The Centre was started in the late 60's by Rotarian Ed Churchill to help international students studying at Queen's University. It provides experienced staff to help meet the needs of young people from around the world. It also provides information for local students intending to study abroad. Ed Churchill started the $45,000 campaign for the new Centre in 1962. It wrapped up in 1965 with the help of neighbouring clubs. Ed contributed 10% of all donations received, and over the years, made many more. Until very recently, the Rotary Club of Kingston has contributed over $50,000 towards its expenses.

World Community Service

The Rotary Club of Kingston is active in locating and transporting surplus hospital beds, wheel chairs and medical equipment to hospitals in the Caribbean. Over 40 hospitals in Eastern Ontario have provided hundreds of surplus items for hospitals in St. Lucia, Barbados, and Turks and Caicos Islands. In the fall of 2004, 25 hospital beds, 37 wheelchairs and 49 walkers were sent as part of the 22nd Rotary shipment. Select medical missions to remote areas of the world have also been supported.

Contributions to Disaster Relief

Kingston area Rotary clubs have joined forces to send much needed funds to areas in the world devastated by natural disasters such as hurricanes. The money is collected by members' personal contributions and forwarded to disaster relief agencies to help alleviate the loss felt by residents in ravaged areas such as Turkey, Honduras, Ecuador and most recently Southeast Asia, which has been ravaged by a devastating Tsunami.

Our latest initiative involves purchasing "Shelter Boxes". Each box contains a tent, which will house 10 people, sleeping bags, water carriers, purification tablets, rope, tools, mosquito netting, eating utensils and a multi-fuel cooking stove. These boxes weigh 126 pounds (57kg) and are packed into a 33"x24"x24" fiberglass box. They are very portable and can be easily flown into a disaster area. Rotary clubs all over the world participate in this program and by 2007, 482,000 people had been helped in 32 countries. Each box costs $1150. Our club proved three in the spring of 2007.

Rotary Ambassadorial Scholars

Post-secondary scholarships pay for one year of study at a university or college anywhere in the world. Academic standing, ambassadorial qualities, and aspirations are assessed to determine qualification. Applicants are required to research five post-secondary institutions and programs of international acclaim and defend their choices. Students are selected from each club in district and must then compete with about 25 other applicants from our district of 66 clubs (eastern Ontario, western Quebec and northern New York State) for 1 or 2 scholarships each year.

Rotary Exchange Students

Every year, each of the three Kingston Rotary clubs selects two or three students from the Kingston area to study for a year abroad. High school students are chosen based on their grades, general knowledge of Canada and world affairs, speaking ability and aspirations. Rotarians, or friends of Rotarians, in a foreign country host them for 3 to 4 months at a time. The host Rotary club provides room and board and a small monthly allowance. In return, Kingston Rotarians and friends host incoming students for the year.

Our club has participated in this program every year since the early 1980's and our outbound students have gone to countries such as Brazil, Ecuador, France, Italy, Turkey, Russia, Spain, Czech Republic, Japan, Germany, India, Mexico, Slovakia and Thailand. There they attend high school, continuing their learning, but they also learn the local language, returning fluent in that language. They have made life-long friends, not only through their hosts but also with other exchange students whom they meet during the year.

Students apply in the early Fall and must be between the ages of 14-1/2 and 16-1/2 at that time. For more information, visit http://ye.rotary7040.com/ ('ye' = Youth Exchange). If interested in applying, please send an e-mail to the club secretary.

Kenya Connections

The Rotary Club of Kingston has established a Rotary Matching Grant project with the Rotary Club of Naivasha, Kenya, to provide an all-terrain vehicle for a Kingston doctor who is practicing at the Bethany Crippled Children's Centre. This project is valued at about US$30,000. The vehicle will enable doctors to visit refugee camps, to train on site, to assess the injured and diseased, and finally will provide transportation to and from the hospital.

A second Kenya Connection derives from a special event hosted by the five area clubs. Kim Phuc is best known worldwide as "the little girl in the picture." Nick Ut took the photograph of the 9-year-old running up the road outside the village of Trang Bang, Vietnam, in June of 1972. That photograph was printed on front pages of newspapers around the world. The image of an innocent child fleeing napalm horror became part of our collective conscience. From that moment on, wherever she travelled in the world, Kim Phuc would always be recognized as that girl…the girl in the picture. In November 2001, nearly 2000 residents, including 800 high school students, heard her message of peace and forgiveness. Over $12,000 was raised to aid 'Children, the Victims of War'. With Rotary's portion of $6,000, The Rotary Foundation, and CRCID's matching grants programs, US$24,500 has been generated to operate on over to 70 children from refugee camps in North Kenya.