December 6th, 2018 Newsletter

 
“World, they have taken the small children like butterflies and thrown them, beating their wings, into the fire–” ― Nelly Sachs
 
ANNOUNCEMENTS
(notes provided by the unconventional and unorthodox Paul Conforti)
 
Our annual holiday party is Thursday, December 13th in the Savoy Room in the hotel formerly known as Hawthorne Suites. Please let Diana know if you have guest, especially children, accompanying you. Please refer to President Cary’s 12/7 email for complete details.
 
Salvation Army Bell Ringing is Saturday, December 15th, Walmart on N. Prospect from 10am to 7pm. President Cary has the sign-up sheet. Please email if you can make it.
 
CU Sunrise is moving its meet venue to Lodgic beginning with our Thursday, January 3rd meeting. Lodgic is in the Illini Plaza which is on south Neil Street at Fox Dr. Details to come.
 
CU Sunrise is mentioned on page 3 of the Rotary District 6490 newsletter. The district newsletter can be found linked on the front page of the district’s web site: www.rotarydistrict6490.org
 
PROGRAM
 
Mary introduced Glenn Harbin, membership director of Rotary District 6490. Glenn’s program was about Kiva.
 
Kiva is an international nonprofit, founded in 2005 and based in San Francisco, with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. By lending as little as $25 on Kiva, anyone can help a borrower start or grow a business, go to school, access clean energy or realize their potential. For some, it’s a matter of survival, for others it’s the fuel for a life-long ambition.100% of every dollar you lend on Kiva goes to funding loans. Kiva covers costs primarily through optional donations, as well as through support from grants and sponsors.
 
Kiva works by having a borrower apply for a loan, the loan goes through an underwriting and approval process. Upon approval the loan is posted on the Kiva website for lenders to support. The borrower repays the loan and lenders use repayments to fund new loans, donate or withdraw the money. 
 
Your account can be accessed anytime online to view updates on your loans.
 
This is something individuals can do, or entire clubs. Glenn’s home club in Bloomington has funded a variety of projects. Loan updates are presented to member Rotarians at their meetings.
 
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UPCOMING SCHEDULE (with program committee member responsible listed in parentheses)
December 13th – CUSR Holiday Party EXTRAVAGANZA!
December Maarten DeWitte will discuss diamonds and diamond cutting (Tom)
December 27th – TBD (Bob)
January 3rd – TBD (Charlie)
January 10th – TBD (David)
January 17th – PDG Larry Howell will discuss the Heart to Heart Zone trip to Mexico (Mary)
January 24th – Viktor Gruev, Associate Professor, UI Electrical and Computer Engineering, will speak about his research applications