On Saturday, June 12th, from 11am - 2pm, we will have our final volunteer session of the school year at International Community High School and we’re hoping for a great turnout! For details and to RSVP, please click HERE.
If you have not yet registered for the NexGen Africa forum hosted by one of our partner organizations, Goods 4 Good, on Monday, June 14th, please be sure to do so as soon as possible. Tickets are FREE and Rotaract Club at the UN is proud to be named an organization in attendance for this great event. Reserve your ticket HERE.
It would be great to get a group together to head down to Washington, DC from July 14th-18th for the 2010 RYLA North America Conference. Registration closes on June 20, 2010 so be sure to register at www.rylanorthamerica.com/registration. The registration package is $275 and includes four night stay at George Washington University, conference materials, admission to all embassy & special events, as well as all meals except Saturday night’s dinner. Please feel free to contact Nicole Dolan with any questions or for more information.
We have many more service opportunities and social events coming up this summer, so be sure to keep an eye on, our club calendar.
Finally, we were fortunate to have Diana Mao, co-Founder and President of Nomi Network (www.nominetwork.org), as our guest speaker on Thursday, May 6th. She brought really cool tote bags with her (which many of us quickly purchased) that not only look great but also generate awareness and revenue for Nomi Network. Diana asked me to let everyone know that they just launched their 2010 spring collection & all of their merchandise is now available through their e-commerce site at www.buyherbagnotherbody.com.
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Register for tickets at http://nextgenafrica.eventbrite.com/
]]>Thank you for your flexibility and I apologize again for the inconvenience! ]]>
WATER FIRST Reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), directed by Amy Hart, is the first film to succinctly convey the importance of clean water and sanitation in addressing all major global issues and achieving the MDGs. From hunger and poverty to women’s equality and population control, HIV/AIDS to environmental sustainability, WATER FIRST makes it clear that the best way to empower people in developing nations, and to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is by putting water first.
Please join us on May 26th at 7 pm for this special screening at the Tribeca Cinemas at 54 Varick Street. The evening starts with a reception at 7 pm at the Tribeca Cinemas at 54 Varick Street. After the film, Rotarian Amy Hart will share her experiences and tell us about the challenges and solutions to this very important problem.
Proceeds from this event will help provide clean water for the people of Malawi in southeastern Africa. Also, please join us at the after-party at Bar Artisinal at 268 West Broadway at 6th Avenue.
The cost for the event is $30. Please purchase your tickets, for both the film and the after-party, on-line by clicking HERE.
More Information is available at these websites:
http://www.waterfirstfilm.org/data/
http://www.tribecacinemas.com/
http://www.barartisanal.com/
http://rotaryclubofwallstreet.blogspot.com/
Thursday, May 13th OR Tuesday, May 18th - 6:00pm-7:30pm: complimentary Italian language class at a new Italian Cultural Center in Midtown - contact Valentina Caprio (valentina.caprio@gmail.com) for details and to RSVP. Space is limited so, if you’re interested, please contact Valentina as soon as possible.
Saturday, May 15th - 11am-2pm: Volunteer at International Community high school. RSVP HERE or contact Melissa Casey (mel.casey@gmail.com) for details.(Our final installment of the school year with ICHS will be Sat. June 12th, and we are looking for a project coordinator for that event. If interested, please contact Rita Shulgina - rita.shulgina@gmail.com)
Sunday, May 16th - 8:45am~2pm: AIDS Walk NY. Click HERE to register and be sure to select “join a team” and then “Join an existing team” by choosing “Rotaract Club of the United Nations” from the drop-down menu. Contact Michelle Cousland (michelle.cousland@gmail.com) for details.
Wednesday, May 19th - 11:30am~5:00pm - Rotary Club of NY Annual Golf event in Monroe, NY. Various volunteer opportunities on the course the day of the tournament. We are also helping to sell raffle tickets to win prizes such as airline tickets, a Caribbean cruise, Yankees tickets and more! Tickets start at $40 each (the more you buy, the greater the discount!) and for each ticket that RCUN sells, we get $10 donated back to our club fund. Spread the word - this is an excellent way to win great items and benefit the club at the same time! If anyone plays golf, you can certainly register to participate in this event, which takes place at a Jack Nicklaus signature course. Please contact Nicole Dolan (nfdolan@gmail.com) for details.
