Argentina’s first alumni association comes of age
By Dan Nixon
Rotary International News -- 27 October 2009
Guillermo Schaab, of the Rotary Club of Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Fedra Caron; and Guillermo Salas with the symbolic check representing the District 4920 Foundation alumni association’s $1,000 contribution to Rotary’s challenge for polio eradication.
Photo courtesy of Guillermo Salas
The District 4920 Rotary Foundation Alumni Association has rapidly emerged as an energetic, proactive member of the family of Rotary in Argentina.
Formed in January 2008, it is the first Foundation alumni group to be established in that country.
“The association is doing an outstanding service to our district,” says Past District Governor Juan Pedro Torroba, a member of the group and former Rotary Foundation alumni coordinator for the region. “We have our bulletin, ConEXiones ; raise money for polio eradication; and assist the district Foundation chair with every district and club Foundation program that requests our attention.”
The 76-member group, which meets monthly online, raised US$1,000 for Rotary’s US$200 Million Challenge by selling stickers promoting the eradication of polio. It also provides support to the district’s Rotary clubs by
- Helping to select and orient Argentine Group Study Exchange team members and planning activities for visiting teams from other countries
- Participating in club service projects
- Encouraging association members to request space in their sponsor Rotary club’s bulletin and offering to collaborate on service efforts
- Maintaining a catalog of club service projects to help promote shared efforts among clubs within and outside the district
- Providing district officers with a list of successful club fundraisers that can be implemented by other clubs
“We aspire to be authorized spokespersons in order to enhance the public image of Rotary,” wrote Guillermo Salas, founding president of the association, in the first issue of ConEXiones . “We are aware of our capacity as global ambassadors for peace … We see the association as a vehicle of unity, reconnection, and selfless goodwill.”
For more on the District 4920 Rotary Foundation Alumni Association, go to their facebook page or e-mail exbecarios4920@gmail.com.
Written for Reconnections