International Service

 

The Wheaton Rotary Club has a rich history of partnering with other clubs worldwide to undertake various humanitarian and sustainable projects. Typically, a host club identifies a local community need and oversees financial management and project implementation. As the international partner, our club often provides the majority of the financial resources and may visit the project to assist and gain a clearer understanding of its critical importance. Financial contributions from the Wheaton Rotary Club are frequently matched by funding from the Rotary Foundation.

 

 

In the past 10 years, the Wheaton Rotary has directed matching grants ranging from $11,000 to $45,000 to host clubs in rural areas of Uganda, Peru, and the Dominican Republic. Here are some highlights of our projects:

 

•    Uganda: We have supported four projects, providing an ambulance, a school bus, concrete floors, water purification systems, libraries, and science equipment for eight local schools. Additionally, we supplied health equipment such as microscopes and incubators to a local hospital. The microscopes aid in identifying blood diseases, while the incubators have helped reduce infant mortality rates, where previously, 1 in 5 newborns did not survive.

 

•    Dominican Republic: Assistance was provided for furniture, appliances, and books for the orphanage home at Kid's Alive Center.

 

•    Peru: Our club has a long-standing relationship with Peru, starting with a medical mission 30 years ago. Since then, we've undertaken numerous projects to benefit single women and provide education and vocational training. One of our local Rotarians, Gordon Schrubbe, has participated in over 25 projects in Peru.

 

 

Locally, the Wheaton Rotary Club hosts an annual International Student Dinner for Wheaton College students, fostering fellowship between Rotarians and students in a social setting. In 2020, we awarded a $2,500 scholarship to an international student at Wheaton College and contributed $2,500 towards a library in rural Guatemala.