Thursday, May 20th - 7:30pm-9:00pm - Rotaract Meeting - our last speaker of the year is Patrick Sciarratta, Executive Director of FRIENDSHIP AMBASSADORS FOUNDATION (FAF; www.faf.org) and co-creator and Director of the Annual Youth Assembly at the United Nations.
(Our final “official” meeting of the year will be Thursday, June 3rd - we will host a pot-luck celebration, so stay tuned for details).
Monday, May 24th - 6:30pm-8:00pm - YNPN-NYC presents Effective Networking: From Strangers to Allies in Just Three Minutes! Click HERE for details and to RSVP. Cost: $5.00 EVENT FULL
Wednesday, May 26th - 7:00pm-9:00pm - Rotary Club of Wall Street presents “Water First,” A Documentary by Amy Hart, at Tribeca Cinemas. After-party will be held at Bar Artisinal at 268 West Broadway at 6th Avenue. Click HERE for details and to register. Cost: $30 and includes reception and film screening.
Monday, June 14th - 6:00pm-8:00pm - Goods 4 Good presents NexGen Africa, A Forum on Africa’s Orphans and Vulnerable Children. Keynote Address by the first female Vice President of Malawi, The Right Honorable Joyce Banda. Rotaract Club at the UN is proud to be an organization in attendance for this event. Click HERE to register for this event. Cost: Free. We are also looking for a project coordinator for this event to organize a meeting time & location so our members can arrive together, and also answer any questions. Please contact Nicole Dolan (nfdolan@gmail.com) if you’re interested. This will count toward your membership requirement.
Notes:
As mentioned at our April 16th meeting, we have engaged in an International Service Project, started by the Rotaract Club of Cairo. Essentially, it is a Rotaract Global Warming campaign to raise awareness and exchange ideas with other young people around the world. The name of the campaign is Global Warming, Global Warning and more info can be found by clicking on the Facebook event link HERE.
We are in the process of planning our summer social calendar and we welcome your ideas! If you have an event or activity in mind (philharmonic in the park, movie night in Bryant Park, brewery tours, governors island, etc.) then please contact any of the board members and let us know.
We are also seeking future leaders for our club! If you would like to nominate yourself for club Secretary for the 2010-2011 year, then please contact Nicole Dolan (nfdolan@gmail.com) for details. We’re also looking for people who may be interested in shadowing the 2010-2011 President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer to learn more about what the board does, contribute ideas, and gain knowledge and experience to service on a future Rotaract board (hopefully for Rotaract Club at the UN). :-) Again - please contact Nicole for more information.
Calling all graphic designers! We are looking for a few people that can help design our official club logo for pins, flags, and possibly event t-shirts. You can be a part of RCUN club history! Please contact Nicole Dolan for details (nfdolan@gmail.com).
Have a great week and we look forward to seeing you soon!
]]>The speaker that morning was Jin Zhang, a representative of the newly-formed United Nations University. Headquartered in Tokyo, this institution has worldwide campuses and wants to appeal to students looking for an internationally-focused education, while forming close ties to the United Nations and its partner organizations during their university years. Jin addressed many questions from audience at-hand, ranging from marketing, name recognition, and goals of the university.
After the talk, Rotarians and other attendees mingled and networked, while learning about one another’s organizations and jobs. I got the privilege of meeting many local Rotarians who wanted to know more about Rotaract and our club here in New York. I, of course, related to them our service-goals and gave examples of our great volunteer projects. Rotarians were very impressed with our work, and hopefully exchanges like mine will foster a stronger connection between Rotaract and Rotary, and especially with our partner clubs here in New York.
I highly recommend attending this breakfast, if you have 1-2 hours to spare in the morning before embarking on your day. It just might change your life!
Rita Shulgina
Rotaract Club at the United Nations, Secretary, 2009-2010
Address: German Consulate Building on First Ave (between 48 and 49 Streets), 21st Floor
When: Normally, Third Wednesday of every month, 8:30 a.m.
For more info about the breakfasts, please visit http://nyrotaryunitednations.blogspot.com
Rotary Breakfast at the German Mission
Rita Shulgina, Secretary of RCUN, with Sheila Washington, charter member of Rotary Club of Wall Street
Alpine, NJ, even though minutes away from the George Washington Bridge, proved to be a world away from the hustle and bustle of NYC. The camping site was very modern and is owned by the Boy Scouts of America. I drove out from Manhattan with David Del Monte and Fredlee Kaplan from the Rotary Club of New York on Friday afternoon to help set up the conference room at Alpine and make check-in process as smooth as possible. In late afternoon, kids began to arrive with parents and one could feel the tension in the air, as parents slowly left and new friends were to be made. All of the participants were sophomores in High School and were recommended to participate by a guidance counselor. They hailed from around New York City, including Westchester county and all 5 boroughs, and 5 kids even flew in from Bermuda for the weekend!
