Welcome to the Rotary Club of Brookings

Welcome to November!

 

The year as Brookings Rotary Club President is flying by. I am enjoying it immensely.

October continued to be a busy month for Brookings Rotary - starting with Thirsty Thursday on October 3 at
Jim’s Tap, which raised $115 for the Brookings Backpack Program. On Monday, October 7, Brookings Rotary
Club sponsored six SDSU students for Bum-A-Meal at Michael and Tiffany Gonda’s house. Numerous
Rotarians donated food, prizes and gift bags and fun was had by all. It was a good opportunity for us - as
Rotarians - to plant seeds with young adults about Rotary and maybe someday…..they will become Rotarians
themselves. Finally on Friday, October 25, Brookings Rotary hosted Gemma Sisia and Dr. Suleman from The
School of St. Jude in Tanzania. It was a wonderful event with many in attendance with Rotarians from Madison
SD, Marshall MN, Sioux Falls SD, Rapid City SD, Watertown SD, Brookings SD and friends from The Landing
in Brookings SD.

The School of St. Jude is located in Tanzania Africa. It was founded in 2003 with 3 students and graduated 60
in the inaugural class in 2015. Today, the school has more than 1,800 students who are provided a free,
quality education through scholarships from generous donations. Each student comes from a considerably
poor (poverty) background. The School of St. Jude’s mission is to fight poverty through education.

 

Currently, our Club and it’s members provide scholarships for:
Gregg & Vi Jongeling and Brookings Rotary Club Sponsor 1 child for $2,640/year
Marcia & Larry Janssen Sponsor ½ child for $1,320/year
Doug & Mary Malo Sponsor ½ child for $1,320/year

Gemma Sisia is the Founding Director of the school. During her visit on October 25, she provided a full
background history of the school and how children receive their scholarships. She was accompanied by one of
her inaugural graduates from 2015, Dr. Suleman who has gone on to college, medical school and is now
employed at the largest hospital in Tanzania as a General Practitioner in the Emergency Department. 97% of
St. Jude’s alumni go onto access higher education after secondary school. Of these alumni, 80% are working
in crucial sectors to ensure Tanzania’s prosperity, including engineering, health, education, information
technology, financing and accounting. To learn about this amazing school, see their website:
https://www.schoolofstjude.org/. If interested, visit with Gregg Jongeling for more information. AND…FYI,
there will be an Africa trip which will include a visit to The School of St. Jude in 2026. Pat Sutliff from The
Rushmore Club in Rapid City is a driving force for The School of St. Jude.

November is Rotary Foundation Month. This is a time when Rotary International highlights the importance of
supporting the Rotary Foundation, which is the charitable arm of Rotary International. All donations to the
foundation support humanitarian and educational programs locally and around the world. The Rotary
Foundation transforms more than 90% of its gifts into service projects that change lives both close to home
and globally. Every Rotarian is invited and encouraged to support the Annual Fund with a personal
contribution each year. https://www.rotary.org/en/foundation-build

Here are some examples of how your generous donation in the Rotary Foundation makes a difference:
 $100/year provides 3 backpacks filled with supplies for primary school children in Honduras.
 $100/year provided 50 malaria diagnostic tests to prevent, diagnose and treat malaria in Mali.
 $100/year provides 1 biosand filter and water-hygiene training for a family in Peru.
 $1,000/year provides 14 HIV antiretroviral drugs to prevent the transmission of HIV from injected
mothers to their babies in Liberia.
 $1,000/year provides 1 bicycle to play sports for youth with disabilities in France/
 $1,000/year provides sexual assault and domestic abuse education women in Texas.

The power of giving enriches lives – both the giver and the recipient. Giving activates the reward centers in the
brain and releases feel-good chemicals like dopamine and endorphins, producing what researchers call the
“helper’s high.” Giving also can lower blood pressure, reduce anxiety, boost self-esteem and lower depression
risk. By making you happier, giving back helps you live longer. While giving feels good, its deeper significance
is bringing help to those in need. Simple ways to give are donations, volunteering and performing acts of
kindness. Giving has the power to transform lives.

 

Remember Rotary’s Motto: Service Above Self.

President Jen Olson

The Brookings Rotary Club hosted a very special reception Friday evening for members, guests, and visiting Rotarians to welcome Gemma Sisia, the founding director of The School of St. Jude in Tanzania, which is enthusiastically supported by Rotary and its clubs and members. Gemma is traveling throughout the state along with St. Jude alum Dr. Suleiman Mohammed, who is now a physician in one of Tanzania's most prestigious hospitals, to tell the amazing success story of the school. Gemma began The School of St. Jude, a privately funded school for extremely impoverished but bright youngsters in Tanzania, more than twenty years ago with only three students. Today the school serves 1,800 primary and secondary students on several campuses, and also supports university students. Scroll through these photos from our very special gathering last evening, and click here for more info on The School of St. Jude: