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Rosemary Breen (Inverell, Australia) - Sponsor

I taught Gemma during her secondary years and have seen St Jude's develop from a tiny school to what it has become today. Since her schooldays, Gemma has always shown great grit and determination in all her undertakings and she has used these gifts to make her vision for St Jude's into reality. So many people around the world, myself included, have been inspired to be part of this great venture as education is surely the key in the fight against poverty. So, courage and confidence, Gemma - go forward unafraid!
About Us

Speak to Your Rotary Club

You can either download this guide as a PDF which you can print out, or continue reading below.

One of the most common questions we are asked just before our visitors leave us is, "What more can I do to help?"

One of the most powerful ways that people can help us is actually by simply spreading the word and sharing their first hand St Jude's experiences with everyone back home. There are Rotary Clubs in most towns and cities across the globe and your agreeing to be a guest speaker at one of their monthly meetings is a very effective way of raising awareness about St Jude's.

From the very earliest days, when St Jude's was just a dream held by our passionate Founder, Gemma Sisia, the Rotary Clubs around the globe have been there, supporting us every step of the way, ensuring that Gemma's dream became a reality. As we move towards our 10th Anniversary in 2012, we are proud to have the willing support of Rotarians everywhere as the school has been a registered Rotary Australia World Community Service project since 2002.

We would love you to contact your local Rotary Clubs to find out if you could be a speaker at one of their weekly meetings.

By speaking about your recent time spent with us at St Jude's you can help show Rotarians what a successful Rotary project St Jude's is. We will provide you with a Rotary specific power point presentation which you can use when you speak, enough St Jude's promotional DVDs and brochures for all attendees and a St Jude's fact sheet containing our latest statistics…it's as easy at that!

What is Rotary?

  • The Rotary Club of Chicago was the world's first service club, and was formed on 23 February 1905 by Paul P. Harris. Rotary now has over one million members worldwide. The motto of Rotary is ‘Service Above Self'.  People join Rotary to enjoy fellowship with one another in an organisation that primarily supports needy projects both locally and internationally which are making a difference within the world we live.
  • People who join Rotary are called Rotarians. Most cities/towns have at least one Rotary club which may meet weekly at the local service club, sports club or restaurant. A cluster of clubs is called a District. A cluster of Districts is called a Zone. The main headquarters of Rotary International is based in the USA.
  • Millions of dollars each year is spent on alleviating poverty, malnutrition, developing education, youth and health programs all over the world through the activities of individual Rotarians, their clubs and their overall organisation. During the last 10 years for example, Rotary has literally spent billions of dollars towards eradicating polio from the planet - a very commendable effort.
  • When Rotarians meet together once a week, they usually have 15-30 minute fellowship and drinks prior to starting their official meeting, which may take half an hour. During this meeting there maybe a meal served. Finally before the end of the meeting, a guest speaker, organised by the Rotarian Speaker Secretary makes a 10-15 minute speech. This is where you come in!

If you are willing to talk to your local Rotary club about St Jude's then below are a few steps which you may find useful:

How do I locate my nearest Rotary Club?

  • Most cities/towns have at least one Rotary club and many of these clubs are already familiar with St Jude's already, however we need you to both update the Rotarians in your area about what good work Rotary is doing worldwide, as well as inform them of your own personal experiences of the school.
  • To find the contacts for the club(s) in your town, you can ask at the local Tourist or Community Centre or Library.
  • Clubs can also be located by using the official Rotary website: www.rotary.org  or simply Google the words ‘rotary club' along with the name of your location. You may even know someone who is a Rotarian back home. They will help you get the contacts of each of the Rotary clubs in your area so you can contact them about being a speaker. Most clubs have a calendar for the year which may fill quite quickly with speakers etc. so expect a few weeks/months waiting period before your presentation.
  • Send a brief letter (or email if that is preferred) outlining your request e.g.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I have recently returned from a visit to The School of St Jude www.schoolofstjude.org located in Arusha, Tanzania, East Africa.The School of St Jude was initially established thanks to Rotarians from Armidale, NSW, Australia. It now gives a quality free education to over 1500 students and full time employment to over 400 Tanzanians. Iwould like to request an opportunity to be a speaker at one of your upcoming meetings to share my experience of this amazingly successful Rotary Project with your members. I can provide an update on how the school is bringing about extraordinarily positive changes in the lives of the students, local Tanzanian staff, their families and the local community.

I know that as Rotarians you are always doing good for other people and maybe sometimes you don't really know how your goodwill ripples through a community, so I hope you will allow me to speak to your club so as to both inform, update and reenergize each Rotarian about how Rotary has touched the hearts of people in East Africa.
           
Thank you for considering this request and I look forward to hearing from you to arrange a future date. Please see my contact details below, 
 
Kind Regards etc…..

How long will I need to speak for?

  • At the majority of clubs the guest speaker is given up to 15-20 minutes for their presentation and another 5 minutes for questions. Obviously this may vary between clubs.
  • You can download the St Jude's Speak to your local Rotary Club presentation.  This PowerPoint includes blank slides that you can customise with your own content e.g. your own words and personal travel images. A PowerPoint presentation is the best way to get the message across (a picture paints a thousand words!). Your Rotary club contact will be able to tell you whether the club has facilities or you may have to bring your own laptop/projector/screen. If you are having trouble downloading the power point please email St Jude's on info@schoolofstjude.co.tz.

How much background information should I include?

  • You should keep in mind that not everyone has heard the whole story of St Jude's before so including the school's history is great background for your audience. The story of our humble beginnings is important as Rotary was so heavily involved even before the St Jude's doors opened. The St Jude's Rotary PowerPoint presentation, website and fact sheet will provide you with all the background information you will need.

What should I be encouraging the Rotary Club members to do?

  • Individual Rotarians can be encouraged to sponsor a student, teacher etc. We especially need student+teacher package sponsors as well as student+boarding room sponsors. People can sign up by simply clicking the red "Donate/Sponsor" button on the top right hand corner of the home page of our website. Please note that in the best interests of our students we require an ongoing commitment (preferably for at least three years) for our sponsorship programs. When sponsors are unable to make that commitment, we ask them to consider making a one-off general donation.
  • Each Rotary Club has a governing board which changes every year so sponsorship is not encouraged as board members often find a ‘new cause' as time goes by. If the Rotary Club would like to make a financial donation then there are many specific St Jude's projects that could benefit in this way: a new set of school bus tyres, uniforms, and electricity for a month, computers, textbooks, food for students, teaching resources and many others.
  • The School of St Jude is operated by an Australian-based charity, The East Africa Fund Incorporated (CFN 16123). Our donation and sponsorship programs are based on Australian dollars (AUD). For an approximate guide to your currency's exchange rate against the Australian dollar, visit www.xe.com

We have a range of options for making donations to The School of St Jude.

Online credit card payments on our website through the National Australia Bank payment option allow Visa and MasterCard payments regardless of the currency that the credit card was issued for. Please be aware that most banks charge a small transaction fee for currency conversion into Australian dollars.

The School of St. Jude uses National Australia Bank Secure Internet Payment Service to process credit card payments. National Australia Bank is one of Australia's largest banks and their online payment service is a trusted and secure system that uses industry standard 128 bit SSL encryption technology to secure all transactions.

Online payments on our website through the PayPal payment option similarly allow international Visa and MasterCard payments as well as all the major currencies supported if you have a PayPal account. Please be aware that there may be a small transaction fee charged for currency conversion into Australian dollars. PayPal is also trusted and secure system that uses industry standard 128 bit SSL encryption technology to secure all commerce transactions.

For assistance to make a donation when your currency is other than Australian dollars, please contact St Jude's at info@schoolofstjude.co.tz – we are happy to help

Yes, all donations made through the website are also tax deductible.

A financial donation may also be made by cheque and made out to:
      Rotary Australia Overseas Aid Fund - Eastern Region - St Judes School
      and mailed to:
      The School of St Jude
      Australian Financial Coordinator
      PO Box 82
      Kew East VIC 3102

Please ensure that the name of the donor, their email and postal address are attached to the cheque so the school can give feedback as to how the donation was used in Tanzania.

  • You could also encourage the Rotary members to come and visit us because WE LOVE VISITORS!! They can come as a club, as individuals or by joining one of our Tour Groups. Information about our popular Tours can also be found on our website in our "Visit Us" section

What else should I mention?

  • Enquire if any of the members know of other Rotary clubs and/or local organisations that you could speak to about St Jude's.
  • In closing it is always good to point out how important Rotary has been to the school. Without it
    The School of St Jude would not exist. Simple as that.

How do I prepare for my presentation?

  • Download Speaking to your local Rotary Club PowerPoint. Insert your own images on the three blank slides at the back of the presentation (or delete if not required). If you require more slides then duplicate the blank ones. Note the presentation automatically moves from slide to slide which should make the presentation easier for you
  • Once you know how many people will be at the Rotary meeting where you will be speaking at, please email us on info@schoolofstjude.co.tz so we can post to you (via your personal home/business address) the required number of DVDs/brochures for each Rotarian to take home with this after you speak. For ease we find that it is best to put a DVD/brochure at each table setting before the meeting starts.
    You can then refer to the items during your talk.
  • If you are feeling a little nervous then run through your presentation in front of family and friends.
  • Arrive early to the event so you can be relaxed and also be able to put out the DVD/brochures on the tables.
  • Bring some cash (preferably in small denominations) in case you want to get something from the bar (after your speech, of course) or for small donations to Rotary during the meeting.
  • Always dress in business formal wear unless told otherwise.

Speaking at a Rotary Club can be both a challenging and rewarding experience. But remember that people who join Rotary do so because they want to give back to the community, so you'll get the opportunity to address people who, like you, like helping others – your perfect audience.

For any further assistance you may require please contact:
info@schoolofstjude.co.tz