The Rotary Foundation of Media Whiskey Raffle, recently held at Margaret Kuo’s Kitchen in Granite Run, raised over $11,000 for local and international projects of the Rotary Club of Media.  The raffle consisted of six highly rated whiskies with the top prize of Macallan18 year-old sherry cask whiskey going to local Rotarian James Meinel.  The second place prize, a bottle of WhistlePig 18 year-old rye whiskey went to James Pierce, a member of the Rotary International fellowship, Whisk(e)yDRAM.  Other winners included local residents Chip Lillie, Heidi Hamel and Scott Staub; and Rotarians Gene Kane and Susan Garrison.  The event was both in-person and on zoom, with those attending in person having the additional opportunity to receive door prizes. 

 The Rotary Foundation of Media was established in 1983 to provide a charitable non-profit for receiving contributions for to benefit the local community and the purposes of Rotary International, which are Fighting Disease; Providing Clean Water; Supporting Education; Saving Mothers and Children; Growing Local Economies; and Protecting the Environment. 

Over the years The Rotary Club of Media has undertaken projects both large and small in our community, including the Rotary ballfield at Springton Lake; the Media community clock; and more recently, the Media-Upper Providence Free Library community room and the Media Elementary School playground.  Internationally the Media club was the prime mover in a Rotary International Global Grant to provide a new septic system, well and a pavilion for Braintree School in Uganda. 

This past year the Foundation has provided funds for the Media Food Bank; Circles of Giving, which is an organization providing assistance to local residents impacted buy COVID; the Media Arts Council; and the Women’s Shelter Christmas Program.  Internationally it matched funds from the club and individual members to contribute $5,000 to Shelter Box for Ukrainian refugees. 

Most recently the club initiated a $76,000 Global Grant for a Human Milk bank in Bengalaru, India, which was spearheaded by member Govinda Malya.  With a Global Grant, the Media club works with other rotary clubs, including the on-site club in India to raise funds, which are then matched by The Rotary Foundation.  Media Rotary is working with the Dharwad Rotary Club of Seven Hills, a 52-member female club who teamed up with SDM College of Medical Sciences and Hospital, a not-for-profit entity, to create a state-of-the-art Human Milk Bank (HMB). The hospital has1,800 beds and a 52 bed Neonatal ICU (NICU) and performs over 5,000 deliveries per year. About 2,000 (40%) of newborns are lower birth weights of which 625 (25%) are preterm babies. About 2,500 newborn babies were transferred to NICU per year requiring intensive care. Almost half of the neonates are put on artificial feeds due to lack of adequate mother’s breast milk. 

Community-identified newborn pre-term and low birth weight babies and infants below 1 year of age who are admitted in the NICU at the SDM hospital and mothers of age group of 15-45 years who don’t have adequate breastmilk will be included in the HMB program. Milk will be provided free of cost to babies below the poverty line.  

Your contributions to the Rotary Foundation of Media makes these and other projects possible.  For more information about the Rotary Club of Media go to www.mediarotary.org to learn how to become a member of the Rotary Club of Media contact Susan Garrison at susan@garrisonlaw.net.  To have your name placed on the list to receive an entry form for our next raffle, contact Larry Smoose at lvsfish1@aol.com.