Focus on Intenational Service
Contributed by Gene Medina
Your International Service Committee: So What Do We Do?
As you know, our club is very involved in the Greater Kingston Community through our wide range of community projects varying from support for the Village Green Park and Community Center project, Summer Food for Kids project and our local blood drive to actively supporting Stillwaters Environmental Center, local food banks, and providing college/university scholarships for Kingston High School graduates. And yes, it is exciting to do this work in partnership with other community groups: Kiwanis, Port Gamble S’Klallam tribe, ShareNet, Kingston Food Bank and our local Chamber of Commerce to name a few.
While we have incredible focus on our local community, it is important to know the breadth and depth of our international work. 
Yes, Rotary International has a dual focus: (1) supporting our local community and (2) helping those in other countries improve their lives. Through our Rotary club’s international projects, we support (1) reading and math skills for children and adult in Cambodia and Laos,
(2) adult literacy with the Hamar tribe in Ethiopia, (3) water and sanitation projects in Guatemala, (4) medical assistance in Kenya through “Kick It Kenya” and youth soccer, (5) the construction of “bottle” schools in Guatemala and (6) support for children’s education and needs of the elderly in Arequipa, Peru. And, as with our local projects, we are developing new and evolving international projects’ partnership with other regional Rotary clubs (Poulsbo, Bainbridge Island, Sequim and Tumwater). Working together, our clubs are writing and implementing Rotary Foundation Global Grants focused on “clean water and sanitary living conditions”. Typically, we are able to generate $50k+ for an international project. Together, we are providing eco-toilets to the people of San Lucas Toliman on Lake Atitlan and three villages (Tablitas, Cuarto Cayos and Aqua Caliente) near Lake Izabel in eastern Guatemala. 
And, on January 30th, 11 representatives from our five clubs will be attending the Central American Rotary Projects meeting in Antigua, Guatemala.
So the work of Rotary continues.
As Rotarians, we are walking the talk of Rotary International and actualizing the “Four Way Test”. Remember this with pride as you continue your efforts to implement Rotary’s mission: Support for human services needs in our local communities and assist those in other countries improve the quality of their lives. 