the lead on this event, and to Acting Vice President Austin McComb for authoring our BLM Statement. 

Dear Rotaract family and friends,
 
We are living in a historic time. While the Covid-19 pandemic has been challenging and pushed us to take digital measures to keep in touch, people are taking to the streets worldwide. The murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer was a terrible abdication of justice. However, his death is one in a long train of abuses that has been perpetrated against Black Americans dating back for centuries. His name has now been added to a growing list of those lives tragically cut short by unnecessary violence like Emmett Till, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland and so many others. Our club condemns all forms of racial injustice and commits itself and its members to anti-racism work, such as forming intercultural friendships and taking the time to understand the histories and cultures of humanity. We proudly stand with the Black community in proclaiming: Black Lives Matter.
 
Although evidence of overt racism does not always exist in the actions of an individual, we further recognize that racism also exists subversively and systemically. While the tendrils of discrimination manifest in countless studies throughout many areas of our society, we believe that silence is complicity. After all, as noted philosopher Dr. Cornel West said, “Justice is what love looks like in public, just like tenderness is what love feels like in private.” Our love now compels us to show solidarity with our Black friends, neighbors, and loved ones in our shared pursuit to achieve not only an equitable system that provides tools so that all may succeed, but also a just system that affords all an equal opportunity to achieve the fruits of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But we acknowledge that love is still not enough, and it is up to each one of us to dismantle systemic racism.
 
As the Rotaract Club of Washington, DC, we must band together behind the banner of the common good for all. As Rotaractors, we are called to be leaders in our communities and our workplaces. Our members are international and diverse. It is our duty to join together and stand with each other as a community, united in our club membership and our humanity. Rotaract has been a place of happiness and joy for us over the years, and while some may feel that “politics” has no place in the Rotaract world, we ask those who might feel that way to reflect upon the Four-Way Test. Let us be unequivocally clear:
Black Lives Matter.
 
In Solidarity,
The Rotaract Club of Washington, DC 
Board of 2020-2021
​

by Michelle Ramos, President of the Rotaract Club of Washington, DC​

We are excited to announce that our club has signed an international twin club partnership with the Rotaract Club of Islamabad, Bangladesh RID 3282.

Establishing a twin club partnership with a Rotaract Club from a different Rotary International country is a unique opportunity to learn about other cultures and foster goodwill through the global Rotaract family. It can entail anything from establishing an e-mail relationship, a cultural exchange, exchanging project ideas, to undertaking international or community service projects. The partnership recognizes our mutual interest in supporting Rotary International’s mission to unite people around the world and to take action to create lasting change – across the globe, within our communities and within ourselves.

One way we have engaged with our Twin Club is for the ‘Literacy for Change’ project. In September 2019, our club was proud to be part of this international initiative spearheaded by our Twin Club in Bangladesh, along with 94+ clubs from around the world! The project supported Rotary International's September initiative of advancing Education and Literacy.

For this project, the Rotaract Club of Washington DC attended a write night hosted by Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop at Seekers Church. Free Minds uses books, creative writing, and peer support DC youth incarcerated as adults to awaken their own potential. During this event, our members read and provided positive feedback on poems written by these individuals. We believe that helping someone learn to read and write effectively will help to make this
world more beautiful. Additionally, effective literacy skills will help to close the doors of poverty and underdevelopment.

Watch a video of International Literacy Day around the world here:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=829642637455084
​
We look forward to further collaboration with our Twin Club!

At our first monthly meeting of the year, we had an amazing turn out. Twenty-six Rotaractors, Rotarians, and guests gathered to hear from District 7620 Governor Barton Goldenberg. He shared valuable public speaking tips, such as: don’t stand in front of the podium, know your material, and slow down your speech. ​

Mimi Boussouf serves as the International Service Chair for Rotaract DC.

