| | Published April 29th, 2009
| In Service to the Community: Moraga Rotary
| | Submitted by Gary Irwin |  | | Tua Hallstrom (Sweden), Eliane Windlin (Switzerland), Carine Louyot (France), and Pauline Von Rijckevorsel (Belgium) with Gary Irwin of Moraga Rotary. Gary and Carol Irwin enjoyed hosting these four exchange students. Photo provided
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Rotary Club of Moraga recently held an Open House at its regular Tuesday noon meeting, and the 30 guests heard former Rotary International President and Moraga Rotarian Cliff Dochterman outline the many programs of Rotary International, including Polio Plus, the global campaign to eradicate the disease of polio. From 500,000 new worldwide polio cases annually, there are currently less than 1000 new cases from small parts of only four countries in the world. Internationally, Moraga Rotary provides funds for polio eradication, LN-4 prosthetic hands, Shelterboxes for disaster relief, and Rotaplast cleft palate remedial surgery in developing countries. In cooperation with Orinda Rotary, they will fund construction of a meal preparation center for the elderly poor in Tala, Mexico.
Moraga Past President Colin Barnard outlined the many community projects of Moraga Rotary, which presents a dictionary to every third grader in Moraga and Canyon, supports the Transition Learning Center in San Pablo, supports Moraga Education Foundation and the Rheem, Camino Pablo, and Los Perales PTAs, provides scholarships at Campolindo HS and St. Mary's College, founded and supports Interact Clubs (junior Rotary Clubs) at Campolindo and Miramonte High Schools, and has founded a Rotaract Club at St. Mary's College. Every August, Moraga Rotary provides food service at the OMPA swim meet and the LMYA soccer kickoff. The annual Field Day will be held for 3rd, 4th, & 5th graders on May 27, and the Club will have a booth at the Community Faire on May 9 in Rheem.
Rotary Club of Moraga recently hosted 16 foreign high school students in the San Francisco area for a three day weekend. These students from Europe, South America, and Asia are sponsored for a year by Rotary Clubs in several Northern California cities, and they met in Moraga for fun and fellowship. The students were guests at the Tuesday Rotary lunch meeting at St. Mary's College, and they provided a colorful program with a processional march with their home country flags, a brief personal biography, and answers to questions.
Rotarians took them to the Academy of Sciences, DeYoung tower, Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, BART, cable cars, Chinatown, the Golden Gate bridge, and Alcatraz, with time for shopping. Rotarians providing food and lodging were Javier & Adriana Cortez, Tony and Libby Schoemehl, Gary & Carol Irwin, and David & Cherie Naro. Rotary Club of Moraga has hosted this gathering for several years, and recently in honor of the late Eddie Roodveldt, a Moraga Rotarian who coordinated the Youth Exchange Program in the District for several years. Dave Naro of Antioch Rotary and Memory Woodard of Concord Rotary coordinate the Youth Exchange program for this Rotary district.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA