Meetings are at Kenwood Golf and Country Club (map) every Tuesday at 12:15 pm
Upcoming Events
- March 25th - Past Presidents Dinner at McCormick and Schmick's
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Meeting Schedule
- Feb 16th - Ambassador Shanka - India and the United States
- Feb 23rd - Lauren Abramson - Conflict Resolution
- Mar 2nd - Classification Talks
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Congratulation to Greg Wims for being the recipient of the 2009 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Humanitarian Award in Montgomery County
Founded in 1933, the Rotary Club of Bethesda Chevy Chase is a local chapter of Rotary International, a worldwide organization of business people who have been dedicated to service projects for over a century, fostering goodwill and world peace through helping communities in need. The Rotary motto is "Service Above Self." Locally, the BCC Rotary provides grants to numerous local organizations that assist community residents, from children to the elderly, as well as offering hands-on participation in community charity events such as Community Service Day, Strut Your Mutt and Turkey Chase 10K. Worldwide, Rotary International and its member clubs assist in many projects from health to education, but they are best known for starting and being one of the biggest sponsors and participants in the "Polio Plus Project" dedicated to eliminating Polio from the entire planet through complete vaccination of all children.
In addition to its charitable work, another goal of the organization is to foster fellowship among its members, through regular meetings of each club. The BCC Rotary meets every Tuesday at the Kenwood Country Club. These luncheon meetings offer opportunities to meet and greet with fellow Rotarians, as well as hear from weekly visiting speakers discussing current world developments.
The 27th annual Turkey Chase drew more than 8,800 runners. The Turkey Chase supports the YMCA's Youth and Family Services, YMCA Bethesda-Chevy Chase and the B-CC Rotary Club Foundation.
The 4th annual Strut Your Mutt Dog Parade and Festival is set to take place on Saturday, May 16, 2009 in downtown Bethesda, MD. Organized and sponsored by the Bethesda Chevy Chase Rotary Club, past years have brought together over 5,000 participants and hundreds of dogs for a day of fun. This year's event features a parade, dog fashion show, dog contests, kids play area, and much more!
With more than 60 exhibitors and sponsors each year, Strut Your Mutt has raised close to $40,000 each year for the benefit of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad, a public service that relies on private donations.
Latest Meetings
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Our speaker was Dave Smith of Special Love. Special Love has developed a community of support for children affected by cancer. Cancer treatment has improved and children need the right support to cope with the disease and treatment. With a medical personnel and cancer survivor cadre, Special Love started Camp Fantastic where children can have fun without impairing their treatment. From that start spawned other specialized activities such as Family Weekends, BRASS for siblings, and Teens Fantastic or Camp Funshine.
Stuart Schwager and President Greg Wims presented a $1,500 Principal Prize check to Walter Johnson H.S for over 1000 registrants at Turkey Chase.
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Our scheduled speaker, Neil Campbell from CureKids, was not able to make it. We were fortunate to have Chris Ward, Senior Advisor from CureKids, step in at the last minute.
CureKids is a global charity that was started by Rotary over 30 years ago. Their focus is on childhood diseases, and disorders, investing millions in medical research. Just a few of their successes have been; Asthma, childhood Diabetes, Liver Disease, and Respiratory Illnesses. Some of the current projects and studies done by researchers funded by Cure Kids are; Bone and Birth Abnormalities, Childhood Cancer - Painless Testing, Cystic Fibrosis, and Obesity - Identifying the Risk Factors.
One of their current research projects addresses the number one cause of death in children; acute injury to the brain. The project looks at predicting brain damage in children with acute brain injuries. About 70% of the brain injuries are caused by the heart stopping, breathing problems or trauma.
For more information go to CureKids.org. |
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Dr. Bruce Trock told us about prostate cancer research and the challenges of gathering large consistent data sets. A lot of data is stored in the library but very little is consistent, limiting successful research. Yet, 1 in about 6 men is affected by prostate cancer. About 27,000 men die of prostate cancer each year. Although age, race and genetics are obvious risk factors, they also suspect hormones, diet and inflammation. US and European citizens have much higher rates than Asians. Asians immigrating to the US end up in the same statistics, leading them to believe that life style has a huge impact on cancer incidence.
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We heard about Morona Song’s journey, giving power to the powerless. Morona was an ambassador scholar, sponsored by a California club. She started her journey from Cheong Ju (South Korea) where she grew up. In Myanmar, she helped build a school; in Vietnam she built a house; in Thailand she renovated a playground; and in Japan she was an exchange student. She worked as a UNESCO volunteer in Turkey. In the Philippines, they opened a school for children and produced cultural shows. Morona volunteered in Mexico with her sponsor family, the Hashimotos. She now works for the World Bank in Washington, DC, fighting poverty, and trade & gender inequality through communication. |
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