Friendships were quickly made, with slight encouragement from Julio Alvarez, who was at RYLA for the 7th consecutive year. He told the kids that he is still best friends with those from his “family group,” which was an 8 person group kids were put into for the rest of the weekend. Many were shy and disbelieving, but by the end of the weekend, everyone has found new lifelong friends and was sad the weekend was so quickly over.
Throughout the weekend, Rotarians would drive up and lead various activities from the Rotary Club of White Plains, Rotary Club of New York, Rotary Club of Eastchester, Rotary Club of Wall Street, and the Staten Island Rotary Club. Everyone gave their 120% to ensure that participants learned as much as possible about great teamwork, effective leadership, trust, while constantly having fun and learning about themselves and each other.
Activities included Cross the Line, the Egg Dropping exercise, thought-provoking reflection sessions, writing thank you notes to Rotarians, and a toilet-paper Fashion Show, which was the highlight of Saturday evening. Everyone was involved and engaged to their fullest, which made RYLA seem even more worthwhile.
Observing some of the comments and reflections said by the kids were very touching to me, since these involved sensitive topics such as race, socioeconomic status, bullying, peer pressure, and discrimination. The fact that these 15 and 16 year-olds were mature enough to speak of these things in front of their peers demonstrated their courage, fearlessness, and high self-esteem. I was extremely impressed by their behavior throughout the weekend and even teared during some of the RYLA commercials or when witnessing the closeness they were developing for each other.
I wish I could participate in RYLA during High School. Definitely get involved next year as a leader, or recommend some great High School students that you know have leadership potential. GO RYLA!!
-Rita Shulgina, Secretary, Rotaract Club at the UN
]]>We are incredibly grateful to everyone that came out to our fundraiser at the Village Pourhouse on Monday, January 18th, helping us to raise a total of $1171 for ShelterBox USA!
Even if you couldn’t make the fundraiser, it is still not too late to contribute! We will continue accepting donations online indefinitely, with 100% of the proceeds benefiting ShelterBox USA when you click the “Donate” button below. I encourage you to read more about the organization by visiting www.shelterboxusa.org, but here is an example of how your donation can make a difference:
$50: Would almost buy the cookware and tools that go into a ShelterBox, which ultimately can provide basic survival essentials for ten people after a natural disaster.
$100: Would just about cover the blankets, water-purification tablets, and water containers for one box.
$500: Would cover the empty container, a family tent, and the cost of transporting the box, depending on the location of the disaster.
$50,000: Would allow Shelterbox to supply about 50 complete boxes, the difference between life and death to 500 people in a disaster like Southeast Asia’s 2004 tsunami.
Please contact Nicole@RotaractNewYorkCity.org with any questions or for more information.
]]>There are members from two different Rotaract Clubs (one from Milwaulkee and the other from Italy) arriving in New York this weekend that would love to meet any and all of us from Rotaract Club at the UN. In order to give them a real NY Holiday experience while having a great time, we’ve decided to join them for ice skating this Sunday, December 20th, at Bryant Park (www.thepondatbryantpark.com) at 4:00pm. It’s free to skate and skate rentals are just $12. There’s also hot chocolate and lots of holiday shops for anyone who wants to come along but not skate. We’ll meet at the carousel on the south side of Bryant Park near the entrance to the rink at 4. Please email Nicole@RotaractNewYorkCity.org if you plan to come and I’ll send you my mobile phone number. Hope to see you there!
Finally, thank you for the great turnout to our last meeting of 2009. We were inspired by the amazing work in first response disaster relief that Shelterbox (www.shelterox.org) is doing all over the world and by Yi Shun Lai’s passion for the organization. Yi Shun wanted me to thank you all for the terrific hospitality you showed her and let you know that if you have any questions about Shelter box that you can always send her an email at yishunwrites@gmail.com.
Our next meeting will be Thursday, January 7th, and we will host NY Rotarian Fredlee Kaplan as she discusses her recent trip to Uganda with Gift of Life International. I look forward to seeing you then!
Cheers to a Happy Holiday Season and Great New Year!!! ]]>