​  Rotary and the United Nations have built a strong relationship through their tenure since 1945 when 50 Rotarians were part of the original 800 individuals to draft the UN Charter.  This month, Rotaract board members Amanda Silva (President), Rafik Bennacer (Public Relations Chair), and Mimi Boussouf (International Service Chair), travelled to Geneva to participate in Rotary UN Day. They were among an exclusive group of 600 Rotarians to participate in the two-day conference, which focused on fostering the long partnership between the two organizations. This annual event, normally held at the UN building in New York City, took place at the UN Palais in Geneva for the first time this year.  Rotarians, Rotaractors and Interactors, met with UN representatives to celebrate their joint efforts and inspire further collaboration in creating a peaceful and sustainable world.  The theme for this year’s conference  was ‘Peace – Making a Difference;’ which meant to highlight the work of people and organizations actively promoting peace, rights and the well-being of people throughout the world. The conference held workshops around this theme, and honored six notable Rotarians as champions of peace. The events’ overarching goal sought to encourage Rotarians to continue their global partnership with the UN and their efforts towards achieving the latest UN Sustainable Development Goals for 2030.

  The conference began with a fascinating workshop exploring the role of artificial intelligence in conflict resolution. Dr. Jean Marc Rickli presented on the realities of AI use through the challenges of war, and its future role in humanity, while Mr. Marc Oliver Gewaltig took a slightly opposing view exploring the benefits of AI and delving into its true definition.  After the panel discussion and instead of the traditional Q&A, Moderators Myrna Lewis and Justin Friedman facilitated an open dialogue between 50 participants in the audience to come on stage and represent their viewpoints for two perspectives on Artificial Intelligence presented during the panel: AI is good for humanity vs. AI will be the demise of humanity. The moderators wanted to demonstrate that everyone has the right to be heard, that every perspective and opinion is valid, and there is no fundamentally right answer.  The purpose of the dialogue between the two sides was to listen to all perspectives and statements and then when coming to a decision between the two, to mention what resonated or “hit home” amongst the comments made and what it helped you understand about yourself.

  Rotaract DC President Amanda Silva participated in this activity. She chose to be on the side of “demise” because she believed that although AI can be good, at the end of the day, technological advances that are good are equally advanced with bad technological advances and those decisions are not made by the majority. The decisions on how technology advances and the purposes it serves are decided by a select few. When it came to sharing the final reflection, the two opinions that hit home the most were from the opposite dialogue that stated that AI helps increase human creativity and another opinion from her side that mentioned that the increase in AI also means a decrease in jobs for more people. She believed this meant that she identifies with the have-nots because everyone at the conference needs to recognize that they are among the privileged and as such although they may benefit from AI, they need to acknowledge that the majority may not benefit in the same way and that is something to be cognizant of.
The second part of the evening consisted of speeches from heads of government, parliament, and civil society.  They spoke about their perspective on how to ensure we work together to reach the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. The ultimate challenge presented to Rotarians and Rotaractors was; What can you do in your daily life that contributes to the grassroots movement of coming closer to achieving the SDGs? Secretary General of Rotary, John Hewko, confidently remarked that Rotarians in their global projects, global grants, and local community service projects, take steps every day towards achieving the SDGs.  The evening closed with an enchanting classical music concert performed by the talented UN Orchestra of Geneva, followed by a networking reception. 

  The second day of the conference opened with speeches from UN and Rotary leadership. Following their discourses were moving accounts of service by the six Rotarians Peace Honorees, who each made significant and impactful contributions to their communities in promoting a more peaceful world.  Interactors joined us for this discussion as well; where Interact International leaders presented their thoughts on peace and making a difference among the future generation of Rotarians. 

  In the afternoon, attendees broke out into discussion workshops.  President Amanda represented the club at Workshop 1; Sustainable Development, Peace, Rights and Well-being.  The workshop focused on the importance of diversity and perspective when working together.  Dr. Achim Wenmann, Executive Coordinator, Geneva Peacebuilding Platform, and Senior Researcher at the Graduate Institute’s Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding (CCDP), noted the significance of having women and people of all ages included in this effort. Other speakers expanded on this by emphasizing that war comes from separateness and having decision-makers that do not reflect the reality of our societies. ​

Clare Fletcher serves as the Community Service Chair for Rotaract DC.

As we begin 2017 fresh, the Rotaract Club of Washington, D.C. would like to take a moment to reflect on the first half of this 2016/2017 Rotaract year. We certainly were busy building friendships, promoting peace and understanding, serving our communities, and giving to those in need! Our new board (Peter, Darien, Amanda, and Clare) were hard at work organizing events and recruiting new members.

We started off the year with a bash at our president's house! At this kick-off celebration, we hosted international visitors from Brazil, El Salvador, and Spain. We drank caipirinhas, played Kings and Thunderstruck, and salsa danced. Some friendships that started here will last forever!

As a tradition, and a D.C. classic, we had our 2nd annual bottomless Sunday brunch with the Rotaract club of Annapolis! We look forward to continuing these joint events and supporting this neighboring group of friends in service.

Our monthly meetings throughout 2016 played host to extremely impressive and enlightening speakers.

1. In September, Ms. Clara Montanez, Senior Director - Investments at Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., offered to host the Rotaract Club for its meeting, with guest speaker Akash Bhargava, who delivered a presentation on millennial demographics in the workplace. 
   
2. In October, Mr. Don Bergin, National Security Advisor and Counsel on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, shared his non-partisan insights on how work gets done in Congress, the process differences between the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, and various national security issues. 
   
3. In December, Arzú Dominic Saucedo Sandoval, from the Rotaract Club of Celaya in Mexico, presented on his club's activities, on his time in D.C., and on a large service project he lead with us, donating to Central Union Mission a truck full of hundreds of pillows, sheets, and other bedding items left over from international students leaving the area after internships, study abroad, or other programs.
   

As one of our yearly hallmark volunteer events, we spent National Public Land's Day (September 24th) at Kenilworth Acquatic Gardens. We listened to girl scout's re-read President Obama's speech about public spaces and national parks, had some breakfast, and then got to work! 

The day was full of hard, but gratifying, labor. We dug up dirt and rebuilt the eroding banks around ponds in the park. Some other people were tasked with wading in the ponds to uproot and discard dying lily pads and invasive species.

After 4-5 hours of work, we gathered for a free boxed lunch at picnic tables in the park and then walked around the beautiful space together, happy with the impact we made.

Serving the community is part of our core mission as a group! We are happy to keep returning, year after year, to Central Union Mission and serve food to those in need.

Rotaract Club of Washington DC's members volunteered countless hours in our community this past year. We attended an Oktoberfest fundraiser for Cystic Fibrosis, a charity happy hour for Habitat for Humanity, and a Mardis Gras cultural event in DC. We sorted wigs being donated to women going through cancer treatments. 
And, of course, we participated in our regular re-occurring volunteer events like: Walter Reed Bingo with wounded veterans, Grate Patrol Food Truck run by the Salvation Army, and Citizenship Workshops for legal immigrants.

Our sponsoring Rotary Club, the Rotary Club of Washington DC, has always been an incredible and generous advocate for us. We are so lucky and thankful to be invited to their weekly Wednesday lunch meetings and to have such close connections with professional leaders in our community. This year, we hosted a joint Rotary/Rotaract Networking happy hour at Bar Louie in Chinatown. Business Cards were exchanged and we all had a great time!

We are also so fortunate to be sponsored by our Rotary Club to attend the annual Rotary UN Day Conference at the United Nations in New York every year. We stayed all stayed in SoHo to be able to bond and explore the city together. The conference was awe-inspiring, as always, learning from business leaders around the world about how to combine social impact with economic profit. We were briefed on the status of Polio and Rotary's role in eliminating the disease. We heard from Rotary's representative to the U.N. and learned about other Rotary projects to engage younger members of our community.

After the conference concluded, we distributed left over lunch boxes to the homeless around New York and then attended a happy hour with the Rotaract Club of New York.

Finally, to round out the year, we came together for our annual Friendsgiving. This is an opportunity for our club to cook a family-style thanksgiving meal together, gather cans of non perishable food items to donate to local food banks, and to give thanks for the friendships we've made and the people who continue to make this club a great success. For some of our international members, this was their first ever taste of a traditional American Thanksgiving meal!

As you can see, The Rotaract Club of Washington DC had a great start to the 2016/2017 year! Let's work to make the second half even better!

Yours in service, always.